Tree of Life II

The Tree of Life is the symbol that perhaps best embodies “As above, so below”. It is to be found in many spiritual traditions. In shamanism, it often occurs as the Axis Mundi, the world tree that the shaman journey upon to enter the higher or lower realms. It occurs throughout Alchemical work, with different figures at branches or stations of the tree representing aspects of the alchemical work. The source of immortality, the Tree of Life grew in the middle of Eden with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.The glyph of the Tree of Life in the Jewish Kabbalah represents ten spheres (called "sephirot"), or "emanations" by which God created the Universe. Each sephira has a name, starting with "Kether" which means "the Crown", and culminating in "Malkuth" which means "the Kingdom" and represents the physical Earth. Thus the Tree of Life shows different aspects of the soul’s manifestation or journey upon the earth. The Tree of Life can also be viewed as a "map of consciousness" - a r