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Rays of Spiritual Illumination

Beloved Holy Æolus

THE TREE OF LIFE

"The fruit tree is a beautiful example of the entire identity of man, and that is why, in the early days, the Symbol of the 'Tree of Life' was used as both a method of teaching the Law of Life and a reminder to the multitude of the great scope which one's individuality in its entirety, covers. 

The trunk is representative of the Spiritual Presence and its many branches are indicative of its activities throughout the various spheres of life - the bud, followed by the leaf, flower and fruit are all representative of the temporary - personality and expression of the lifestream in a given incarnation (season). The nature and identity of the tree endures unchanged. As maturity is reached, the branches spread out and increase, and the ultimate manifestation of fruit makes for a larger harvest. 

Studying the rhythmic course of the season would show that bud, and leaf, and flower and fruit make but a temporary entrance; abide for a time, and then disappear, but even the unawakened know that the tree in no wise ceases to be by reason of the passing of its seasonal harvest. Yet, in the course of man's entrance into thousands of incarnations, he places all his interest, faith and consciousness on the bud, flower and fruit of one season. If, through late frost or some other natural manifestation, the bud is lost and the flower does not bloom, man suffers unnecessary grief in seeing the extinction of what he would call the presence of a soul on Earth. Yet in Nature's Kingdom, the early bud is replaced by another bud and flower in another season, and there is no great harm done in the produce of the tree itself. It is thus, also, in the world of man. 

Study, then, the Kingdom of Nature, for in its natural expression that surrounds all people, is a lesson of the Truth of Life. From the great trunk, the branches derive their sustenance, and from the branches, the bud, the flower, the leaf and the fruit receive their perfume, substance and nourishment. Jesus understood this well when he gave the parable relative to the branches of the fig tree, and it is often that the great parent tree itself ceases to pour the substance of its life into an avenue of activity and service that is not for the ultimate good of the whole. In these cases, particularly at times of cosmic import, the parent stem of the lifestream can and does withdraw the sustenance of the personality which opposes the progress of the race as a whole. In such cases, the Spirit and the Cosmic Ego of the erring personality does not, by the action of the Presence, suffer any more than the tree does by the removal of a withered branch, and in time it will bring forth new shoots of a healthy nature. 

I will confess, however, that working with the Kingdom of Nature is a more comfortable and happy experience than working in the human kingdom because of the absolute obedience and cooperation of the inhabitants of the former kingdom and the almost complete absence of the same qualities in the latter. However, working with mankind brings with it an opportunity to develop greater Light, Patience and Understanding by which, I, too, prepare for a greater responsibility and opportunity to serve the God Life." 

(The above was given by the Beloved Holy Æolus when he held the Office of Maha Chohan for the Earth, and is reprinted at his request.)