Tree of Life: Image for the Cosmos (Art and Imagination)

As part of the "art and imagination" series I was confident that this would be an excellent and informative book. However, I was unprepared to find it the single best work on the topic of the universal spiritual symbolism of the tree that I've ever found. The essay that makes up the first part of the book is a comprehensive and insightful exposition of the symbolic significance of the tree in virtually every culture from the shamanistic, to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, to the Judeo-Christian and Muslim religions, to the Vedic and Buddhist traditions, to the realm of modern art. The tree is shown to be the universal symbol of the sacred center of the world- the axis mundi. It represents the link between heaven and earth- rooted in the dark unconscious; growing up through the earthly middle world of experience, suffering, and purification; and then branching out into the light of transcendent heaven. To climb the Tree is the perfect image of the path towards enlightenment. Or, conversely, depending on your perspective, you can also see the great Tree as rooted in heaven and growing downward to flower in our lower world. The truly amazing factor is how this imagery can arise spontaneously in the minds of men and women who have had no contact with these traditions. I can testify to that myself. The second part of the book is made of plates of illustrations- 165 with 31 in full color. All are provided with interpretive descriptive paragraphs. These images are perhaps more powerful to contemplate than the text. Though it is out of print, this book is worth the effort and expense to track down for your permanent reference library.