Tree of Life
The Tree of Life<ref>"As you can see, we have arrived at Beauty," he tells me. "The next sphere of our rise through the Tree of Life." —Rhinox, "Singularity Ablyss", Transformers Legends</ref> is a Transformer theo-philosophical concept<ref>The sight of an orange robotic rhinoceros-tank espousing theological philosophy removes any of my prior doubts; my ordeal with my enemies has left me completely and utterly insane. —Megatron is skeptical of this lesson, "Singularity Ablyss", Transformers Legends</ref><ref>Megatron claims he is beyond "belief in such fairy tales" — "Singularity Ablyss", Transformers Legends</ref> the structure of which reflects the unseen underpinnings of the material universe. In this cosmological model, upon their passing in the physical realm, a Transformer's Spark weaves its way through the eight layers of the tree, each representing a different emotion or ethic, steadily educating and preparing them for their joining with the Allspark.
Structure
[edit]The Tree of Life is organized into ten color-coded "spheres" which, broadly speaking, form a diagrammatic representation of the process by which a living entity studies and learns more about itself. The "root" of the tree, as it were, is Kingdom, the material, physical world in which a being lives out their life. Upon their death, they pass through Foundation, the gateway into the tree. The subsequent five layers are divided up over the first realm and the emotional plane; emotional and ethical dualities united by the sphere of Beauty at the center of the Tree. Somewhere beyond this lies the penultimate level, connected to the rest of tree by indistinct means, where individuality is condensed and then discarded in preparation for union with the Allspark, the highest point of the tree, known here as The Crown.
The spheres of the Tree of Life are joined by amethyst-colored pillars of light forming bridges between the spheres. It appears that more than one path is possible,<ref>"amethyst pillars appear before us" seems to indicate multiple possible paths leading from Foundation. "Singularity Ablyss", Transformers Legends</ref> but it is difficult to establish how these undocumented paths are connected.
- Kingdom—The material dimension, containing all living beings. Viewed from the outside, the Kingdom appears to be a cool brown.
- Foundation—This sphere is bathed in shades of purple. Foundation serves as a gateway between the material world and the Tree of Life.
- The first realm—The bottom-most level of the Tree.
- Splendor—Bright orange. Splendor celebrates the heights and breadths all of creation, instilling awe with the sheer scale and spaciness of it all! It also embodies the many microcosms and macrocosms where electrons orbit atoms like planets orbit suns and stars orbit galaxies and galaxies orbit one another... all dancing the same cosmic dance, visible if one can but discard their sense of scale.
- Eternity—A vibrant green realm celebrating (embodying?) the vastness of time, from the primordial gasps of the universe to its creaking frozen end and all possibilities between. Those who pass through Eternity are reminded that matter and energy cannot be consumed or destroyed, but merely change state—cycling back and forth again and again if we can but telescope out our sense of time to see the universe in terms of forever.
- Beauty—This golden sphere is the halfway point on the Tree of Life. Beauty is embodied by balance in all aspects of life, including the masculine and the feminine. By achieving perfect balance and stilling the turmoil within, a great silence falls in which we may perceive the heartbeat of all creation.
- The emotional plane—Encompassing that which drives us.
- Severity—A crimson sphere, Severity's nature is that of resolve and determination, the abilities we use to move ourselves towards and eventually attain our goals. Even more so, Severity is the ability to see a target and attain it no matter the cost. It most often drives Decepticon and Predacon sparks, but is balanced by Mercy.
- Mercy—A sapphire sphere. Like Severity, it doesn't distinguish between positive and negative values, and thus is generated by both compassion and egotism. It produces an addictive euphoria which can easily overwhelm visitors with an intoxicating effect.
- Abyss?
- The penultimate level
- Understanding—An indigo sphere swimming in mathematical formulae, Understanding is the literal embodiment of the river of knowledge.
- Wisdom—A grey sphere, wisdom is the application of knowledge and its placement in context. As Rhinox explained it, Wisdom is the difference between the facts and the truth.
- The Crown—The Allspark, where all are one.
Fiction
[edit]Singularity Ablyss
[edit]Following his death while in control of a giant floating head, Megatron was guided through a series of realms by Rhinox. Though experiencing the realms and Rhinox's advice was meant to prepare Megatron to rejoin the Allspark, Megatron resisted and made attempts to return to the corporeal world. He eventually succeeded, destroying Rhinox's spirit before possessing the body of a Diagnostic Drone. Singularity Ablyss
Notes
[edit]
- If you didn't get it, this is all pretty specifically based on the [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Sephirot|{{#if:Tree of Life from the Jewish Kabbalah|Tree of Life from the Jewish Kabbalah|Sephirot}}]].
- When Rodimus Prime gets a glimpse into the afterlife in the Generation 1 cartoon episode "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2", some of the features of the Tree of Life described in "Singularity Ablyss" are evident: specifically, a corridor of purple columns that lead him to the visions he experiences, followed by flying and exploding mathematical formula (see the collage at right). Writer Bob Skir would later confirm this to be nothing more than the mother of all coincidences, as he never saw the G1 episode!
References
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