 |
| Mormon Tree of Life |
According to Genesis, it didn’t take very long for God to create trees. In fact, as soon as there was enough dry land to work with, trees were (in the words of not-so-merry old King James) “brought forth.”
One such tree, the Tree of Knowledge, has caused quite a stir in certain theological circles. It has been implicated in everything from sweat-of-the-brow labor to agonizing childbirth. Although this isn’t exactly spelled out in Genesis – rumor has it that when Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the Serpent - the Serpent had nowhere to go but to blame the Tree. Trees have been hideously treated ever since.
But not by everyone.
Fortunately, there are some left among us who still revere trees. The Tree of Life has managed to keep its reputation well in tact. Some say (while others don’t) that it remained unviolated within the Garden of Eden for far longer than its knowledgeable cousin. It appeared in a vision of the Mormon prophet Lehi circa 595 BC (centuries after the saga of Adam and Eve). It later appeared to Lehi’s son Nephi - bearing fruit that was said to be “the greatest of all the gifts of God.”
Legend has it that Joseph of Arimathea – the wealthy Sanhedrin member who allegedly donated his own cave for the entombment of Jesus’ body – visited Glastonbury, Somerset, England with the Holy Grail. It is said that when Joseph thrust his staff into a hill there, the original Glastonbury Thorn sprang up. This member
of the Common Hawthorne family has been propagated (botany-speak for reincarnated) ever since. It flowers in winter as well as in spring, allowing for the British Monarch to be gifted with its blossoming sprig each and every Christmas.
When the Norse gods need a central meeting location, they know where to find one. Yggdrasil (loosely translated “Odin’s horse” – go figure) is a mighty ash with branches that extend all the way to Norse heaven. It is rumored that Odin, king of the gods, once “sacrificed himself to himself” (a phrase even tougher to decipher than “Odin’s horse”) by hanging from Yggdrasil.
Other sacred trees (and their devotees) can be found in Iran (the Cypress of Kashmar), in Germany (the Donar Oak), and in India (the Parijaat). In fact, some (Wise Ones) hold all trees as sacred.
Resources
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1&version=KJV
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_of_the_knowledge_of_good_and_evil
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_of_life_(Judeo-Christian)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Sacred_trees
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glastonbury_Thorn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yggdrasil
No comments:
Post a Comment