What is this huge symbol on the door in the Truth realm and in the Neon Genesis Evangelion opening?


In Fullmetal Alchemist the door in the Truth realm has a huge symbol with all
kinds of things on it:

[![Door in the Truth realm from
FMA](https://i.stack.imgur.com/WZK3s.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/WZK3s.jpg)

I've seen the opening of Neon Genesis Evangelion today and noticed that the
same symbol is shown in the beginning of the opening around 0:10 - 0:13.

I first thought that it was just a random symbol in FMA, but now that I've
seen it in the opening of NGE, I believe that it must come from something else
since there is no connection between those anime.

What is this symbol, where does it come from and what does it describe?

Here is a more detailed picture of the symbol:

[![Symbol from both Anime in High
Quality](https://i.stack.imgur.com/GuvzR.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/GuvzR.jpg)




It's a slightly modified version of the [Sephirothic Tree of
Life](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sephirot) as defined by Robert Fludd, who
was a physician with interests in Kabbalah and other religious mysticisms. The
globes (called Sephiroths) are thought of as being ways in which the universe
shows its truths to humanity. They're also printed with the words God used in
creating the universe in Genesis.

![The tree is a different view of the Kabbalist Tree of
Life](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8UHvS.jpg)

You can read up on it more [here](http://www.sacred-
texts.com/eso/sta/sta29.htm), but the basic idea behind it is that it is a
mystic symbol representing universal truth -- and the Truth is on the other
side of the door in FMA.

In [NGE](http://wiki.evageeks.org/Tree_of_Life), however, the symbol appears
after the Mass Production units form an inverted tree of life, symbolizing the
opposite of creation -- destruction, death -- after crucifying Eva 01. This is
part of the Third Impact, in which nearly all of humanity is reduced to LCL.
You'll find that there's a lot of mystic symbolism in NGE.




It's a slightly modified version of the [Sephirothic Tree of
Life](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sephirot) as defined by Robert Fludd, who
was a physician with interests in Kabbalah and other religious mysticisms. The
globes (called Sephiroths) are thought of as being ways in which the universe
shows its truths to humanity. They're also printed with the words God used in
creating the universe in Genesis.

![The tree is a different view of the Kabbalist Tree of
Life](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8UHvS.jpg)

You can read up on it more [here](http://www.sacred-
texts.com/eso/sta/sta29.htm), but the basic idea behind it is that it is a
mystic symbol representing universal truth -- and the Truth is on the other
side of the door in FMA.

In [NGE](http://wiki.evageeks.org/Tree_of_Life), however, the symbol appears
after the Mass Production units form an inverted tree of life, symbolizing the
opposite of creation -- destruction, death -- after crucifying Eva 01. This is
part of the Third Impact, in which nearly all of humanity is reduced to LCL.
You'll find that there's a lot of mystic symbolism in NGE.

