This plant symbolizes death, but at the same time eternal life, transformation and immortality. This was apparently due to the fact that acacia has very hard and durable wood. The acacia branch also symbolizes purity, innocence, the eternity of the spirit and good deeds, the resurrection of the solar deity (Osiris). In Freemasonry, botanical varieties of acacia do not play a special role, but still we usually talk about mimosa from East Africa and white acacia - Robinia. In the Egyptian Book of the Dead, Osiris is mentioned as the Lord of the Acacia tree. This bush grew next to the tortured body of the Egyptian god. In the Bible, acacia sittim is considered a sacred plant, from which the ancient Jews in the time of Moses made altars and arks.

At Masonic table meals in the 18th - 19th centuries. the golden branch of the acacia meant the Sun, the Savior of the world, the undying life of the spirit, ideas and nature. Acacia is usually planted on the grave of a deceased Mason at the head of the head, and is also placed on the tombstone. The acacia serves as a reminder of Master Hiram Abiff - the great temple architect, martyr of the master's word, killed by three envious students. An acacia branch was stuck onto his grave mound as an identification mark (according to other versions, branches of other sacred trees were also inserted - laurel, palm trees, as well as thistle or thistle, which became a symbol of the Scottish Rite). Acacia is the emblem of the Masonic mysteries in general. In this regard, it can be compared with the lotus in the secret rites of India, with the myrtle of the ancient Greek mysteries, or with heather and evergreen mistletoe - the sacred plants of the Druids.

Here I recently taxied to the exhibition “Symbols of Freemasonry” and was very surprised by the often used acacia symbol on their ribbons, chest and over the shoulder and in papers, it turned out that there was even some kind of myth that formed the basis of Freemasonry, I was simply inspired. What we managed to find.

The tree has a warm aura. Mostly branches and wood are used in magic. White acacia is a symbol of vitality and immortality. Acacia is a very powerful energy donor. Its energy is useful to everyone without exception, and especially to women.
(I immediately remember Acacia, who grew up on the grave of the protagonist’s beloved from Gustav Meyrink’s book “The White Dominican”. She was his “guide”, his “teacher and savior from chimeras”)

Acacia - in symbolism it is often confused with Robinia (white acacia) and mimosa.

ACACIA is a plant symbolizing immortality.

Enjoyed the greatest respect among ancient Egyptians and Jews.
Red and white acacia flowers symbolize the dual unity of life and death, death and rebirth.

The Egyptians Acacia symbolized the Sun, rebirth, immortality (Acacia appeared over the grave of Osiris), initiation and innocence, and was also the emblem of the goddess Neith. In Egypt, it was also revered as a sacred plant due to its double color (the law of white-red).

It was this plant that “kindled, but did not burn” when the angel spoke to Moses. Gopher - the tree used by the Israelites in the construction of the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant, covered with gold on top - was a type of acacia.

Acacia also had a sacred character Arabs during the pagan period of their history. The idol Al-Uzza was made from it, installed in Mecca and then destroyed by Muhammad.

Devices for producing sacred fire were made from acacia wood Vedic monks. This tree is related to the Sun and therefore is given great importance. So in India Brahma's Scoop is made from it.

Indians of South America We are sure that acacia is capable of healing and fulfilling wishes, which is why its trees can often be found here surrounded by all sorts of gifts and offerings.

Acacia is also capable of opening psychic centers and summoning friendly spirits. According to Hasse's Dream Book, Acacia means a pleasant meeting.

According to Freemasonry researcher A. Pike, the “crown of thorns” placed on the head of Jesus was made of acacia branches. On the one hand, because acacia is the sacred tree of the Jews, on the other hand, to laugh at immortality.

The basis for the perception of acacia as a symbol of immortality was its special durability and vitality. The original symbolism of the mimosa was apparently transformed into the cult of the acacia. According to Coptic legend, this plant was the first to be used in the worship of Christ.

The rapid growth of the acacia tree has made it a symbol of fertility. Acacia also symbolized the spring equinox, personified by the mythology of the resurrection of the solar deity. In addition, it implies purity and innocence. This perception is caused by the special sensitivity of the plant, which wrinkles when touched by a person.

From an esoteric point of view, it is a symbol of constancy and immutability.

Acacia is an emblem of various mysteries. During initiation, neophytes carried branches or bouquets of acacia flowers in front of them. In several Mediterranean countries Acacia symbolized life, friendship and platonic love.

Acacia in myths and legends


According to Egyptian myth, the God Horus was born from an acacia tree. The goddess Neith lives in the branches of this tree. The most frequent guest of the acacia tree is in biblical tales. Thus, the famous crown of thorns, in which Jesus was led to the crucifixion, according to one version, was made precisely from acacia branches. The burning font was also an acacia tree. According to the biblical legend, when Moses was tending cattle, an acacia bush caught fire and an angel appeared in it, who told Moses about his destiny. When the angel disappeared, the bush turned out to be in no way damaged or burnt. To this day, the Burning Font grows in the same place and pilgrims from all over the world come to it. In myths and legends, acacia is relatively rare.

Masonic myth of the Master and the Acacia branch
The Masons ("free masons") are a religious sect of half-Christian, half-Egyptian and half-Jewish origin, originating from the Order of the Templars (one of the degrees of "Knight of the East") and the Rosicrucians (the Rose on the cross is a symbol of the crucified soul, at the foot of the cross is a pelican feeding chicks (symbol of Christ)). In Western Europe and Russia during the Age of Enlightenment, this secret society set a goal to lead humanity, through the humane enlightenment of each individual, to the Earthly Paradise. It was engaged in book publishing and the establishment of schools; The society included representatives of the intelligentsia from art and medicine, as well as “advanced” monarchs. The most important plant image in Freemasonry is ACACIA: the body of Adoniram, killed by his disciples and buried in the ground, who sacrificed himself for the common good, was discovered due to the fact that an acacia tree grew on his grave.

Thanks to its hard and durable wood, it represents overcoming death. In the legend from the field of art about the murdered temple builder Hiram Abif (Khuram Abi). He suffered martyrdom at the hands of three construction colleagues who committed murder out of envy, and was buried under a burial mound, which was marked by an acacia branch.

Since the murdered man continued to live symbolically in each new master, the acacia branch signifies the greenery of the idea surviving death. Masonic death notices are decorated with this sign, and branches are placed in the grave (or coffin) of the deceased. In this case, the botanical name of the plant does not play any role: “The acacia branch lying on the coffin is an image of an acacia branch or thistle, which our brothers stuck on the top of the mountain (that is, hill) during the burial of our worthy father... these are laurel and palm branches, which he will receive...” (Baurnyöpel, 1793).

Wise Solomon, who was one of the chosen ones for the knowledge of symbols,
which expressed “the repository of the shrine of Adam’s omniscience before the Fall,”
planned to build the Great Temple and build it in such a way that it would symbolically
passed on to his descendants, all who thirsted to know the truth, divine knowledge.
Adoniram, who had knowledge, was appointed the main builder of the temple.
"divine truth"; workers were collected to build this temple
130,000 people, whom Adoniram divided into three degrees: disciples,
comrades and masters. Each of these degrees was given a symbolic
word: to the disciples - Joachim, to the comrades - Boaz, and to the masters - Jehovah, but so,
that the masters knew their name for the lower degrees, the comrades knew their word and
the word of the disciples, and the disciples knew only their word.
Craftsmen received higher wages for their work, which caused
the desire of three comrades to extract a master word from Adoniram.
Taking advantage of the fact that in the evenings Adoniram went to inspect the temple
work, the first of them stopped him at the southern gate and began to demand from him,
so that he would reveal to him the word of the masters, and not receiving what he wanted, he would strike
Adoniram with a hammer. At the northern gate, another comrade struck him with a pickaxe.
Adoniram rushed to save himself and barely managed to throw the gold into the well
sacred triangle, symbol of the perfection of the spirit, the divine principle (on
triangle was a mysterious image of the name of Jehovah), like the third
a comrade dealt him a fatal blow with a compass at the eastern gate. The killers
Adoniram's body was carried away and buried. By order of Solomon, the body was found,
for the ground turned out to be loose, and the stuck acacia branch with which the murderers
They marked the burial place of Adoniram - it turned green. Masters for fear that
the ancient master word had already lost its meaning, they decided to replace the word
"Jehovah" is the first word spoken by any of them upon opening
the body of the deceased master. At that moment the body opened and when one of
masters took the corpse by the hand, then the meat slid off the bones and he was in fear
exclaimed "Mak-benach", which in Hebrew means "flesh from the bones"
separated." This expression was adopted as the distinctive word of the workshop
degrees.
In a master ritual, with three blows of a hammer, the initiate is plunged into
coffin. The person laid in the coffin is covered with red, as if bloody, cloth; on
the heart is placed: a golden triangle with the name "Jehovah" and an acacia branch, in
A compass and a triangle are placed on the heads and feet of the coffin.
The true meaning of this legend is revealed by Freemasonry expert A.D.
Philosophers. “In this legend,” he says, “one cannot, however, fail to recognize
symbolic language of the Jews, reminiscent of the biblical and even more
Talmudic writing. It is also impossible not to see that the legend is fictitious
after the Resurrection of Christ the Savior. Firstly, because in none of
monuments of Jewish literature about no Adoniram as the main builder
Solomon's Temple is not mentioned, and even more so because this legend, in
in which the slightest detail is meaningful, contains hints,
obviously directed against the tales of the holy Evangelists about the Resurrection
Christ."
“From the narrative of the Holy Evangelists it is clear that the three disciples, i.e.
Peter, John and Mary also came to the tomb “where the body of Jesus was”, so that
interrogate the coffin about that last fatal word with which it should end
the great idea of ​​newborn Christianity. But in this coffin, their object
hope and fear, they no longer found the body of Jesus, but only grave clothes,
and near the shrouds of a bright angel, a resident of the ethereal better world, who came
proclaim to them that new word, that joyful “Christ is Risen!”, with which
from now on, the teaching of Christ was established on earth even before the Lord himself
according to the legend of the Evangelists, he appeared before all his disciples by his “door”
closed."
"In the mystery of Adoniram, they also come to his tomb to
learn about the treasured word, without which it was impossible to complete the construction
temple of the Jews, but not only three disciples come and one of them is a woman, but
three times three, and not students anymore, but masters, i.e. teachers. And what -
instead of Adoniram, who, as the chief builder of Solomon's temple, with
from a Jewish point of view, had incomparably more rights to immortality than a son
Mary, they all find only a rotting corpse in the coffin. Instead of appearing
angels who would confirm with their visible presence the idea of ​​the afterlife
existence and would tell them about the mystery of the Resurrection, they only find
before you is a picture of destruction. Then satisfied with this evidence
external feelings, nor say to each other "Mak-benah", i.e. "flesh
is being destroyed."
“And therefore “Mac-Benach” is the seed of future skepticism, evidence
their own feelings, contrasted with the testimony of the apostles about
Resurrection of Christ; "Mak-Benach" is a protest against the possibility of the afterlife
life, affirmed about the irrevocable "Christ is Risen", is erected in
dogma of the Saducean heresy, the first and necessary step towards the overthrow
Christianity and the erection in place of such an impatiently awaited time
Solomon, i.e. the universal Jewish temple. But to build a temple, to erect
pillar, wall or city means in the language of the adepts to establish or
disseminate any religious teaching. And therefore accept the word
"Mak-benach" for the foundation of secret works for the spread of the Jewish temple,
means to develop and spread skepticism and the philosophy of materialism,
the basis for which must henceforth be a rotting human corpse, not
giving no other answer for the Jewish seekers of truth other than those contained in
evidence of the senses, in a picture of one’s own destruction.”
"But let us tear away the last remnant of the allegorical veil that hides
reality: death of Adoniram as the chief builder of Solomon's temple
- this is the fall of Old Testament Judaism; three Jewish workers,
those who killed Adoniram are the three disciples of Jesus, who, as he says
Scripture - the first to spread the news of the Resurrection of the one crucified by the Jews
Jesus, a sign of horror - through which from now on friends will secretly recognize
friend of the master of the order - this is an expression of a hidden, passed down from generation to generation,
revenge on the murderers of Adoniram; joyful sounding at the sight of a lively
the cry of the Jewish corpse is the coming triumph of ancient Judaism over
Christianity, the fall of which, according to the Jewish plan, must take place
through the Christians themselves, since the decree was recently canceled
Frank-Masonic Order, which allowed admission into Masonic lodges only
some Christians, since for them, in fact, the order adopted the name
profane, that is, desecrators of the shrine. From now on, the eldest of the workers,
the one who killed Adoniram will be called Abidal, that is, “parricide.” In the face
the disciple who told the first news in Judea about the Resurrection of Christ the Savior -
Abidal - parricide represents the Christian teaching that destroyed
ancient Judaism from which it emerged. Let Abidal be the subject
hatred and curse of all Freemasonry, and from now on let his name be pronounced
instead of the name of Jesus, in testimony of their oaths, and let them oppose as
rule of life moral law Christian purity organic law
animal instincts."

The month of May is a stormy flowering of nature. The lilac and tulips are fading, the bird cherry and apricot and cherry trees are blooming. The acacia tree is now blooming. The aroma of this tree can be heard from a distance, but the amazingly flowering plucked branches do not stand in a vase - they instantly wither, probably for this reason the tree in ancient times was a symbol of innocence and purity. From the point of view of various beliefs, acacia has its own meaning. For esotericists, it is a symbol of constancy and immutability; for the Egyptians, it symbolizes immortality; among ancient Christians, acacia was a symbol of a respectable lifestyle; in a number of Mediterranean countries, acacia symbolized friendship and platonic love.

There was a belief that acacia thorns repel evil, that the Goddess of Hunting and War lives in this tree, and acacia was also called the mother tree for its abundant flowering and rapid growth.

This tree does not leave artists indifferent either. Unlike roses or lilies, acacia is quite rarely found on canvases. But still I found some interesting works. I like this tree and its inflorescence in its own way, there is something attractive and exciting about it.

Garshin Vladimir Alekseevich

Slavinskaya

Udova Anastasia

Pastukhova Yulia “White acacia”

When we pass by any tree in our area, we don’t think about the role it played in people’s lives. This is probably because we grew up next to these trees and managed to get used to them, considering them a normal part of our life. However, with all this, traveling around the world, we are surprised by the views of overseas trees and listen with interest to the myths and legends associated with them. In this connection, I decided to start collecting myths, parables and legends about trees growing in our area in the magazine.

Symbol of vitality and immortality

Robinia pseudoacacia

It was this plant that “kindled, but did not burn” when the angel spoke to Moses. Gopher - the tree used by the Israelites in the construction of the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant, covered with gold on top - was a type of acacia.

Vedic monks used acacia wood to make devices for producing sacred fire. This tree is related to the Sun and therefore is given great importance. So in India they make the Brahma Scoop from it.

White acacia

The basis for the perception of acacia as a symbol of immortality was its special durability and vitality. The original symbolism of the mimosa was apparently transformed into the cult of the acacia. According to Coptic legend, this plant was the first to be used in the worship of Christ.

The rapid growth of the acacia tree has made it a symbol of fertility. Acacia also symbolized the spring equinox, personified by the mythology of the resurrection of the solar deity. In addition, it implies purity and innocence. This perception is caused by the special sensitivity of the plant, which wrinkles when touched by a person.

White acacia

Masonic myth of the Master and the Acacia branch

The Masons ("free masons") are a religious sect of half-Christian, half-Egyptian and half-Jewish origin, originating from the Order of the Templars (one of the degrees of "Knight of the East") and the Rosicrucians (the Rose on the cross is a symbol of the crucified soul, at the foot of the cross is a pelican feeding chicks (symbol of Christ)). In Western Europe and Russia during the Age of Enlightenment, this secret society set a goal to lead humanity, through the humane enlightenment of each individual, to the Earthly Paradise. It was engaged in book publishing and the establishment of schools; The society included representatives of the intelligentsia from art and medicine, as well as “advanced” monarchs. The most important plant image in Freemasonry is ACACIA: the body of Adoniram, killed by his disciples and buried in the ground, who sacrificed himself for the common good, was discovered due to the fact that an acacia tree grew on his grave.

Symbol of Freemasonry

Since the murdered man continued to live symbolically in each new master, the acacia branch signifies the greenery of the idea surviving death. Masonic death notices are decorated with this sign, and branches are placed in the grave (or coffin) of the deceased. In this case, the botanical name of the plant does not play any role: “The acacia branch lying on the coffin is an image of an acacia branch or thistle, which our brothers stuck on the top of the hill at the burial of our worthy father... these are the laurel and palm branches that he will receive.. "(Baurnyöpel, 1793).

Acacia is an emblem of various mysteries. During initiation, neophytes carried branches or bouquets of acacia flowers in front of them. In a number of Mediterranean countries, acacia symbolized life, friendship and platonic love.

The Indians of South America are confident that acacia is capable of healing and making wishes come true, which is why its trees can often be found here surrounded by all sorts of gifts and offerings.