Yggdrasil in Norse cosmology is an immense central sacred tree that sprang forth from the primordial void. The nine Norse worlds are organized around it. Asgard, the home of the gods is depicted in the highest branches, Midgard or Earth, where humans dwell, at the tree’s base, and Hell is underground amongst the tree’s roots. On the crown of the tree sits an eagle, which in other mythologies is equated with the Great Spirit. The great serpent Niðhǫggr, gnaws at the roots signifying the Cosmic tree’s mortality and need for protection.
 
As a symbol of the interconnectedness of all things, the Cosmic Tree is a common feature of religions/mythologies around the world. The nine Norse worlds are held together by Yggdrasil’s branches and roots, which connect the various parts of the cosmos to one another. Because of this, the continued existence of the cosmos depends on the health of Yggdrasil.
 
When the tree trembles, it signals the arrival of Ragnarok, the destruction of the universe. The death of Yggdrasil is equated to the death of the gods. According to historian Mircea Eliade (1), Ragnarök marks the end of a cosmic cycle. This cyclical destruction and creation of the world is demonstrated in the rise and fall of many great past civilizations. Myths of destructive floods have been reported in almost every mythology, depicting the power of natural disasters to bring an end to an epoch. The conjunction of planets Saturn and Jupiter at the recent December Solstice is believed mark the arrival of the Age of Aquarius, a new cosmic cycle. What lies ahead for us?
 
With its branches in the heavens and its roots in the underworld, the Cosmic Tree is central to the structure of the universe. In many spiritual traditions a tree rising through the center of the world was thought to act as a ladder or bridge, connecting heaven and Earth. It allows us to descend into the underworld or ascend into the heavens, both processes being equally important. Perhaps the cosmic tree can be seen as a symbol of the human psyche, possibly even of Jung’s archetype of the Self and wholeness. Jung said: “No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell.” (2)
 
References:

1. Mircea Eliade, Myth & Reality
2. CW 9ii, PARA 78

 
Image credit: Pixels.com
 
#A post written for @jungsouthernafrica
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​Why should mythology matter? Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell believed myths carry varied truths of the human experience. Perhaps we can learn from the past? Patterns repeat themselves across many different mythologies. Can we find a golden thread that makes sense to us, gives as meaning or as Campbell says has “resonance within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive”. (2)
 
‘Mythologizing’ (1) according to Toby Johnson is the process of developing a belief system about the world and one’s place in it. It may include numinous experiences of the ‘Nature of the Universe’, whether we want to call it God, Great Spirit, The Mystery, Primal Energy, Sacred Emptiness or ‘The Great Secret’.
 
We are a world in desperate search of a new myth. It seems that the very fabric of our existence is unravelling - the impact of the deadly Covid19 pandemic, the racial and ecological crises, political and economic upheaval.  While threatening the survival of many, it is also pushing humanity to think differently about how we live together on Earth.
 
The current times may feel like a kind of Ragnarok - the end of the world (as we know it).  In Norse mythology, Ragnarok refers to the destruction of everything - including the gods - in a final battle with evil powers. This may be interpreted as the ordered universe (Creation) vanishing and Chaos (which has been held at bay) reigning. Some myths say this is the final end, but others hold that it heralds a rebirth! What can we hope for in our current circumstances?
 
Daniel McCoy writes “Yggdrasil, the great tree that holds the cosmos together, will tremble, and all the trees and even the mountains will fall to the ground. The chain that has been holding back the monstrous wolf Fenrir will snap, and the beast will run free. Jormungand, the mighty serpent who dwells at the bottom of the ocean and encircles the land, will rise from the depths, spilling the seas over all the earth as he makes landfall.” (3)
 
References:
(1) Toby Johnson, The Myth of the Great Secret, 1964
(2) Joseph Campbell, Power of Myth, 1988, p. 5
(3) Daniel McCoy, https://norse-mythology.org/tales/ragnarok/
 
Image credit: https://www.deviantart.com/rpgranty/art/Yggdrasil-at-Ragnarok-326816120
 
A post I wrote for @jungsouthernafrica 

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