In the Ancient Near East the tree was a manifestation of Asherah. The burning bush was originally a place of worship to this Goddess, the Queen of Heaven. The fire which never consumed the bush is a symbol of sexuality and eroticism which belongs to this Goddess.
Yahweh is presented in this short text as a god who takes different ideas. Especially, Yahweh as God of the Fathers is interesting, because a few chapters later the God of the Fathers is named "El Shaddaj". "El Shaddaj" means "God of Breasts", the attribute of a goddess. Therefore the ancestors worshiped a mother goddess.
Both story of the burning bush as this of Eve in Paradise are about a important tree and a serpent. Also the names Yahweh and Hawjah (Eve) are so similar that we can allude to the same deity.
The author describes the meeting between Moses and the burning bush as a miracle indeed, but the mystical and magical aspect disappears almost entirely. From the erotic celebration, which took place under trees, is no longer perceived, too.
Text and Design: Esther Keller-Stocker, Horgen, Zürich
(Switzerland)
25.01.2010, esther@estherkeller.ch