ancient drawings of world tree
A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com -Most civilizations of Mesoamerica have an old belief in the power of "ceiba" tree. Mixtec, Aztec, Maya, and other cultures consider this tree – sacred.
The ceiba is a gigantic Tree of Life in Maya religion and cosmology and the point of beginning where the world came into existence. The ceiba grew deep into the underworld; its branches reached upwards towards the heavens and supported it.
Ceiba tree is covered with spectacular conical thorns
The Tree of Life with its roots and branches is a powerful worldwide symbol. It connects the earth and the sky and symbolizes strength, wisdom, protection, wealth, and beauty.
The tree has become a symbol of immortality since it gives fruit and seeds, which create new trees and new life.
Aztec cosmic Tree of Life
The world of the Maya is composed of three levels - a nine-layered underworld (Xibalba), a middle world inhabited by humans, and a heavenly upper realm, supported by four Atlantean gods, the Bacabs. Connecting these three levels was the Axis Mundi, a great and sacred Ceiba Tree, along which both the souls of the dead and the gods could travel. They used this "road" to make their journeys between the levels of the universe.
According to the Holy Bible, God placed the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil and the Tree of Life in the midst of the Garden of Eden.
In Genesis 2:9, we read that "… out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…"
Also, other parts of the Bible mention the Tree of Life. In Revelation 22:2 and inEzekiel 47:12 we find trees whose "fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing".
Ramses II, Tree of life, Karnak. Egyptian myths refer to the tree of life because the first Egyptian gods were born from beneath of this tree.
Celtic Druids of ancient times believed that the Tree of Life had special powers. When the Druids created a new settlement they removed all the trees except one that was growing in the middle. This tree became a symbol of the Tree of Life.
Also, the Mayans' ceiba tree is placed in the center of many modern villages because the Maya say that "ceiba" in their language means "Ya'ax Ché" - center. The tree passes through each layer of existence, the heaven, the earth, and the Xibalba, the name of the underworld in K'iche' Maya mythology.
In Norse mythology, the Tree of Life is named Yggdrasil. The Norse concept is slightly different. Yggdrasil is sacred and eternal. It has three roots and each one reaches to a different mysterious world.
In ancient Egyptians had also their mythical Tree of Life and they believed that from beneath this tree the first Egyptian gods were born. Also, life and death were enclosed in this tree.
The tree in the center of the image is identified as a Mesoamerican Tree of Life, connecting the heavens and the underworld below. Early Photograph of Izapa Stela 5, 1976, V. Garth Norman (Image source).
However, the Tree of Life is a universal concept and was adopted by religions and cosmologies of many cultures around the world. These cultures have specific trees that are objects of worship as they are associated with gods and myths.
They are sacred and it is forbidden to cut them. The custom of offering libations to them is still maintained among many cultures.
Written byA. Sutherland – AncientPages.com Staff Writer
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References:
Hand Clow B, The Mayan Code: Time Acceleration and Awakening the World Mind
Haberman L. People Trees: Worship of Trees in Northern India
Source: https://www.ancientpages.com/2017/06/12/ceiba-tree-sacred-tree-of-life-of-maya-people-and-universal-concept-in-ancient-beliefs/
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