The Tree of Life is not a specific tree with a single meaning but it is a concept loaded with symbolism and that is related to different spheres.
The sacred dimension
From a religious perspective, the Tree of Life refers to the spirituality of some ancient cultures. For the Celts, each species of tree had its own spirit and, on the other hand, the Celtic horoscope was distributed in 21 different trees. According to Norse mythology, the oak tree of Thor (the god of thunder) has a sacred role. Something similar occurs with the peach in Chinese culture or the olive tree in some ancient civilizations.
It must be borne in mind that the concept of the Tree of Life is already found in the Bible, specifically in Genesis and, therefore, has a meaning for Christians and Jews. For Jews and Christians the biblical references to the Tree of Life are an allegory (remember that when Adam and Eve return from exile in the Garden of Eden they are forbidden to approach the Tree of Life). In the Jewish tradition of the Kabbalah, the Tree represents the element of union between God and men.
Most students of biblical accounts agree on the idea of equating the Tree of Life with the knowledge of good and evil. It is considered that the Bible alludes to the tree as an allegory, since in it there are good and bad fruits and in life itself man must know how to distinguish between good and evil.
Spiritual references to the Tree of Life occur in diverse cultural traditions: Mayans, Aztecs, Mormons, Buddhists, and even among medieval alchemists. This plurality highlights that the symbolism of the tree has inspired very different ideas and messages throughout human history. This coincidence makes us think that the human being sees in the idea of the tree the inspiration to explain knowledge, the sacred, evolution or morality.
In biology
The Tree of Life with a sacred meaning has been used as a model to order and classify the evolution of living beings. In fact, to represent the phylogeny of species and their classification, naturalists have used a tree-shaped scheme, implying that all species share common processes. Each species of living being would be equivalent to a tree leaf, but globally all species come from the same trunk and the same roots.
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