The Sacred Tree: In Dreams and Myths

The human condition is fundamental to any creation of myths, and at the core of the emergence of any religion or personal dream. The journey from conception to maturity, and on from there to death, is a heroic one no matter which one of us makes it. The beauty of life, the struggle, the pain and challenges, both crush us and call upon whatever we have innate in us. In a most magnificent acts of creation we project gods and goddesses, stories and images on the world, upon the stars in the sky, upon animals and trees, and upon rivers and mountains. We create majestic and unearthly heroes who face the demons that torment us, who heal sickness and conquer death. Throughout the ages these heroes have appeared under different names -- Odin, Mithras, Krishna, Christ. The stories we weave around their life and teachings evoke from some depths within us what appear to be intuitions of our own origins and possibilities -- a view of our small and fleeting life as seen on a vaster canvas. Each one of us must decide whether these magnificent stories reflect a truth, or are a means of comfort in a meaningless life.