There is perhaps no symbol—indeed, no archetype—more sacred to those studying a spiritual tradition than the “Tree of Life.”
The “Tree of Life” is an “upside-down” tree.
It literally stands “on its head.” That is to say, its roots are in heaven, the realm of the divine/eternal, and its branches, leaves, and fruits extend into the lowest level of the material world/transience.
We encounter this sacred “Tree of Life,” hanging upside down, in Norse mythology as “Yggdrasil,” and it is mentioned as the “Sacred Tree” in the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 15).
What, then, does this inverted sacred “Tree of Life” signify, as it is also described in Kabbalistic teaching as a profound and nearly unfathomable system of doctrine?
It symbolizes the path of humanity’s return to its divine origin/source.
At the same time, it is also a reminder to reflect on the fact that the spiritual world is an exact “reversal” of the material world.
In the teachings of the Rosicrucians, this reversal is illustrated by the rearrangement of the letters CR to RC.
In this return and approach to the origin—a process that may span many incarnations—humanity experiences its true nobility and worth.
This is also, and always will be, the highest goal to which every student of the teachings of the Order of the Rose Cross aspires:
Human, Know Thyself!
