Tree of Life

About the course

In the mythologies of most ancient cultures from around the world, a Sacred Tree sits at the centre of the Earth. Could understanding our co-evolution with trees, and forests, then be key to our human blueprint, to our survival, and to our thriving amidst and alongside the biodiversity that exists? Exploring this question from a mythological, cosmological and ecological framework, the Tree of Life is an eight-week online course curated by Imaginal: Isis Indriya, Nathalie Kelley, and Timo Granzotti. Honour your sacred connection to the trees, and step into your sacred role as tenders and guardians of the forest, from wherever you are.

Tree of Life is an eight-week offering dreamed up and put together by a diverse trio of teachers from varying backgrounds and life experiences: Isis Indriya, Nathalie Kelley, and Timo Granzotti. At the heart of this course is an aim to restore our (human’s) sacred connection to the trees, and invite participants to come into our sacred role as Tenders and Guardians of the forest once more, whether or not one is of Indigenous descent. Humans are all indigenous to this Earth, and it is our calling to find our way back to the standing ones.

Threading the connections between Indigenous cultures, their relationship to trees, and many ancient and contemporary cultures from around the world who have cosmologies, mythologies and stories around sacred trees, and the rich, omnipresent symbol of the tree of life, this course will help you realise this—the universality of the human/nature connection.

The course aims to awaken something that is deeply rooted within all of us: that we are irrevocably bonded to the trees. Come to spark curiosity, inquiry, reverence for and enchantment with and for forests, through the ecological teachings of the course. How can learning about the interdependent workings of the forest, the ecosystems that trees are part of, not stir inspiration in our hearts to be warriors and guardians in this time? Let us chart a path for civilisation and humanity together, with the blueprints of creation given to us, towards regeneration restoration and re-enchantment with the forests, like many cultures ancient and living. Let us listen, together, to the majestic trees as life givers, receive, and act.

The cosmological teachings in the course reflect archetypal cosmological approaches. Through various archetypes explored each week, supported by the respective mythological and ecological teaching, we will be inspired by the trees to move through the terrestrial realm as a reflection of the heavenly realm. "As Within So Without, That Which is Above is that Which is Below." We will engage in how to commune with a Sacred Way of Life by way of the teachings of Trees, Sacred World Trees, and the Cosmological stories of creation principles. These are the teachings from Trees of Life across cultures and communities world over. Mythologies explored in the course involve Tree of Life myths from around the world, through which we glean the wisdom, lessons and warnings from each of these, recognising where they have shaped different cultures and our relationship to the trees around us. Finally, we will dive into a sound ecological frameworks for the ecological portion of the course, covering basic concepts like the mycelium network or “Wood Wide Web,” the role of pheromones in tree communication and the role of the hydrological cycle in temperate and tropical rainforests.

The course will also additionally explore the different relationships that various cultures around the world have had with their forests. Contrasting the ways in which some have tended to and built forests (using examples such as Terra Preta, Agroforestry and the Milpa system) with cultures and civilisations that have destroyed these ecosystems, we will explore how humanity can course-correct at this present time in history.

Overall, the aim of this course is to share advocacy and inspiration on behalf of and with the trees. To bring about examples of myths, ecology and cosmology to spark curiosity and inquiry. To unite and reignite as sacred guardians for the trees, as we always have been, and to show solutions for extractivism and ecological destruction in these times—solutions that have been grounded in cultures and community world over, which can be traced back to ancient stories passed down generations.

This course starts live 17 October, Tuesdays weekly from 7–9pm UK.

advaya courses are recorded. Within 48 hours of the live session the recording is edited and uploaded to the course area to become part of the self-paced library. advaya removes participant faces and voices from video and audio files to ensure anonymity and to create a safe space for live reflections.

We aim to make our courses accessible to all, so if you cannot afford the course, we have a limited number of bursaries. Bursary applications close 2 weeks before the course begins, please ensure you have sent your application in by then. Apply for the bursary here.