Intro
Because this is a cross-cultural discussion and cultural misappropriation is an ongoing dialog, I just want to begin by coming to you in my authenticity and saying that what I bring to this discussion is from my own experiences, my own studies, and conversations with my spiritual elders and peers. I am a Pagan, a wounded healer and I've studied a degree in World Religions at the University of Toronto. But that's pretty much it. I have no special authority. I'm no expert. I am here to share what I have learned, and it is my hope that we can all feel free and welcome to share and to ask questions of each other as we learn. So let's take a moment to pause and reflect on the mutual respect we hold in our hearts, our common humanity, and especially to honour the source cultures from which we draw our inspiration here today. Thank you.
What is the World Tree?
The World Tree is a cosmological structure, the shape of the universe in many of our world cultures. Sometimes a World Mountain instead, it is known in the humanities as the Cosmic Axis or Axis Mundi. Examples of this are found all around the globe, but some that I am most familiar with are the Norse Yggdrasil, the Hellenic Olympos and the Sephirot of the Kaballah. Basically, by traveling the realms of the World Tree, which have different names and forms in different traditions, you get insights into the universe (macrocosm) and yourself (microcosm).
Please see the following blog posts for information on the three realms.
Middleworld:
realms-of-the-world-tree-middleworld.html
Underworld:
realms-of-the-world-tree-underworld.html
Upperworld:
realms-of-the-world-tree-upperworld.html