What is the significance of the Tree of Life in Freemasonry?

In Masonic symbolism and esoteric commentary, references to the Tree of Life connect biblical narrative, Kabbalistic philosophy, and lodge emblems.

The biblical account of the flaming sword placed east of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life provides the symbolic origin for the wavy sword carried by the Tyler, as noted in an article on the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon's website. In early ritual lore, the serpent coiled around the tree of life served as a reminder of the knowledge of good and evil from the Garden of Eden, while also forming connections to the emblem of the cassia tree, as described in an article on the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon's website.

In Kabbalistic commentary on Craft symbolism, the Sephirotic Tree of Life is mapped directly onto the structure and furniture of the lodge 2. Early research in Ars Quatuor Coronatorum notes that the pillars of the Sephirotic Tree correspond to the Masonic pillars of Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty, while the tortuous path connecting the Sephiroth parallels the Fellowcraft's Winding Staircase 2. Additionally, the four cardinal virtues denoted by the four tassels on the First Degree tracing board—temperance, fortitude, prudence, and justice—were treated in Kabbalistic readings as branches derived from the Sephirotic Tree 2.

Wilmshurst links the biblical narrative to Masonic allegory by drawing a parallel between the prohibition against eating of the Tree of Knowledge and a Mason's obligation not to extort secrets of a degree he has not attained 1. In his view, Adam's fall from Eden and the tragedy of the Master Builder both represent a cosmic disaster in which humanity lost access to divine wisdom 1.

The websites I drew on here are not among those a Masonic researcher would ordinarily rely upon. Please weigh what they say accordingly.