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Forlong - Rivers of Life

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Tree Worship.<br />

Samurch. Her sanctuary was denominated a Boss, but beyond this I cannot learn any<br />

particulars <strong>of</strong> him or, I suspect, rather her; the Boss is an umbo, see fig. 81.<br />

The Palm has always borne a most important part in all the faiths <strong>of</strong> the world<br />

down to the present hour and even amongst our European centres <strong>of</strong> civilisation. In<br />

the Eleusinian mysteries, as we may see m the Hamiltonian collection <strong>of</strong> Greek vases<br />

in the British museum, the woman who is a candidate for what we in India would call<br />

the <strong>of</strong>fice <strong>of</strong> a Sakti, or one who desired to dedicate herself to God or to the worshippers<br />

at the temple <strong>of</strong> her God, is seen brought forward naked to a sacred font in which<br />

her right hand is placed. She has been washed apparently there, or as we would say<br />

baptised, and now the priest raises his Palm branch, symbol <strong>of</strong> the power over her <strong>of</strong><br />

the Maha-deva, and pray, declaring her pure or Kadash cdq and dedicated to him, and<br />

able now to assist in the mysteries <strong>of</strong> Bacchus. It is clear that the Palm has here the<br />

same signification as the Rod <strong>of</strong> the Egyptian priest, and hence <strong>of</strong> the Jewish and<br />

Tibetan or Shaman Sorcerer, all <strong>of</strong> which will be shown presently to be merely the representatives<br />

<strong>of</strong> Ashur, the Obelisk or “pillar god” or Toth, and <strong>of</strong> his Greek idea,<br />

Mercury, with his Kaduceus or serpent rod. The Palm is a necessary accompaniment<br />

in all Phallic and Solar festivals, and the tree must have a prominent place on all<br />

temple sites, as well as in temple ornamentation. It was with branches <strong>of</strong> Palm that<br />

Jews went forth to meet their Messiah, which by-the-by is an old word for the Sun-<br />

Stone as “the Anointed One.” Women shared the name <strong>of</strong> a Palm, perhaps from its<br />

grace and beauty as Tamar (Heb. Palm), the wife <strong>of</strong> Judah (Gen xxxviii. 6), and the<br />

fair sister <strong>of</strong> the erring Absalom and others. The Palm is also one <strong>of</strong> the ensigns<br />

which the glorified spirits in heaven go about with in their hands (Rev. vii. 9). There<br />

is great justice in the laudation which all eastems bestow upon this tree; every part,<br />

almost every atom <strong>of</strong> it, is <strong>of</strong> the greatest use to man—from its juice he makes spirits,<br />

wine, sugar, and a kind <strong>of</strong> honey, and drugs <strong>of</strong> all kinds; fruits are meat and<br />

drink, the shells form vessels, dyes, paper, cloth, mats, &c. &c., and so also is the<br />

wood and foliage applied to a score <strong>of</strong> purposes. We have seen that the Jews gave the<br />

Palm a distinguished place at their festivals, so also in architecture. The tree and its<br />

lotus top says Kitto (Pic. Bible. II. Chro. III.)<br />

took the place <strong>of</strong> the Egyptian column on Solomon’s<br />

famous phalli, the Jakin and Boaz. Dr<br />

Inman gives me tbisvery clear drawing <strong>of</strong> the<br />

meaning <strong>of</strong> <strong>of</strong> the palm tree As-sher.” I shall<br />

have to speak hereafter <strong>of</strong> the meaning <strong>of</strong> the<br />

arrow-head which is shown as piercing its<br />

centre. The figure is from a Babylonian gem,<br />

figured by Lajard, and tells us how clearly the<br />

Asyrian understood Phallic lore, and this<br />

Fig. 18—THE MYSTIC PALM WITH ALL ORGANS<br />

AND PASSION<br />

symbolism; for here we see man and animals gazing and frolicking round “the tree <strong>of</strong><br />

63

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