Archive for the ‘Yew tree’ tag
Yaaxch – Mayan Tree of Life
I took this photo in a place called Tizimin which is found in the northeastern section of the Yucatan. The tree, a Ceiba, was located in a small park in front of an old Spanish cathedral that has long since caved in and been abandoned. In visiting a few Mayan sites, I have found that this Ceiba tree is considered to be very holy, very sacred. It is often found as the centre piece in temple settings. Known as the Yaach tree, the tree of life, in Mayan, it represents the underworld, the middle world (the world of humans) and the heavens.
The symbolism of trees as portals between the underworld and heaven, is universal. In Great Britain, many old churches were constructed on sites beside Yew trees. Sometimes the trees are older than the ruins of centuries abandoned churches. Our “self” is somewhat like a tree.
We can descend into the innerworld, a swampland of moist and dark depths to discover the overwhelming unconscious foundation of the whole of humanity. The “self” travel through the dark underworld searching for nourishment and in that act of searching, becomes nourished, becomes more aware of its “self”. In reaching for the sky carrying these numinous contents from the inner world, awareness is brought to these contents which then become part of our conscious “self”. This is all part of the way, the journey of individuation.
