55 § The Tree of Life and the Draught of Immortality
In speaking of the 'World Tree' and its many representations, we have made special mention of the Haoma tree of the Zoroastrian tradition. This tree (more precisely the white Haoma, a paradisal tree, since the other, the yellow Haoma, is only a later substitute) is related particularly to the 'Tree of Life' aspect of the 'World Tree', for the liquor that is extracted from it and which is also called haoma, is the same as the Vedic soma which is identical with the amrita or 'draught of immortality'. Even if soma should be described as the extract of an ordinary plant rather than of a tree, this is no valid objection against its mention in the context of the symbolism of the World Tree. In fact, the World Tree is designated by many names, and besides those which refer to trees in the strict sense, we find the name of the plant oshadi and even that of the reed (vetasa). [1]
If we refer to the Biblical symbolism of the Earthly Paradise, the only notable difference in this respect is that immortality is given, not by the liquor drawn from the Tree of Life, but by its very fruit, so that here it is a question of a 'food of immortality' rather than a draught; [2] but it is in any case always a product of the tree or of the plant, a product that contains the concentrated sap which is in a way the very essence of the plant. [3] It is likewise to be noted on the other hand that of all the vegetal symbolism of the Earthly Paradise, the Tree of Life alone subsists as such in the Celestial Jerusalem, whereas all the rest of the symbolism is mineral. This Tree then bears twelve fruits which are the twelve 'Suns', that is, the equivalent of the twelve Ādityas of the Hindu tradition, the Tree itself being their common nature, to the unity of which they finally return. [4] This recalls what we have said about the Tree as 'station of the Sun', and about the symbols representing the Sun coming to rest on the Tree at the end of the cycle. The Ādityas are the sons of Aditi, and the idea of indivisibility which this name expresses obviously implies 'indissolubility' and therefore 'immortality'. Aditi, furthermore, is not unrelated in certain respects to the 'vegetative essence' by the fact that she is considered to be the 'goddess of the earth' [5] while being also the 'mother of the Devas'; and the opposition of Aditi and Diti, from which that of the Dēvas and Asuras proceeds, in this respect may be linked to that of the Tree of Life and the Tree of Death of which we spoke in the last chapter. This opposition is to be found, moreover, in the very symbolism of the sun, which is identified with Death (Mrityu) as regards the aspect under which it is turned towards the 'world below', [6] while at the same time it is the 'gate of immortality', so that it could be said that the sun's other face, that which is
turned towards the 'extra-cosmic' domain, is identical with immortality itself. This last remark brings us back to what we said earlier about the Earthly Paradise, which in fact is still a part of the cosmos, though its position is none the less virtually 'supra-cosmic'. This explains why the fruit of the 'Tree of Life' can be attained there, which amounts to saying that the being who has reached the centre of our world (or of any other state of existence) has thereby already won immortality; and what is true of the Earthly Paradise is naturally true also of the Celestial Jerusalem, for both the one and the other are in the final analysis two complementary aspects assumed by one and the same reality according to whether it is seen in relation to the beginning or the end of a cosmic cycle.
It goes without saying that all these considerations must be related to the fact that, in the different traditions, vegetable symbols appear as the 'pledge of resurrection and of immortality': the 'golden bough' of the ancient Mysteries; the acacia which replaces it in the Masonic initiation, as well as the boughs or palms in the Christian tradition; and also the part generally played, in symbolism, of evergreen trees and those that produce incorruptible gums or resins. [7] Nor could it be objected that in the Hindu tradition plants are sometimes considered as being 'asuric' in nature; in fact, the growth of the plant is in part aerial, but also in part subterranean, which implies a kind of double nature, again corresponding in a certain sense to the 'Tree of Life' and the 'Tree of Death'. Moreover, it is the root, that is, the subterranean part, that constitutes the original 'support' of the aerial vegetation, which corresponds to the 'priority' in nature of the Asuras in relation to the Devas. Nor indeed is it without reason that the fight between the Devas and Asuras is represented as being chiefly concerned with the possession of the 'draught of immortality'.
A consequence that is very important from the particular perspective of the traditional sciences results from the close relationship of the 'draught of immortality' with the 'Tree of Life': it is that the 'elixir of life' relates especially to what can be called the 'vegetal' aspect of alchemy, [8] where its place is analogous to that of the 'philosopher's stone' in alchemy's mineral aspect. In short, it could be said that the 'elixir' is the 'vegetal essence' par excellence. The use of such an expression as 'golden liquor' must not be raised in objection, for like the 'golden bough' it really alludes to the 'solar' quality of what is thus described. It is obvious that this quality must have its expression in the vegetal order as well as in the mineral; and in this connection, we again recall the representation of the sun as 'fruit of the Tree of Life', a fruit which, furthermore, is also expressly designated as a 'golden apple'. Once we view these things in their principle, it goes without saying that vegetal and mineral objects must be seen symbolically, by which we mean that it is a
question above all of their 'correspondences', or of what they respectively represent in the cosmic order, without this in any way preventing them from being taken in a literal sense when it comes to some of their more particular applications. This brings us once again to the already mentioned opposition that has to do with the double nature of plants: it is thus that vegetal alchemy, in its medical application, has its 'reverse' (if such an expression be allowed) in the 'science of poisons'. Moreover, and precisely in virtue of this opposition, all that is a remedy in one aspect is at the same time 'poison' in a contrary aspect. [9] Naturally, we cannot think of developing here all that could be drawn from this last remark; but it will allow at least a glimpse of the precise applications that are possible, in a domain such as traditional medicine, for a symbolism so intrinsically 'principial' as that of the 'Tree of Life' and the 'Tree of Death'.