The dawning of the tree of Life in creative minds occurred all over the planet. Trees were considered sacred long before we understood that the tree gave oxygen to the world and without its life, life itself might perish, or that the leaves of the trees drew life into itself by the absorption of light. The tree has its roots in the earth and its leaves in the heavens, according to the ancestors. The myths abound with many varying allegories such as the Osmanti Turks who believed a man's fate was written on a tree's leaves and when a man died, a leaf fell from the tree. The ancient Egyptians held that when a pharaoh’s name was written by Thoth on the leaf of a cosmic persea tree that he was insured immortality. The Buddhist, Guatama Siddhartha, became one with the Bodhi tree when meditating, and came to understand he was the tree and the tree was he. The ancient Sumerians say that Inanna found three intruders in her tree, also termed her bed and throne. These were a serpent, an anzu bird and Lilith. The tree represented sexuality, the desire for knowledge and power, and natural instincts, respectively. Adam and Eve were told of two types of trees, the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Again we find tempting instincts, a serpent and power and knowledge at play and linked to a tree. The shamans of Africa speak of the green lady who lives in the tree. In times when humans were quiet and connected to nature, the tree became their ally and friend, be that a home for their ancestors spirits or an earth altar containing the very same consciousness as themselves. The tree continues to speak to people throughout history. The tree finds its way into our dreams telling us about a constant and slow growth toward the higher aspects of life, the maintenance of the living and the reaching for higher territory or life beyond death. It is a living tree, a living entity, but also a applicable symbolic glyph with its applicable metaphysical metaphors.

When focusing on the Tree of Life as a symbol, layered with tales and applications that could lead one to a most expansive and divine inner exploration after wading through the myth to the deeper meaning, there is a need to consider the mind’s relationship to symbol from a different angle than was covered in the article on symbols (here). The argument of technical thinking coming to be preferred over imagination in the context of an evolution of the mind's use over the imagination that romantics, painters, poets and philosophers have long sought to defend, has to be resolved. Both mental faculties exist and play a role in making us fully human. To annihilate one in favor of the other, could be said to be an out-dated methodology. Synthesis is preferred. The quest to unify separation brings a different result than annihilation of the other. After all, it was initially the imagination that brought the human mind to the technical thinking process, but, as in all things, the imagination needs to be lifted to its divine employment, which is explained more fully in an article entitled, "The Liftings of the Mundane to Divine" still not made public in these archives. The point to be pondered is concerning how tools on the road to progress are often thrown away and replaced by the new discoveries. We must ask ourselves if this is a wise decision in all cases. For example: Should we throw out the manual can opener because we now have an electric one. What would we do if the electricity were out? What if we were to throw out the alphabet because we now have words? It is clearly understandable that throwing away old tools are not always applicable. In the case of imagination, it is also apparent that we cannot throw it away in favor of rational thinking, especially in the case of this subject matter, when it comes to working with symbols. Where would we be as a human race if we stopped imagining brighter tomorrows and invisible keys to prospering our consciousness potential.

When moving into working with the Tree of Life as a symbol and how to employ the mind's use, we are not without a paradoxical riddle and the need to get a few more preliminaries out of the way. It is said that the intellect is not employed, but the mind is utilized. So is the imagination, both are at an advanced stage, however. This is an important factor because symbol work can lead to delusion rather than awakening if not approached with wisdom. Islamic mystics have a very interesting definition for the imagination. They recognize a plane of experience called ‘alam al-mithal, the world of image, or ‘alam-i-malakut, the world of imagination. This second phrase is so close to Hebrew words olam and malkuth (malkuth being a sphere on the Tree of Life) that it became worth further investigation. For the Islamic, ‘alam-i-malakut was an intermediary realm, wholly connected and interpenetrating with the intellect and sense perception. This would make imagination a bridge between the two, also bridging mind and body, spirit and matter, all being practical synthesis. When working with the Tree of Life, most records generally assign the next sphere on the Tree of Life, called Yesod, this task. With everything I mentioned prior to this about the imagination and its potential evolution or lifting, it appears that the lower levels of imagination exist. The poet's imaginary strength in the past has been said to be kindled by melancholy. The lifted imagination is one where it is based bliss states, with intention toward the positive, or the use of the imagination as more of a futuristic visionary with motivational aims rather then a doom and gloom poet weeping about the state of negativity. No wonder it took a turn in favor of reason. This advanced imagination is the one used for glyph work. When using this evolved/risen faculty with the Tree glyph the benefits seem be obvious. It is a builder, a lifter, an inventor, not a victim of itself lost in delusion. The imaginative faculty has advanced in modernity, due to positive philosophical ideologies.

The modern use of the imagination does not always mean it will offer positive assistance in the goal. The key feature of the movie by Warner Brothers, "The Fountain" is that the Tree of Life can bring restoration of health by a reversal of cancer cells. This is for now pure fiction. However, this is not to say that science will never find a cure for cancer, and maybe from a tree in a remote region of the planet. With modern imagination that is used for sci-fi and fantasy films, and ancient imagination that created myths and legends surround us on all side, we are left with the middle ground that says the Tree of Life is a glyph that evolves with our understanding, revealing that which is truly practical as we are ready to utilize it. The aim is a synthesis of things. Those things are that which are actually not 'things'. In the unseen realms of consciousness exploration and the quest for God or gods, we also need an invisible map. This is where the imagination comes into use. It is employed as a bridge builder, not as an author of phantasmagoria. This requires practical application of symbols and the imagination.

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