Primordial

In Ancient Egyptian lore, the first gods were born under the thorny branches of the Tree of Life, the sacred acacia. The thorny trees were known as a tree of life and death. While the brewed leaves and the sweet flowers have many beneficial healing herbal uses, as a natural defense to being over-grazed, acacias release a poisonous tannin in their leaves that can cause death.

Lusaaset the was the feminine aspect of creation, with Atum being the male. The pair were worshiped in the city of Heliopolis as primordial beings, and acacias stood at the entrance to Lusaaset‘s sanctuary. In an early story of Osiris, god of the underworld, he was tricked and killed by his brother Typhon. Typhon put the body to rest in a large sarcophagus and set it into the Nile. The waters washed the chest away and it finally came to shore at the base of a large acacia. The tree’s roots and branches grew around the sarcophagus, enveloping the box and its contents, and immortalizing Osiris within death.

The tree also has Biblical significance, for when God told Moses to build the Tabernacle, the instructions included the Ark of the Covenant made of acacia wood, and it is thought that Christ‘s crown of thorns was woven from acacia.

Stephanie Law's work follows in the tradition of the mythic arts. She is based in Oakland, CA. Her paintings explores a surreal otherworld, and the manifestations of desire and archetype when seen with a shifted perception. Much of her inspiration stems from mythology and folklore, mingled with the movement of dance, and the chaos of Nature's wild growth. She has authored and illustrated 4 books ("Dreamscapes", through North Light Books), a series on watercolor technique within a fantastical framework, and she is also the author and illustrator of the Shadowscapes Tarot (2009, Llewellyn Worldwide).