Tree of Life: Turkish

Today's tree of life is inspired by the tree motifs found in Turkish rugs, which are meant to represent the Tree of Life, at this point there isn't much to say that hasn't been said. The concept of the tree of life and means essentially the same thing in all cultures.

Tree of Life: Yggdrasil

In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil is an immense tree that is central in Norse cosmology; the world tree, and around the tree existed nine worlds.

Tree of Life: Ancient Eygpt

Ancient Egyptians considered the Acacia Tree ‘the tree of life’ in which both life and death are enclosed. Isis & Osiris were said to have emerged from the Acacia tree of Saosis. The birds represent the various stages of human life; with the orange bird on the left side (West side of death) symbolising old age and the awaiting of death. Notice how all the other birds are staring to the opposite side for they represent the lively phase of life from birth (bottom bird) to adulthood (flying bird).

Tree of Life: China

According to Wikipedia "In Chinese mythology, a carving of a Tree of Life depicts a phoenix and a dragon; the dragon often represents immortality." Wikipedia said it depicts a phoenix, the chinese version of a phoenix is called Fenghuang , they are used as symbols of high virtue, grace and unity, especially when depicted with a dragon. This pairing is used as a show of a balance between the feminine (Fenghuang) and the masculine (dragon) and is a version of yin yang.

Tree of Life: Kabbalah

Yesterday I did a Celtic Tree of Life, today I am doing a Kabbalah Tree of Life.  Their tree of life is inside their flower of life which may look familiar because it's seen in many Turkish designs.

Tree of Life: Book of Kells

In May of 2001 I was in Ireland for 10 days as part of a landscape photography course, while there I purchased a book called Celtic Art: The methods of construction by George Bain (My father in law bought the same book, here in the US).  However, until today I never really used it...today it helped me make a Celtic Tree of Life similar to the ones depicted in the Book of Kells. The concept of a tree of life as a many-branched tree illustrating the idea that all life on earth is related has been used in science, religion,philosophy, mythology, and other areas. My name is Teresa and one of my many nicknames is Tree, I love trees and have long been fascinated by the tree of life...this may be a new project, to experiment with the different trees in different cultures.  How appropriate to start on St. Patrick's day with the Celtic Tree of Life: