Trees cedar

Trees as Symbols of Wisdom and Knowledge

Posted on by Harold Boulette

“Mans veneration for trees as symbols of the abstract qualities of wisdom and integrity also led him to designate as trees those individuals who possessed these divine qualities to an apparently superhuman degree. Highly illuminated philosophers and priests were therefore often referred to as trees or tree men—for example, the Druids, whose name, according to one interpretation, signifies the men of the oak trees, or the initiates of certain Syrian Mysteries who were called cedars; in fact it is far more credible and probable that the famous cedars of Lebanon, cut down for the building of King Solomon’s Temple, were really illuminated, initiated sages. The mystics know that the true supports of God’s Glorious House were not the logs subject to decay but the immortal intellects of the tree hierophants.

“Trees are repeatedly mentioned in the Old and New Testament, and in the scriptures of various pagan religions. The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil mentioned in Genesis, the burning bush in which the angel appeared to Moses, the famous vine and fig tree of the New testament, the grove of olives in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus went to pray, and the miraculous tree of Revelation, which bore twelve manners of fruit and whose leaves were for the healing of the nations, all bear witness to the esteem in which trees were held by the scribes of Holy Writ.” ~Manly P. Hall

Veneration of Trees

I think veneration of trees may be overstating it, yet it is true that trees have been important symbols in many societies, more so than most of us know. Most of us know about the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil that was the downfall of Adam and Eve, though few know what is actually represented. The same is true for the Tree of Life. And the Jews at the time of Jesus considered it a great insult to be killed by being hung on a tree and reserved such punishment for only the worst criminals. And being crucified on a wooden cross was the same as being hung on a tree, so the Romans used this method to not only kill Jews but to insult them in the process. And it was the Roman authorities who killed Jesus, not the Jews. The Jewish “authorities” did what the Roman governor told them to do, nothing more.

Tree People

That the ancient illuminated people were often known as trees, or as a specific variety of trees like oaks or cedars, is news to me, but it makes sense. Trees are often symbols of quiet strength, wisdom, and knowledge. So the Druids may very well have gotten their name from Oak trees. Continue reading “Trees as Symbols of Wisdom and Knowledge” →

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tree hugging

Tree Hugging for Spiritual Growth

Posted on by Harold Boulette

“You are fortunate if you love trees, and especially the wild ones growing where the Great Creative Force placed them, and independent of man’s care. For all things we call “wild” or “natural” are nearer the Infinite Mind than those which have been enslaved, artificialised and hampered by man. Being nearer the Infinite they have in them the more perfect Infinite Force and Thought That is why when you are in the midst of what is wild and natural – in the forest or mountains, where every trace of man’s works is left behind you feel an indescribable exhilaration and freedom that you do not realize elsewhere. You breathe an element ever being thrown off by the trees, the rocks, the birds and animals and by every expression of the Infinite Mind about you….

“You are fortunate when you grow to a live, tender, earnest love for the wild trees, animals and birds, and recognize then all as coming from and built of the same mind and spirit as your” ~Prentiss Mulford

Love Trees and Nature

While Mr. Mulford was not exactly a spiritual guru, much of what he wrote is applicable to those of us learning to be more spiritual. While many will think that getting closer to nature isn’t spiritual at all, it is. That is primarily because a natural environment is closer to God than the artificial kind found in cities.

In this particular chapter of his book, he concentrates on tress and why they are important. When he says that what is wild and natural is closer to the “infinite Mind” which is God, than that which is man made, he is correct. We all can’t get out into nature regularly. But almost all of us can get close to a tree, even one that has been planted in an urban area. Continue reading “Tree Hugging for Spiritual Growth” →

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Two Trees

Posted on by Harold Boulette

“Two trees are growing in paradise. One bears animals, the other bears people. Adam ate from the tree that bore animals and became an animal and brought forth animals, and so Adam’s children worship animals. The tree whose fruit Adam ate is the tree of knowledge. So his sins increased. If he had eaten fruit from the tree of life, the one bearing people, the gods would worship men and women for in the beginning God created man and women. Now they create god. In the world humans make gods and worship their creations. It would be better if the gods worshiped them.” ~The Gospel of Phillip

TreeOfK2Much of the Gospel of Phillip can be confusing, and seemingly contradictory, and this paragraph is no exception. Lets start with the two trees we have all heard of but few understand: The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and The Tree of Life. Many don’t get that this is a very allegorical story, although I don’t know why. It seems obvious to me that it is allegorical, but I guess when you are very matter oriented, you have difficulty with the whole idea of allegory. Continue reading “Two Trees” →

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Conversing With Trees

Posted on by Harold Boulette

A very spiritual young man was taking a walk through the forest one day. The fresh air and the auras of the trees energized him and he walked boldly and with a smile on his face. Yet, after walking for several hours, he became tired and laid down in the grass beneath a great old tree. As he began to doze, he started to overhear a conversation. The words were difficult to understand at first and he soon realized that he was not hearing it through his ears, it was coming directly into his mind from some unknown source. He managed to stay calm and in his very relaxed state, both physically and mentally. The conversation began to make sense and he finally figured out that he was hearing the great old tree he was lying under conversing with another tree, a younger tree that spoke like a student or disciple of the old tree. The conversation went like this:

 

“You have been here centuries great one. Long before any humans lived in this forest. How was it different without them?”

“Not as different as you might expect because while the humans were not here in body, their thoughts, which control much in this world, travel great distances and so had a profound effect on the forest, even though they themselves did not know it.”

“Yet they do not know this great power is theirs even though they use it every day!”

“That is sadly very true. Most humans are not aware of the great control their thoughts have on this world, so they make little effort to control those thoughts. As a result, they have angry and violent thoughts that create equally angry and violent animals. They dwell on ugliness and create poisonous plants and animals with those thoughts. And then there is the weather. They create storms when many of them are angry. They create floods and droughts when they are jealous or greedy, even if it is only in thought, not deed. The good side of it is that since they are so unaware of this power, they have thoughts that conflict with each other which prevents many of the thoughts from manifesting. Sometimes, even within the mind of a single person there is so much conflict in thought that they are unable to accomplish much.”

“So that is why the world is so confused and contradictory?”

“Exactly. The humans are not even aware that the spirits of those who die without awakening their souls will become the spirits of animals, then plants, then finally return to the spiritual world to start again. They are totally unaware that we are their spiritual offspring in a sense. They would not treat plants and animals as they do if they knew that the trees they cut down just for convenience might include the spirit of their great grandfather or great great grandmother. They might find it less pleasant to hunt animals for sport if they knew they were hunting their own ancestors! More importantly, they might stop wasting time collecting material goods and start trying to save their souls and their planet.”


The young man woke up at that point and heard no more of the conversation. He wondered as he walked out of the forest if he had dreamed the whole thing or did he really hear the trees. One day, he will know.

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