Tree of Life: Book of Mormon Journaling 1 Nephi 8-10 (January 13-19)

After last week’s action packed pages, this week is a nice breather. Probably the most memorable vision in the entire Book of Mormon, the vision of the tree of life lends itself well toward illustration (partly because it is so easy to leave out the multitudes of people—they’re the hardest to draw).

 The Tree of Life

In my margin, I wrote excerpts from Psalm 51.
Yes. Psalm 51.

I had considered writing a symbolism summary in the sidebar. It's an obvious choice. Then I thought, “What’s the point?” You see, Lehi’s Dream was a childhood favorite of mine, so I memorized what the various parts meant a quarter century ago. I don’t need a study aid for that. 

Then I read “Why Did Lehi Quote from a Psalm of Repentance in His Dream” from Book of Mormon Central. I’m not going to repeat everything they pointed out in their article, but there are some striking similarities between Psalm 51 and some of Lehi’s vision. And it was new to me.

Psalm 51:1 (Compare with 1 Nephi 8:8)

Have mercy on me according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Psalm 51:7-8;12 (Compare 1 Nephi 8:11-12)

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.

Psalm 51:13 (Compare 1 Nephi 8:14-18)

Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners will be converted unto thee.

At the end of the path, under the tree, I wrote:
“His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come," “The Living Christ.”

The tree trunk was outlined with gray Mildliner highlighter, then filled with colored pencil. The iron rod might have been gray highlighter. Or maybe it's just colored pencil. I don't remember. The tree leaves are a mixed-media combination of green and blue-green Mildliner highlighter and several shades of green colored pencil. I spent too much energy on those leaves. For the white fruit, I used an orange Mildliner highlighter to draw the outline. The path and most of the grass is colored pencil. The tops of the hills are blue-green Mildliner. And I refuse to comment on the great and spacious embarrassment on the other page.

On page 16, where Lehi finishes his vision, I wrote this spot-on quote:

“The vision of the tree of life shows us how the effects of casualness can lead us away from the covenant path,” Becky Craven, “Careful versus Casual,” Ensign, May 2019.

I used a banner stencil at the top of the page with a black Micron pen, then green colored pencil and the text is green Micron.

Page 17, 1 Nephi 10:3

In chapter ten, Lehi continues to live up to his title “visionary man” as he jumps straight from the tree of life into prophesies of the Jews and of Christ. In verse three he says the captured Jews would return to Jerusalem in “the own due time of the Lord.” In the margin I wrote:

"Strong faith in the Savior is submissively accepting of His will and timing in our lives-even if the outcome is not what we hoped for or wanted,” Elder David A. Bednar, “Accepting the Lord’s Will and Timing,” Ensign, August 2016.

I used brown Micron pen and a star stencil and filled with yellow colored pencil. The moon (which was originally going to be a clock) used a circle stencil (once for the outline, then shifted right to make the crescent) and gray Mildliner highlighter. The light side of the moon is also colored very lightly with a black colored pencil. The sky is alternating blue and purple colored pencil (use the side of the lead, not the tip, when coloring a wide area).

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