The Cosmic Tree of Immortality

Believing a myth to be true comes only from a lack of understanding the roots of the myth itself. The cosmic tree has been immortalized in the heavens, written in the stars, and replicated symbolically all throughout antiquity. These symbols include (but are surely not limited to) the Christian Cross, the Yggdrasil tree, the Sephiroth, the axis of the earth, the caduceus, the Christmas tree, the male phallic, and fertility worship.  

As with all great teachings, one should begin to dissect this philosophical tree while it is still a seedling, cracking its cosmic egg and creating the primordial mound. I use this terminology because all throughout alchemical philosophy, when the cosmic egg cracked, the universe was formed. In alchemy, the Phoenix, mound, rebis, hermaphrodite, tree, caduceus, and egg all hint at the secret identity of the Philosopher’s Stone and Prima Materia (Prime Matter), the ingredients necessary for (or synonymous with) Alchemical Gold. Alchemy is fraught with distractions as well as facts; the distractions are geared towards protecting the secret by diverting attention towards unrelated subjects or substitute things. These diversions are designed to confuse anyone easily led astray.

An exploration of these diversions is significant because these were and are the methods and implements used to keep valuable items of knowledge away from the general public. Recognizing these diversions while understanding alternative viewpoints is the first step in unlocking the mysteries themselves.  Otherwise, ideas get set in stone. For example – the Christmas tree stays alive and green all year long while the rest of the trees in nature seemingly die – this is the explanation for its designation as the Tree of Life. I see this pattern emerge quite often when exploring history, religion, and mythology; it is a pattern that causes big problems. Sadly, alternate possibilities too often become undesirable simply because a small portion of the philosophy has already been widely accepted.

Alchemy is a transmission of secret knowledge assimilated into an esoteric amalgamation of symbols and text. It combines secrets from all over the world and therefore can fuse together many beliefs. The symbolism of alchemy can be profound yet simple; a very good example is the mound.

From this mound will emerge a long, hard, shaft that will penetrate Mother Earth and sow its seed. Consequently, tree worship is associated with sex worship…or rather, trees are equated with the phallus and their worship is associated with the masculine forces in nature. Certainly, the tree is one of the symbols associated with the male member. Other symbols with this association are the Tree of Jessie (pictured left), maypoles, towers, the obelisk, pyramids, steeples, candles, monoliths, arrows, cones, swords, etc. The feminine in nature has been venerated through the gate of the temple, flowers, fish, ovals, veils, grails, arks, etc. These symbols represent the sacred generative power of the divine and its reproductive elements.

It is a shame to allow a notion such as, “Tree worship is of pagan origin” to carry the baggage of fundamental religious prejudice silently associated with such a statement.

Anyone who is not a Jew, Muslim, or Christian is technically a “pagan.” The big three Abrahamic religions are grouped together in this regard. After all, they all sprang from a common source. Tree worship is indeed of pagan origin and it can be demonstrated that not only can tree worship be found all over the world, but that every religion, culture, belief, ideology, work of art and philosophical thought have also been classified as Pagan (excepting only those of Jews, Muslims, or Christians). Furthermore, most cultures throughout history understood the male and female forces of nature to be sexual and good. There appears to be no logical reason that a negative connotation should be blindly associated with the word Pagan.

Most truth seekers prefer the virtue of knowledge over the innocence of ignorance, while most fundamentalist seem to prefer the opposite.

To paraphrase Manly P. Hall, eventually humanity will learn that it must never be ashamed of the truth. The sex-negative and oppressive patriarchal religions have failed in their self-proclaimed missions. They declare the human body to be the living temple of the living God; yet, in the same breath, they claim the substances and functions of this sacred temple to be unclean. It is a tragedy within these misguided systems of belief that by such an unwholesome attitude, the human body (the house of God) is degraded and defamed. It is as apparent as it is abhorrent that in the treatment of the subject of sex, too many righteous critics have judged the moral standards of others by their own law and wallow in the mire of self-created vulgarity.

Most of the ancient artifacts and talisman that have been dated back to pre-civilization have roots in fertility worship. Even after systems of writing were developed, the same natural forces were still representative of the divine. Consequently, we find in the oldest written records of humanity, religious subject matter connected with fertility. Mesopotamia is the birthplace of these writings. Fortunately, they were well preserved upon clay tablets. There we find the first written records concerning humanity’s relationship with the Tree of Life and the plant (or elixir, or fruit) of immortality. The original concept certainly migrated there from Siberia, but the earliest refined records come to us from Mesopotamia.

The Assyrian tablets discovered under the sands of Mesopotamia created a stir among anthropologists who were perplexed by an object resembling a highly stylized Date Palm tree within an arched gateway. Many scholars determined that this worshipful object was a representation of the “Tree of Life.” Symbolists quickly identified a phallic symbol of the palm tree within a female yoni-shaped opening, equating to the oval nimbus and/or vesica piscis (often associated with the Virgin Mother). The symbols represent divine androgyny and the act of creation (coitus) between the Assyrian god and goddess. Very quickly after it was discovered, the object was associated with the Hebrew Asherah, an enigmatic term that had been translated as “Grove” in the Old Testament.

The Canaanite god “Bel” is known by several other names, including Baal and an older Syrio-Phoenician name, “El.” For these pagans, the androgynous nature of divinity is reflected in the Assyrian tree as the male and female genitalia conjoined. These divine emanations were worshiped high “upon the mountains” and “under every green tree” according to the Old Testament. Although Baal becomes demonized in the scriptures, there is strong evidence suggesting that before the Jews “defected” (so to speak), their God was originally Baal (under the name El). One of Jehovah’s early titles was Baalim, but this title was obviously abandoned as a means of separation.

These Phoenician/Canaanite religions were eventually condemned as evil mystery cults because they engaged in ritualistic sex and worshipped both masculine and feminine forces in nature (often interchangeably) or as a mystical androgynous figure that baffles traditionalists. Understandably, the Assyrian Tree of Life (pictured right) is considered to be a cosmic gateway to the heavens – or womb of the goddess – whereby all things enter and exit the material world. It is the emanation of what the Qabalahists and Gnostics affectionately refer to as “The All.”

The concept of Prime Matter (the Prima Materia) is no longer limited to the Alchemists. “The All” invokes the same ideology as the Prime Matter. The Hebrew word “Reshith” clearly embodied the epitome of the idea for the Jews. This word means “principal thing” as in, the thing of most importance; in other words, the “Prime Matter.” It also translates as “First Fruits” as in the first in order of importance of stature. The meaning of this word expresses the same thing vocally that the pictograph of the Assyrian Tree of Life expresses visually. Reshith is that through which the entire universe emerges. This word is the first word in the Book of Genesis and is translated as “In the beginning.”

The design of the Assyrian Tree of Life (shown above for a better view), rather than being restricted to one structure, sometimes varies in form. Occasionally, the palm tree in the center is replaced with a Pine (Fir, Spruce – Christmas) tree. The shamanic-like attendant figures called Genii often stand by it at both sides holding (offering) pine cones. In tablets relating the ancient tale known as the “Epic of Gilgamesh,” this object is the “Plant of Immortality” and the focus of the hero’s quest. Many scholars believe this to be the archetype of or prototype for later quest-tales such as - Jason’s Quest for the Golden Fleece (found hanging in a pine tree guarded by a dragon), the Quest for the Golden Apples in the Garden of Esperides, and even middle age quests for the Fountain of Youth and the Holy Grail.

The Holy Grail promises the same gifts as the Tree of Life and the fruits and Elixirs of Immortality; namely long life, communion with the divine, bliss, and other supernatural attributes.  It has been described as a cauldron, platter, stone, and cup (grail). All of which, as Jan Irvin and I point out in Astrotheology & Shamanism, are symbolically related to the grail-shaped Amanita muscaria. Throughout human history, the phenomenon of so many similar hero's quests can be understood as reflecting the ideological desire to return to the proverbial Garden of Eden.

Church doorways still retain the symbolism of the Assyrian Grove. As the Tree of Life is the doorway to the divine, so too is the doorway to the cathedrals. The church itself is the mediator god who leads its flock to salvation. True salvation is identified by the symbolism leading the way. The word “Church” comes from the name of the goddess “Circe,” the patroness of divine inebriation. In theory, we are led to understand that the scriptures lead the adherents back to the Garden and the Tree of Life; hence, into the presence of the divine. In reality, only the correct interpretation of the scriptures will lead back to the real Tree of Life and its fruit. Once the mystery is clear, the Tree of Life symbolism becomes perfectly appropriate for use on windows and doorways of a church, as both represent a passageway to the divine. No wonder the Christian savior says, “I am the door.”

The roots of many Christian mysteries are planted firmly in tree worship as well as the divine gifts growing below them; yet for those unable to pass beyond the symbolism to the underlying truth, the church and its symbolic teachings stand only as guardians. The male priest is seen as the seed of God and he moves beyond the veils of the church, ultimately to enter the womb of Mother Church (the Holy of Holies); this symbolically represents the divine union and the powers of the generative process. Through this act, the priest enters the divine presence in order to receive the Word (or instruction for his congregation). Through this union of the symbolic seed with the symbolic womb, the Word is born - In the beginning was the Word.

Temples were often built in the hearts of sacred groves. Long before the erection of structures for worship, religious ceremonies were conducted under the boughs of many of the very same special trees in the sacred groves. Prayers were even directed to these trees because they were thought to possess the attributes of divine intelligence and power. Trees were, after all, the source of the divine “fruit” and supplications for its miraculous appearance were understandably directed to these ever-present ambassadors. Trees were worshipped as proxies for divinity, as the manifestations of means and purpose. We can now understand the reasons sacred trees were often considered as the axis mundi, or central axle, of the material world. Climbing this axis was like climbing a ladder to heaven and this could be reinacted on the physical level as a demonstration of the spiritual, esoteric ascension.

The Jewish esoteric metaphysical science known as the ancient “Holy Qabalah” presents the Tree of Life also as a transitional bridge between the endless spiritual realms of God (the Ein Soph) and the material universe (creation). In Manly P. Hall’s, Secret Teachings of All Ages, the Tree of Life (Tree of Sephiroth) is depicted as a pine tree, flipped upside down with a crown upon its roots.

Qabalists (or Kabbalists) divide the universe into four worlds consisting of ten spheres as shown in the image to the left. They then combine the four worlds into one tree (pictured right). It is this condensed tree I wish to examine further. The transformation of spirit to matter is symbolically illustrated as a progression from the top of the Qabalistic Tree of Life to the bottom. This symbolism is not unlike the Christmas tree symbolism from shamanism where the mushroom is the Crown of Glory (Kether) at the base of the tree. The branches, or pinnacle, are the mundane physical world (Malkuth).

The ten overlaid spheres (the Sephiroth) represent emanations of luminous splendor that manifest in consciousness. They are arranged typically in three columns; the column on the right is called Pillar of Mercy, the column on the left is called Pillar of Severity, and the central column represents the universal power of reconciliation and is called Pillar of Mildness. In the Qabalah, the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge are one in the same. The central column is associated with the Tree of Life and the divided columns on each side equate to the good and evil of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

The Qabalistic Tree of Life was also considered to represent the prototypal heavenly Adam. Here, the central column represents the spine and the Crown of Glory exoterically represents the pineal gland’s opening of the Crown Chakra.

Just as in scripture, there are many layers of interpretation; there are multiple facets of understanding the meanings behind the Qabalistic Tree. Consequently, the top two spheres (Chochma and Binah) correspond to the right and left hemispheres of the brain. On the macrocosmic level, they also represent the left and right hemispheres of the great universal brain of the heavenly man, Adam Kadmon.  When equating the spheres with this or that, it must be kept in mind that the Sephiroth and their assigned properties can always be seen as symbols within the system of the cosmos. The cosmic Adam described in the first chapter of Genesis is this heavenly Adam, or Archetypal Adam, created in the spiritual realm before being created out of the dust of the earth, coming forth into the material realm. Some authorities equate the creation of this Tree of Life with the creation of the heavenly Adam. Some also see the Adam Kadmon as “the Cosmic Christ” or the first man – the idea of the universe.

Continuing with the Qabalistic Tree of Life, the top three spheres are sometimes referred to as the Holy Trinity (a pre-Christian term). The top sphere is thought to contain all of the other nine spheres. As the crown (Kether) is considered to be the seed of emanation, this is easily understood. The initial step downwards, towards creation, divides the androgynous Kether into the first two primary spheres - Chochma and Binah. The path of emergence and return can be understood if the dual nature of Kether is also seen as the androgynous divine creative matrix and the androgynous divine child. At dissension, the divine substance and energy separates into primary duality (male and female). In ascension, the male and female unite, tapping into the divine substance and energy completing the cycle to create the Divine Child. Conceptually, this is expressed as the mystical euphemism: The father is in the son and the son is in the father, and the father and the son are one. The Christian trinity is comprised of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; eliminating the feminine completely. Father, Mother, and Child form the natural trinity and, by extension, mother and child reflect a similar ideology.

Whenever the masculine and the feminine are represented symbolically together, we can follow this to its natural source, the androgynous “All.” The term “Mother Nature” reflects the beliefs of the ancients that God (the father) is spirit, Goddess (the mother) is matter, and the deity (the Child) as a product of the two. The symbolic deity is the reflection of the spiritual and material aspects of the divine. How can anyone demonize the pure conceptualization of human sexuality as divine? How can any proper representation of divinity include masculine attributes and ignore the feminine?

The Christian story of the crucifixion is yet another example of this masculine only, yin yang reflection of both sacred trees. At the Crucifixion, Jesus on the cross represents the central column of the Tree of Life (the Pillar of Mildness). The thief Jesus saved represents the “Good” and the other represents “Evil” in the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The symbolism of the crucifixion story emulates the Qabalistic Tree of Life in this way.

Another form of the living tree of energy-spheres overlaid upon the human form can be found in Hindu and Buddhist art. These spheres are called Chakras and the top sphere is associated – as in the Qabalistic system – with the pineal gland (the third eye). For the Hindu (Brahmin) and Egyptian initiates into the mysteries, the journey into the realm of divine inspiration is depicted as ascension up the spinal column through these spinning energy vortices. Meditation and yoga are two methods used to stimulate these energy centers and ascend the world tree through each progressive sphere to the crown chakra. There are three columns associated with these energies, just as there are three columns in the Qabalistic system and three columns at the Christian Crucifixion. The left and right are represented as serpents and are called Ida (female) and Pingala (male).

As the consciousness ascends the tree, the serpents uncoil themselves eventually to converge in the brain at the crown chakra where all three elements cause this spiritual center to activate, resulting in the mystical “opening of the third eye.” The Qabalistic tree and Hindu chakra system both concern the understanding of spiritual matters and in all their elaborate intricacies; they boil down to methods of understanding and achieving some type of control – or at least equilibrium – when the human consciousness merges with the consciousness of the divine via shamanic techniques. The danger and mystery of these drug-induced realms of consciousness have long inspired a desire (a hero's quest) to navigate them safely. Alternate states of fear and bliss are common and not easy to grasp. For the initiate experiencing these novel dimensions, these systems provide tried and true road maps. They are used in order to take full advantage of the entheogenic qualities of the plants and avoid their potentially dangerous consequences.

A complete life review is common among those who navigate these unusual realms, as is the feeling of dying. The various systems incorporating the world tree and cosmic axis thus represent the means of achieving these states of consciousness, the states of consciousness themselves, and the methods of their navigation. The story of Aaron’s rod that budded symbolizes this unfoldment, as does the budding staff carried by the Pope.

The staff, magic wand, and walking stick have always been portable representations of ethereal powers. The wood of their construction connects them to the tree and the spiritual cosmos. The caduceus staff can be identified as a symbol of power in the Mesopotamian clay tablets. The very symbol used today as the authoritative symbol for medicine or drugs is an amalgamation of ancient symbols. In ancient Persia, serpents were revered for their dual powers and feared for their deadly potential. It is here where we find the oldest ideas of diametrically opposed forces of good and evil embodied in serpents. It is these battling serpents, combined with the magic staff of Apollo, now in the possession of the mediator-god Mercury that created the most famous of all magical staffs or wands.

The caduceus of Mercury began as a staff of wood with a pinecone on top. It also had a pair of wings similar to those on the helmet and shoes of its new owner. The pinecone placed here represents the pineal gland that anatomically sits atop the spinal column (the staff). The two entwined serpents only became incorporated as elements of the wand after it came to be in the possession of Mercury. First, Mercury obtained the winged staff in trade with Apollo (for a lyre). He then observed the two archetypal serpents battling in the wilderness and placing the staff between them; the battling serpents entwined the staff and have remained there ever since.

For the advanced alchemist and esoteric symbolist, the caduceus staff in its original state (with only the pinecone and wings) represented visionary natural endogenous substances in the brain. We now know that even spontaneous dreams and other visionary experiences are chemically induced. Naturally produced (endogenous) DMT is suggested to be one of these chemicals. As a powerful psychoactive drug, DMT produces natural visions and dream states. The organ primarily responsible for many of these phenomena is suggested to be the pineal gland. This is explored further in other chapters of my book, but there is a great deal of data suggesting that the pineal may produce this DMT. Alchemical traditions associate the gland with visions and identify it as the third eye. This key of occult anatomy has been passed down from generation to generation. The wings are associated with and represent the ventricle system of the brain. The human brain has a pair of identical ventricles, one in each hemisphere, that resemble wings in shape. The ventricles are sack-like organs that contain fluid. This fluid is comprised of brain chemicals such as DMT and other neurotransmitters. The ancients somehow concluded that these organs (the spine, pineal gland, and ventricles) were responsible for higher states of consciousness associated with visions and dreams. They knew this thousands of years before neurotransmitters were ever officially identified as chemicals responsible for visions, or the official discovery of the organs in the brain associated with their production and activity.  

This important addition of the serpents to the staff indicates a merging of Greek tradition of the west (the indo European traditions of the staff with wings and pinecone on top) and the wisdom of the east (the Magi/Semitic traditions of the serpents of good and evil). The potent powers of serpents manifested as their drug-spiked bite or salvia (as the ancients believed) was caused by the plants the serpents had eaten. Thus, a snake that had eaten a medicinal plant possessed benevolent, medicinal venom; whereas, a snake that had eaten a poisonous plant was deadly. Snakes were often associated with trees as the biblical account of the trees of Eden attests. There is no denying that the serpent is associated with the forbidden (eye opening) fruit. Serpents, dragons, and snakes are prominent in mythology as the guardians of nearly all sacred substances. In most mythic tales some sort of a battle with these guardians becomes the prerequisite to the completion of the quest of obtaining the immortal fruit (or a symbolic aspect of its nature). 

The symbolism of the shamanic mushroom use for nutrition, medicine, and inebriation is obviously reflected in serpent-lore. The mushrooms are symbolized as serpents, as both emerge from holes in the earth and leave one wondering, “Is it poisonous?” The shamanic poisons will bring about a death-like state of consciousness; this is often the goal of the shaman when ingesting these substances. Just as in the story of the death and rebirth of Jesus Christ, the death experience must happen before one can be reborn; the serpent must be conquered before the crown glory can be won. Once again, the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge were one and the same and only a very few translators and interpreters attempt to divide one into two. Both are called the tree “in the middle/center of the Garden;” both are the world tree axis.

There are several layers of symbolism to explore in the caduceus staff. Mercury is the messenger of the gods and as such, his esoteric imagery depicts the connection between the human and the divine. The ingestion of the sacred substance is this connection between the human and the divine. His wings (on his sandals and helmet) represent flight into the heavens and the angelic connection between heaven and earth. This is the exact same thing the Yggdrasil-stylized Tree of Life literally represents, the roots reaching into the underworld and the branches into the heavens (or visa versa).  The serpent of the underworld can represent the chthonic realm itself, or the material world in which we live. The bird (or angel, or feathers) represents the heavens or that which connects the below to the above. The serpent and the bird together in one symbol shows the divine interconnection between The All. This does indeed include the shamanic techniques of inebriation and communion with their gods. Ingesting psychedelic plants and mushrooms was a primary technique for this communion. Ironically, today, the masses are given a placebo with a shot of grape juice as they ingest the symbol of the sacred shamanic meal.

In this light, the symbolic layers within the caduceus of Mercury become highly advanced because the poison from each serpent on the caduceus represents one type of psychoactive mushroom (Amanita and Psilocybe). Not only do they represent the mushrooms themselves, but the active ingredients inside the blood stream, making their way up the spinal column into the brain where they merge with the natural, endogenous, psychoactive (third eye) brain circuitry; i.e. the pineal gland and ventricle system. The highly advanced symbologist will represent one serpent as red and the other colored blue in order to accurately transmit knowledge of this highly secret combination.

The caduceus of mythology is the universal mediator. Its magic power is to resolve all conflicts. We see in the symbolism of its components the resolution (or merging; the joining of the top/above with the bottom/below) of matter with spirit, the resolution of humanity with the divine, and the resolution of The All. Thus, it represents the interconnectivity of The All from the lowest physical underworld, up to and including the highest heavenly realm of spirit via its cosmic axis. This is the same symbolism discussed in Astrotheology & Shamanism, which discusses in depth the connection to the Christmas tree and the presents that lies underneath.

One great resolution personified by the caduceus is that difference (separation) between the sexes. The staff, of course, is the male that supports the female top. The two snakes also represent the male and female. In all regards, Mercury is the Greek name for the Latin god Hermes and both are thought to be European versions of the ancient Egyptian Thoth/Hermes. Hermes is accredited with revealing to humankind the arts of medicine (drugs), chemistry (the isolation, extracting, and combining of drugs), anatomy, mathematics, and astrology, among other things. (The Greek god-man Orpheus was similarly attributed). Some researchers claim that Hermes was known to the Jews as Enoch.

Hermes is the personification of divine wisdom who vanquishes the dragon of ignorance (Typhon) with a strike of the caduceus staff. Sound familiar? He then places one foot on the dragon and raises the caduceus up in triumph. This reflects the age old motif of the dragon below and the wings above. This shows the completion of the process of initiate into adept, the wisdom and truth triumphing over ignorance and falsehood. Alchemical writings associated with plants and drugs are called, “Hermetic.” Hermes/Thoth, as an Ibis-headed deity, is in attendance as the recorder of events in the Egyptian weighing of the feather against the heart of truth.

The Egyptian and Tibetan books of the dead are esoterically known to be subconscious maps similar to the Hebrew Qabalah and Hindu-guided visualizations. These are used to prepare and direct the consciousness through the death and rebirth experiences that are brought about intentionally by plants during initiation rituals.  Within all of the above systems exists the shared common belief that their practices prepare the soul for the ultimate journey – death. There is adequate evidence to suggest all of these systems were developed as tools to aid in positively directing the unpredictable and death-like experience of the sacred plants (communion with God), which in turn positively directs the unpredictable events during the actual death of the physical body (union with God). 

Death and rebirth on a spiritual level is a common theme throughout the world’s religions. Many believe that this indicates a common origin. But we can add the Tree of Life, the fruit (plant and elixirs) of immortality, and other common themes to this puzzle. Not unlike our modern-day superheroes from comic books and Hollywood movies, the gods of antiquity were always dying and being reborn.

Part of the rebirth process is the actual birth process, and part of the birth process is sex. The fertility gods were worshipped by the Hebrews off and on throughout history. According to the scriptures, they were constantly falling away and in some instances for very long periods. When a reformist king would demand a return to the Lord and inflict destruction upon the Hebrews, it was these gods they had reverted to worshipping. Baal and Ashtoreth are prominent in the scriptures, but Tammuz, the Sumerian version of the dying savior-god, is mentioned only once by none other than Ezekiel (Ezekiel 8:14). Of course, here his name is mentioned in a negative context. Strangely, the Jewish calendar still bears the name of Tammuz over the month of midsummer (when the sun is at its strength). The mysterious initiations of Ishtar are thematically centered on the death of Tammuz. In an act of heroism, Ishtar must make a lone descent into the underworld in order to return life to the dead body of Tammuz. She makes a bid to retrieve the elixir of immortality.

The tale is a timeless one, reflected in many cultures. One such rendering is found in the ancient tale of Innana. Innana travels into the underworld, making her way throughout seven descending gates. At each level, she is divested of one article of her clothing. Each level takes her further into the realm of death until finally her lifeless corpse is hanged upon a stake. She is rescued by Enki/Ea, the Lord of the Watery Abyss, who uses the “food of life” and the “waters of life” in conjunction with two “androgynous bodies formed out of earth to return her to life. She is reborn and succeeds in saving (reuniting with) her kingly brother spouse. There exists another amazingly similar tale in the Hindu Vedas with the Suttee rites and ritual of the Queen’s descent into the pit of the sacrificed solar stallion. Coming back to Ishtar, no record exists of whether or not she manages to save Tammuz, but after her descent through seven gates, also being divested of her garments along the way, she is plagued with all manner of disease and imprisoned by the Mistress of Hades.

Another name for Tammuz is Adonis, or Adonai. This name is one of many adopted by the Jews as another name for their God. Adon, or Adonay, means the Lord in Hebrew and has the same meaning for the Syro-Phoenicians and the Egyptians. It is still another name assigned to the sun and Adonis is one of the many gods that is assigned the birth date December 25th. A myth tells us that the mother of Adonis was turned into a pine tree by the gods and soon afterwards, the bark burst open and the infant savior Adonis emerged.

Some accounts say he was liberated from the tree by a wild boar, while other variations have him being gored to death by the boar. Adonis was originally an androgynous figure. His initiation rites are said to have been celebrated in the “Grotto of the Nativity” in Bethlehem.

The Phrygians have their own version of Adonis. This dying and resurrecting savior-god is named Attis. Like Christianity, the celebrations of Attis also seem to have included a sacred meal. Its context sometimes revolved around Attis’ birth and the events surrounding his mothers (immaculate) conception. The public rites of the Great Goddess Cybele and her grandson Attis were known to be different than the mystic ceremonies performed by initiated groups. These secret rites appear to have been focused on the sacred meal. As Frazer points out in “The Golden Bough” – “besides these public rites, his [Attis] worship is known to have comprised certain secret or mystic ceremonies, which probably aimed at bringing the worshipper, and especially the novice, into closer communication with his god.” Frazer continues by describing the implements used for the sacred meal and suggesting how the sacred food was thought to react within the human body. He continues, “In the sacrament the novice became a partaker of the mysteries by eating out of a drum and drinking out of a cymbal…” The food and drink themselves are what he refers to as The Mysteries.

This sacramental meals of the mystery schools foreshadow the Christian Eucharist by millennia. As well, just like the mystery schools, in Christianity, one becomes an official member when one consumes the sacrament (your first communion). When you take into consideration the Mesopotamian/Sumerian analogs of Tammuz and Dumuzi, eating the body of the god is traced back into antiquity and shamanic ritual. The ideas of ritual preparation, including fasting and other forms of purification are still practiced in the shamanic cultures today. As Frazer observes, “the fast which accompanied the mourning for the dead god may perhaps have been designed to prepare the body of the communicant for the reception of the Blessed Sacrament by purging it of all that could defile by contact the sacred elements.” All sacred plants must die before the ritual meal can be prepared. It is only through this sacrifice of the plant and consumption of its body that the initiate could become a “communicant” to communicate with their god directly.

In yet another variation, King Midas (of Phrygia) is the father of the proposed bride of Attis, but Cybele showed up and wreaked havoc at the wedding. Attis ran out of the ceremony; then, under a pine tree, he grabs a knife and amputates his phallus, consequently, bleeding to death. His dying vow was to never hurt Cybele again. Flowers then sprang from the drops of his blood and twining into the boughs of the pine tree, transferred the spirit of Attis into its form. Attis was reborn as the evergreen pine. Cybele then picks up the tree with all of its decorations and carries it into a cave. It is not difficult to connect the dots and link this story to Christmas symbolism and the phallic symbolism of the phallic-like mushrooms growing under the pine trees.

The killing of the tree spirit symbolizes the death and rebirth of the sun, vegetation, and nature herself. This story parallels the story of Shiva in uncanny ways. Effigies of gods such as Attis, Adonis, Tammuz, and Dumuzi are tied to, or hanged from, trees. It was previously considered a mystery to anthropologists as to why the Phrygians worshipped the pine tree above all others. This mystery is easily solved. When we acknowledge that Attis is the fleshy phallus-shaped mushroom under the tree, it is a short step to similarly identity the “King of the Wood: and the “Green Man” as similar representatives of the dying and resurrecting tree spirit. We cannot further ignore the spiritual connections that the primitives made between the spirit of the tree and the spirit of the mushrooms associated with these trees.

Cybele was adopted in the first century as the Roman Emperor Claudius’ personal deity. Thereafter, she was widely honored, becoming practically the national goddess of Rome under the title of “Magna Mata,” the Great Mother. In the celebrations of Cybele, a great pine tree was cut down in the woods and carried into the goddess’ sanctuary. There, it was adorned and worshipped as a great deity.  There was a guild that carried the tree and once properly placed, the tree was ornamented. The trunk was wrapped like a mummy with cloth and decked with wreaths and ribbons. Then, the effigy of a young man (certainly, the human form of Attis/Adonis) was fastened to the trunk. After the celebration, the tree and image of the god were laid in a burial chamber for three days and nights.  

Throughout the three days, the celebrations exhibited a period of mourning where they fasted and prepared for the sacred meal. These same practices were followed in the ancient rituals of Tammuz and Dumuzi. At nightfall after the third day, began the festival of joy, for the tomb was opened and the deity had risen from the dead. The priests would anoint the celebrants and hail the promise that those faithful of the deity would likewise rise triumphant from the grave and become partakers of his divine presence.

The sanctuary of the goddess was originally located (for the Romans) on the Vatican Hill, at or near the very spot where St. Peter’s now stands. The very ground plans at St. Peter’s Square resemble a Rosicrucian cross, mushroom symbolism, and reverence to the sun and stars, among other things. Many critics of Catholicism have pointed out that the Vatican contains all the elements of fertility worship, including a great obelisk imported from Egypt. Not to mention the obvious, a giant pinecone fountain in the garden at the Vatican (the largest pinecone ever fashioned). This central object in the garden reflects back to Cybele and Attis worship, which has been long since concealed.

Inscriptions relating to the rites of Cybele and Attis were found when the Vatican was remodeled and St Peter’s was being enlarged in the early 1600s.  The rites at this site, having been exercised as far back as the third century BCE (or further), are testimony to the antiquity of the practice in Rome. Rome launched many offensives into Europe and the Middle East where the same deities were often worshipped. In many cases, Rome would easily absorb the population and they could keep their gods. There are, however, many inscriptions that have been found in Gaul and Germany that prove their provincial sanctuaries were patterned after Roman prototypes and that their rituals were modeled on the basis of those held at Vatican Hill. This provides vivid reason to equate the German origin of the Christmas tree with the rites and ceremonies of Cybele and Attis. Furthermore, the Germanic god Wodhanas (pictured right) is another deity who was also hanged on a tree.

In Greece, the goddess Artemis was also hanged upon a tree in effigy. She went by the name of “The Hanged One” and her image was annually sacrificed in a sacred grove among the Arcadian hills. The grove dedicated to Artemis is known as the Grove of Condylea. A similar ritual has been identified as Ephesus, one of the worlds most famous sanctuaries dedicated to Artemis. In this ancient legend, there was a woman who hanged herself and Artemis dressed her in her own divine gowns. This legendary figure is known as Hecate and her likeness is popular among Wiccans to this day. With so many god and goddess figures hung upon trees, we must acknowledge the androgynous aspect of this symbol.

The body hanged in effigy is the same being as the dead and dismembered corpse whose spirit is present in the tree itself. The phallus imagery here is the mushroom that grows, dies, and regrows at the foot of the tree and is also representative of the resurrecting god. Common sense leads to only one conclusion when we consider the cross and Jesus (the modern day crucified savior-figure) as this is yet another representation of this same ancient tale. Some translations of biblical passages say that Jesus was crucified on a tree rather than a cross. The idea of being hanged on a tree evolved from shamanic traditions of the ecstatic death and rebirth experience via sacred plants and this has been a common motif throughout the Middle East and Europe. There are several astronomical reflections of these characteristics as well (many are illustrated in Astrotheology and Shamanism). As related in a number of ways, birth into the spiritual dimension is only attainable by a corresponding death in the material plane. The sacred plants produce the death experience and this is represented by a cross because the cross is the tree, symbolic of the world tree axis of the earth upon which the initiate dies and is reborn. Again, believing a myth to be true comes only from a lack of understanding the roots of the myth itself.

The Egyptian ankh is also known as the Egyptian Cross, or as crux ansata (Latin for “cross with a handle”). It is a symbol of life to the Egyptians and the key to their mysteries. The Ankh combines the Tao cross (a masculine symbol) with the oval (a feminine symbol). This sacred combination of male and female forces is reflected flawlessly in this symbol. However, in Christianity, the female portion of the symbol has been removed (or rather, hermetically sealed shut). This is reflected in the laws and regulations of their male-only clergy as well. 

It was not until the early 400s that crosses were introduced into the Christian churches and chambers. It was not until the sixth century, a full five hundred years after the Christian deity is said to have been crucified, that the image of the crucifix was sanctioned by Rome. This is over two hundred and fifty years after the Council of Nicea officially defined Jesus, compiled the bible, and adopted Jesus as the official god of Rome.

There are many scholars who have traced the origins of the cross back thousands of years before Christianity. Its roots are easily traced to tree worship and it was adopted widely as a fertility sign long before the Catholic Church of Rome adopted the symbol. Knowing these historical facts, one may easily understand how the story of the New Testament parallels so many world religious myths without prejudice. The roots of Grecian mythology run incredibly deep and there are so many stories to relate that I cannot possibly do much more than graze the subject. As difficult as it is to unravel these mysteries and communicate them, it is even more difficult to stay on topic and not stray too far from the subject at hand.