Hey, friends!
I hope you have all had a wonderful Independence Day! Praying for healing and unity in our world. I pray all people can experience a sense of freedom and privilege that many of us experience. Let's make an effort to improve within our circles, and aim to create Zion in our societies.
INTRO
In last week's blog post, we spoke a great deal about Wisdom and Asherah. (I definitely recommend the previous posts in order to get a full grasp of its context for this week.) We covered the fact that the term 'asherah' is associated with groves and trees. Groves were the main location in which a good portion of the worship of Her was done, just outside the temple walls - as well as within temple walls. "The Mother of the Lord" by Margaret Barker is a great resource to learn more on this.
As a follow up post, today, we are going to dive deeper into the symbolism of groves, gardens, and trees and how that applies to the divine feminine. We will start out by framing one of the most significant of these - the Tree of Life - and diving into basic symbolism and providing context. Then we'll discuss the feminine imagery, as portrayed in the bible. Then we will look at texts within the Book of Mormon that provide feminine imagery associated with trees. Then we will draw our conclusion based on these findings, as to how they apply to this archetype of the Mother.
As we go into this next section, it is worth noting that groves, gardens, and gloriously set trees are present during many of the most sacred, climatic biblical and extracanonical events. This would include, the Garden of Eden, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Sacred Grove. Today, we will discuss the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Life.
THE GARDEN OF EDEN
The Garden of Eden is easily one of the most significant of these. A heaven-like space, still within the presence of the gods. Eve and Adam had not yet lost access to open, physical communication with the divine within that sacred garden. Many people consider the garden to have been a form of heaven, hence the term "Edenic." This concept leads back to the concepts of utopian societies and even Zion, (something we will touch on in the future). The Garden: representing Heaven and earth merging together, a space of sacred solemnity.
THE TREE OF LIFE
What is perhaps even more striking is the fact that the Garden of Eden held the Tree of Life, at it's center, alongside the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Tree of Life bore the purest, brightest, and most sensationally flavored form of fruit, one which would grant Eve and Adam eternal life. This does not just equate to immortality, or simply living forever. More particularly, eternal life is equated as one given access to dwell in the presence of the gods forever, with the same glory and in that same station.
And all this is prior to the placing of the cherubim and flaming sword in front of the Tree of Life; a metaphorical veil over the eyes of humanity, physically separating them from the divine. Eve and Adam were promised that one day the cherubim would be removed from the Tree of Life. With this, they would be free to partake of this other fruit. This is symbolic of being granted the key to eternal life - being potentially anointed, exalted, and glorified to the same station as the gods. They would return back to their presence, to their heavenly home.
FRUIT BEARING TREES
Now, let's take this a step further and build on the concept of the Garden of Eden with some feminine imagery.
For starters, the ability to bear fruit holds a sacred significance in biblical literature. Did you know that Wisdom is associated with fruit bearing trees? Fruit bearing trees are a symbol of the Divine Feminine. We can see the parallel of women being able to bear souls - birthing infants and nourishing them through their own source of milk. Likewise, fruit bearing trees, have the ability to produce offspring in the form of fruit and continual seed. In this sense, trees leave behind their DNA within their own labor in producing their own fruit and the growth of future trees. This replicates the birthing process. Just as mothers birth their children, trees bear new life with every seed and every fruit.
Fruit bearing trees also tend to and feed their offspring by sending them nutrients and water through their root system. The Mother Trees look after their kin. Who better to nourish their children than the Mother? What trees from our literature happen to bear fruit? I can think of many, but the first of which - and arguably the most significant of all - is the Tree of Life. Who better than the Mother God to provide sustenance to Her children like a glorious tree?
WISDOM IS THE TREE
As it so happens, Wisdom was depicted as the "Tree of Life", as it is described in this passage of Proverbs 3:18.
The JST version of Proverbs 3:18 reads this, speaking of Wisdom in verses leading up:
"She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her:
and happy is every one that retaineth her."
I like the English Standard Version, speaking of Wisdom:
"She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called blessed."
Interestingly enough, the term for 'blessed' derives from the Hebrew term 'asher' (אשר). Asher also happens to mean 'happy', as we see in the JST version. Add a feminine ending of 'ah' (ה) to the end of 'asher' and you have the name of the Israelite goddess - "Asherah" (אֲשֵׁרָה). This is another name for Wisdom, as we've discussed. This notion is something that Mandy Green poses in her course on Finding Heavenly Mother through Project Illumination - highly recommend.
Quite fitting, wouldn't you say? That this promise of those who seek Wisdom will be blessed - as we discussed last week - with this new passage of scripture, claiming that Wisdom gave out blessings and happiness. The two things which derive from Her name; the things which She possesses and grants to Her children. And they obtain this - happiness and blessings - as they take the fruit of eternal life from Her very tree.
Mind blowing, right? But, there's more to add to this, from other texts, which poses the question...
So the bible discusses this; what about the Book of Mormon?
THE BOOK OF MORMON
Coincidentally, the Book of Mormon also gives a nod to the Mother of the Son of God, in great comparison to the Tree of Life. Daniel C. Peterson addresses this in his article, "Nephi and His Asherah" in greater depth. Let's look at 1 Nephi 11 in sections. Take careful note of how the Angel uses the same descriptive terms to the Tree of Life as it does the Mother of the Son of God.
1 Nephi 11
8 And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me: Look! And I looked and beheld a tree; and it was like unto the tree which my father had seen; and the beauty thereof
was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did
exceed the whiteness of the driven snow.
9 And it came to pass after I had seen the tree, I said unto the Spirit: I behold thou hast shown unto me the tree which is precious above all.
10 And he said unto me: What desirest thou?
11 And I said unto him: To know the interpretation thereof.
Nephi wants to know the meaning behind the tree. And he gets an explanation.
13 And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white.
Two things:
The terms virgin and white, as there can be controversy here, and for good reason. First, I find it important to note the original meaning for Virgin, in Greek, means "belonging to oneself." A woman could be a virgin after child bearing and marriage, because she still held the virtue of "belonging" to herself. A personal sovereignty. The concept of whiteness, I don't believe that is necessarily reflective of skin tone - or that it should be. On the contrary, I believe this likely represents the sense of being washed clean from blood and stains - our sins and imperfections. A rebirth, being pure, whole, and holy.
Now, back to the text...
14 And it came to pass that I saw the heavens open; and an angel came down and stood before me; and he said unto me: Nephi, what beholdest thou?
15 And I said unto him: A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.
16 And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God? (A.k.a. Do you know how God/ Christ came to be?)
17 And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.
18 And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the Mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh.
20 And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms.
21 And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?
Is this the Angel giving Nephi a glimpse of the Mother alongside the Son and the Father in the context of the tree... and as the mother?
Now back to the meaning of the tree...
22 And I answered him, saying: Yea, it [the tree] is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.
23 And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.
We see here that both the tree and the Mother of the Son of God are referred to as 'most' or 'exceedingly beautiful' and 'white' in a purity sense. The fruit of the tree being perceived as most glorious, desirable, and joyous to the soul. Do you see the connection there? The back and forth interplay of the Mother and the Tree, as if the answer to the tree lies within the Mother?
The tree is the Love of God, shedding into the hearts of all the children. Most desirable and joyous to the soul. Could this be summed up as the Mother's love?
THE FOUNTAIN AND THE TREE
Let's continue with this chapter for one last verse.
25 And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God.
Here it seems that the rod of iron (an asherim?) leads mortals to the tree. More particularly, it points to the idea that Tree of Life is to be equated with the Fountain of Living Waters. This reminds me of the continual feminine imagery that comes up when the bible discusses birth, rebirth, and the waters rushing out from the womb to deliver the child. Perhaps there is more symbolism we can dive into in regards to these living waters in the near future.
THE OIL FROM THE TREE
It has also been said that the Tree of Life carried the most sacred and holy of anointing oils, which made the purest perfume with the sweetest of fragrances. The Tree of Life produced the oil which would be used to set apart their children to return into their presence. Could we see this in the context of the Tree reflecting the Mother? See Margaret Barker's book, "The Mother of the Lord" for more information.
AXIS MUNDI
The Tree of Life has also been considered an axis mundi - something Kathryn Knight Sontag speaks about in her book, "The Mother Tree." The axis mundi is considered a conduit connecting the heavens, the earth, and the underworld. The Tree itself is often recognized as the world axis, the literal center and connecting point of all spheres. As such, it can be seen as a vessel with connection to divinity. Or rather, it could be considered a point in location and time in which humanity can come in contact with divinity and access the mysteries of heaven. As such, mortals can find means of communicating with deity through such means - through the very Tree which cherubim guard, which gives the keys to eternal life.
Let's build on this. There is a lot of evidence support the fact that the Mother is considered to have her hands in birth and rebirth - and correspondingly, death. With this piece of knowledge we can ask ourselves: who better than the Mother (the Tree) to be the center point of the exalted sphere, the mortal sphere, as well as the transition stage between life and eternal life? The Tree being the center of the universe, representing today, tomorrow, the past, and the eternities to come. A continual life force that exceeds all concepts of time and space. The Tree - a symbol of life, love, and rebirth, and all things considered, potentially the Mother.
CONCLUSION
By the end of this read, we have established that many symbols provide context and hypotheses of the Tree of Life and it's connection to the Mother of the Son of God, to Asherah, and to Wisdom. We have been able to apply the context to groves and trees by her name. We have pointed out references to the Tree of Life referring to Wisdom or the Mother of the Lord in two canonical texts. We have discussed the symbolism behind fruit bearing trees and mothers bearing children. We have briefly discussed the connection between the Fountain of Living Waters, the anointing oil, and the axis mundi, with the Tree of Life. And lastly, we've been able to build a foundation of understanding of the symbols of the Mother in ancient text, and the concept of the love that stems from Her to Her children.
As always, I hope you take advantage of the additional resources listed in the reference section for your own studying, convenience, and access. In a couple weeks, we will discuss the Garden of Gethsemane and Golgotha, at length. We will also be discussing various accounts that hold spiritual significance in the midst of trees and groves.
Next week, we will have a slightly different topic to discuss - that being the Statue of Liberty, just in time for Independence Day week. A quick interruption on Lady Liberty, then we'll be back to the subject matter at hand. And with that, I hope you all enjoy your holiday weekend!
Warmest regards,
Krystal
REFERENCES
"Nephi and His Asherah" by Daniel C. Peterson, Church Scholar (byu.edu)
"Asherah in the Hebrew Bible and Northwest Semitic Literature" by John Day, Church Scholar (andrews.edu)
"Excavation for the Mother with Scholar Dan McClellan", Scripture Translation Supervisor for the church, episode on the In Her Image Podcast.
"What Did King Josiah Reform?" BYU address with Margaret Barker, Methodist Scholar. (This one will automatically download the document for you; just select the link with the box that appears, or check your downloads folder).
"Where Can Wisdom Be Found?" by Margaret Barker, BYU Spokesperson, Methodist Scholar
The Mother of the Lord: Volume 1: The Lady in the Temple: Barker, Margaret
Finding Heavenly Mother in Scripture Course by Mandy Green (thinkific.com)
The Mother Tree: Discovering the Love and Wisdom of Our Divine Mother: Kathryn Knight Sonntag
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