myths symbols sandplay

Crown Shyness

"If you look up toward certain types of towering trees—including eucalyptus, Sitka spruce, and Japanese larch—you may notice a unique phenomenon: the uppermost branches don't touch. Known as “crown shyness,” this natural occurrence results in rupture-like patterns in the forest canopy that seem to perfectly outline the trees' striking silhouettes.

Since scientists first started studying the topic in the 1920s, crown shyness has been observed between trees of the same and different species in locations across the globe. Regardless of tree type or environment, crown shyness appears to always culminate in the same aesthetic, characterized by gaps that resemble meandering channels, zig-zagging cracks, and winding rivers.

While no one is quite sure why certain trees exhibit this unique behavior, several hypotheses have been presented by numerous scientists. One possibility is that it occurs when the branches of trees (particularly those in areas with high winds) bump into each other. Another suggested explanation is that it enables the perennial plants to receive optimal light for photosynthesis. Perhaps the most prominent theory, however, is that the gaps prevent the proliferation of invasive insects."

from https://mymodernmet.com/crown-shyness-trees-phenomenon/

Photo by Samuel Counil

Tree Rock Art

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Perfect combination of two of my favorite things: stones and twigs. I could not find the artist who created this Tree Rock. I think it is awesome!

Acorn Symbolism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Scandinavian and Celtic lore, the acorn is the symbol of androgyny, life, fecundity, and immortality and is sacred to Thor. According to Jobes (1961), the acorn is "a combination of I, the holy one, and O, the generative orator or cup". The acorn also represents the male principle. The acorn is associated with Jupiter and Zeus as the fruit of the oak, the holy tree, and represents fertilizing power and the kernel of life. In heraldry, the acorn symbolizes strength.

(see Bibliography Category for references)

Tree Symbolism Part 1

 World Tree

Trees are both an imago mundi and an axis mundi; the whole of manifestation and the synthesis of heaven, earth, water. Ancients envisioned the cosmos in the form of a tree. Trees have been the object of worship and legends which have included individual trees as well as sacred groves. It was also believed that oracular gods and goddesses dwelled in trees.

leaf – represents fertility, growth, renewal; green leaves symbolize hope, withered leaves are sadness, death; crowns of leaves are seen as divinity, triumph, victory; used in the practice of divination by phyllomancy, which is the art of divination by listening to the rustling of leaves; in Chinese symbolism leaves of the cosmic tree represent all beings in the universe - The Ten Thousand Things

branch – often depicts the Tree of Life; the Golden Bough the link between this world and the next; in the Aeneid, an oak branch covered with mistletoe helped Aneas pass through the underworld; the Silver Bough is the link between this world and the fairy world

wood – prima materia in the Middle East and India, the fundamental material from which all things were made; that which gives shelter at birth (cradle) and death (coffin)

forest – realm of the feminine principle; place of darkness, chaos, and uncertainty; to those who show no fear, a place of peace and refuge; psychologically, a symbol of the unconscious where there are secrets to be discovered and perhaps dark emotions and memories; Druidic symbol of light and darkness with sun and forest married as male and female; Australian aboriginal realm of shades called The Beyond

Bo Tree – ficus religiosa; symbolizes perfection, contemplation, meditation; sacred to Buddha as a tree under which he attained enlightenment

Bo Tree

Inverted Tree – has it roots growing up to the spiritual world and the crown growing down toward the earth; symbolizes the creative power and the belief that human life is the descent of spirit into bodily form

(continued in Tree Symbolism  Part 2)

Tree Symbolism Part 2

(continued from Tree Symbolism  Part 1)

Irmensul – means giant column; located in Teutoburger Wald, near Detmold in west Saxony; the German Tree of Life represented the entire world, with roots reaching down into the underworld and branches stretching up toward the sky; it was cut down by Charlemagne (A.D. 742 - 814) as a first step in Christianizing the site

Nemi Wood – sacred grove; associated with Diana, the Roman goddess of the woods, forests, and moon, can still be found on the shores of Lake Nemi, near Rome

Tree of Knowledge – found in Paradise; dualistic as it symbolizes good and evil; linked with the Fall of Man; represents the lunar phases of decline and regeneration, death and resurrection

Tree of Life – standing at the center of Paradise; represents perfect harmony; the 10 or 12 branches are the rewards of spiritual growth, such as wisdom, love, truth, and beauty; the fruit are manifestations of the sun; immortality is given to those who eat or drink an essence extracted from the tree itself

World Tree – depicted with its roots around the earth and its branches in the heavens; symbolizes the potential assent of humankind from the dense realm of matter to the rarified reaches of the spirit

Yggdrasil – Scandinavian World Tree or Cosmic Tree, the giant ash tree from which the Nordic god Odin hung himself for nine days and nights; it binds together earth, heaven, and the underworld; source of knowledge; Odin gained wisdom by drinking from the spring at its roots

 

Tree as Symbol of a World Axis

"The tree is one of mankind’s most potent symbols. It is the embodiment of life, the point of union of the three realms (heaven, earth, and water), and a world axis around which the entire universe is organized."

 

Fontana, David, The Secret Language of Symbols, A Visual Key To Symbols and Their Meaning, Chronical Books, San Francisco, 1994

Favorite Trees

Do you have a tree memory? Sitting, as a child, high in its branches, retreating from the world or looking out over the land as far as you could see? Playing at the base of the tree; running around or hiding behind the trunk? Do you have a special tree you think of or visit now?

There are many kinds of trees: a “grandmother” tree which is wonderful to tell stories under; and old oak, so ancient and revered a plaque marks its importance and contribution to history; misty, coastal groves where walks among the majestic trees restore the spirit; and sparse, arid landscapes with indigenous trees offering cool shade and restoration for the journey.

I have a favorite tree; an old and welcoming tree. An ancient oak I could not pass without stopping to admire and remark at its beauty. I took my daughter, then 10 years old, to the oak to share with her this wonderful tree. We measured the circumference of the trunk using our bodies with arms outstretched.  

It fell during the winter storms. Pictures of the fallen oak appeared in the paper regularly. People came to gather pieces of branches. People wept. People talked of missing their great oak tree. The newspaper wrote of the death of the Lang Oak and how, after two months, people still mourned the tree. Committees were formed to decide what should be done. The energy expended and emotion expressed reflected the importance of the old oak to individuals and to the community.

Although it fell in the winter storms, I have a favorite tree.

Tree as Symbol of the Individuation Process

"The tree symbolizes the individuation process in the sense of living one's own life and thereby becoming conscious of self, i.e., gnosis."          

von Franz, Marie-Louise, The Feminine in Fairy Tales, Spring Publications, Zurich, 1972