Within archetypal structure, the tree is a symbol of the creation of life, the spiritual truth of the human being, and spiritual life.

What has made trees such a beautiful symbol of our soul and human life is the fact that although they turn upward and grow toward the sky, their roots must simultaneously extend into the depths of the earth to the same degree that their branches rise into the heights of the sky. The deeper the roots descend into darkness, the further the branches ascend toward light.
The root of the tree is nothing other than a mirror image of its branches. Root and branches are not two different things but expressions of one reality.

Until we understand why we must open our path through the darkness of this world, we will never be able to root ourselves deeply enough in this soil for our branches to ascend toward the sky.

For me, the true meaning of human growth and transcendence is not only growing upward, but also rooting ourselves in the soil of life and the earth. Only through connection with the lives of other human beings and through these ordinary experiences of life can we experience our individuation in unity with existence.

Aydin Areta