Symbolism in the Tree of Life

I had a very vivid and real image form in my mind last month as I drove to work and considered the symbolism and meanings thereof associated with the tree of life. It was/is a very beautiful image, and I was very saddened that I do not have the skills to draw it. I have, however, asked a former seminary student who has more than enough skill to draw it for me. When she sends me the drawing, I will update this post with the image and a more thorough discussion  of my understanding of the symbolism associated with the tree of life (and better scripture citations).
For now, I am dumping some of my thoughts and notes here as a place holder of sorts.

Symbols:

Cherubim = Cherubs = Angels = Messengers – those who bring us the message of the gospel. They speak by the power of the Holy Ghost and speak the words of Christ (2 Ne 32).

Flaming Sword = The Spirit = The Word of God – the Spirit is represented by fire (Nauvoo temple dedication, Nephi/Lehi in prison, children with Christ, etc) and the word of God is often called a sword (quick and powerful to the dividing asunder). The Spirit is the conveyance of God’s word (2 Ne 32) and so the sword is flaming. Also, God’s words are often referred to as piercing us to the center and piercing our hearts. Fire often represents holiness, purity, and purification, all of which are associated with the Spirit (baptism with fire). Quench not the Spirit! Burning in the bosom.

Tree of Life – the fruit is the love of God and is the fruit of the Atonement and those who partake and remain are granted Eternal Life

Way (path) – Christ is the way, the truth, and the light. The path to the tree of life is the path Jesus delineated, demarcated, and exemplified.

Natural man I have depicted as a black or shadowy doppelganger of ourselves. Our dark underbelly, so to speak.

The imagery:

God instructed Jehovah to place Cherubim and a flaming sword (many messengers; one sword - only one message, only one Spirit) to guard the way to the tree of life to prevent Adam and Eve from living forever in their sins. The other alternatives are dying in their sins and living forever without their sins. That is each of our choice.

As we walk the path to the tree of life, an angel (any one of God’s servants) pierces us with the sword (shares with us the word of God and testifies by the Spirit). This witness and teaching pierces us to the center, pierces our hearts. It brings to our view and awareness our natural man – figuratively driving the doppelganger from us into the light, into view. We then wrestle with the doppelganger as we exercise our agency to decide if we will accept or reject the word as it has been preached to us. When we accept it, we are victorious and the natural man is reduced. We are not able to completely banish the natural man after a single encounter with the word, so most of the doppelganger is reabsorbed into us, but it is diminished – less dark, less imposing, less foreboding. Part of the natural man remain on the ground and is slain by the sword. This process is repeated frequently throughout our life so long as we continue along the path to the tree. The entire path is lined with God’s messengers, sent to bring us His word by His Spirit. They each take a turn piercing our heart with the sword, expelling the natural man, and giving us an opportunity to overcome him. As we continue to accept the word, the doppelganger continues to shrink and fade and weaken. Eventually, we are given the sword and slay the last of our natural man and are then permitted, being cleansed from all sin, to partake of Eternal Life. We then are clothed in white robes to match the fruit. We have been cleansed from the blood and sins of this world.

If, however, we do not accept the teaching of the angel, the natural man wins the contest, becomes larger, darker, and more powerful, though never insurmountable.

Perhaps the angels along the way also bring with them some of the fruit of the tree of life as we are able to partake of the fruits of God’s love before becoming fully cleansed – the analogy breaks down a bit there as we use the tree to represent the love of God (as Lehi describes it) and also the gift of Eternal Life, as Adam beheld it – the two are intrinsically connected, but not equivalent.