The axis mundi refers to a symbolic structure or location understood as the central point of the world. It functions as a vertical link connecting cosmic levels such as the heavens, the human realm, and the underworld. In myth, ritual, and sacred geography, the axis mundi may appear as a mountain, tree, city, sanctuary, or constructed object that anchors order and meaning. Rather than a physical axis, it represents orientation, stability, and access between realms, allowing communication, authority, or blessing to flow through a recognized center of the world.
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References
- Boyd, Samuel L., "Place as Real and Imagined in Exile: Jerusalem at the Center of Ezekiel" in Greenspoon, Leonard J., editor. Next Year in Jerusalem: Exile and Return in Jewish History
- Orlov, Andrei, Supernal Serpent: Mysteries of Leviathan in Judaism and Christianity
- Argall, Randal A., 1 Enoch and Sirach: A Comparative Literary and Conceptual Analysis of the Themes of Revelation, Creation and Judgment
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