The word "tree", points to the physicality which is a tree. But what does the physical tree point to? Reality is in a sense a language. All language points to something which it is in itself not.

I say it points to consciousness, Awareness, God. Whichever you wish to call it. It gives rise to all things, and so are all things. In this sense it can be said that it points to itself so that it can be aware of the pointing.

To say as Jiddu Krishnamurti said it:

The observer is the observed.

Reality then might be said to be a self-referencing system.

This self-referencing has another name, I think. "self-awareness". So to become "self aware" is in essence what it means to be able to know God, and to know ones self more intimately is to come closer to God.

Self-reflection and introspection then is the key that unlocks the door.