Pinecones are dropped by evergreen trees all year long. You may not think too much about them when you take a walk into the woods, but there is incredibly important symbolism inside this ancient image.

Evergreens have been around for a millennia.

They are one of the oldest flowering plants on planet Earth and the pinecone itself is the precursor to the flower. Every ancient civilization exposed to the pinecone has used it to symbolize human enlightenment.

And ancient wisdom is remarkably accurate in this case. Turn a conifer pinecone straight up and down and look at it from up above. You’ll see a spiral design culminating in the center around a “third eye”. Deep inside your brain is the pineal gland known to the medical world as your brain’s third eye. The pineal gland looks exactly like a pinecone ready to transcend into a blooming flower.

Pinecones also symbolize warmth. When a cone drops to the ground and dries out it becomes the perfect kindling ready to start a fire. That fire can represent desire or general warmth in personality.

The pinecone is also mysterious. The sought after Pine nut can be found at the center of the cone but only at the right time. To avoid predators like squirrels, the nut is only grown into the pinecone once every few years at random intervals. Begging the question — will someone find the prize inside of you?