Baobab Tree of Life THE BAOBAB TREE OF LIFE!
There’s something sacred about trees.
FOR QUITE A WHILE, I HAVE BEEN FASCINATED WITH THE IMAGE OF THE BAOBAB TREE. TREES AND PLANT LIFE HAS ALWAYS BEEN UPPERMOST IN MY MIND.
The Baobab Tree reminds me of the Story of Ausar.
http://amen-parankh.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-ausar-resurrection.html
One day, Ausar and Auset had a grand wedding feast. Set had a gold-lined Chest carved for Ausar's wedding gift. He convinced Ausar to collaborate in a magic trick and had Ausar lay inside the heavy Golden Chest. Set immediately locked Ausar alive in the Chest and dump him into the Nile River! Distraught, in grief and horror, Auset was never able to consummate her marriage! She ran away and went to the Nile River, looking for her husband until days turned into weeks and weeks into months.
Ausar represents the morning sunrise.
Ausar represents the 1st day of the Winter Solstice (Dec. 21st)
Ausar also represents the greatest version of ourselves- to endure and overcome all obstacles.
Ausar is anything in nature that lives, then dies, then is reborn.
Ausar also represents Every discipline and thriving achievement manifesting from humanity, found all over the globe!
In life, you can go through some difficult times. In order to change the circumstances, a “new you” (Heru) has to be reborn. The “old you” (Set) has to die and it might even break you up. But even in the death of the “old you” life contains the seed germ (Ausar) of the “new you (Heru).” You may not see the germination stage while underground but then you are resurrected and reborn into a new and stronger self.
In other words, Life/Shift Happens- the rotten things (fertilizer) you go through in life helps you grow.
The story of the tree of life begins with two trees in a garden: the Tree of Life, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The pivotal event in the book comes when men were hanged and lynched on trees.
If you understand the trees, you understand the story of life.
I was introduced to the baobab tree in the story of the Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery.
The symbolism and allegory of the tree is rich with meaning and helps me to think of metaphysical axes.
Image Credit: Daniel Montesino
Sayings from Ghana
There are many myths and legend about the Baobab tree:
One legend of the Baobab tree describes what happens if you are never satisfied with what you have:
"The baobab was among the first trees to appear on the land. Next came the slender, graceful palm tree. When the baobab saw the palm tree, it cried out that it wanted to be taller.
Then the beautiful flame tree appeared with its red flower and the baobab was envious for flower blossoms.
When the baobab saw the magnificent fig tree, it prayed for fruit as well. God became tired of the complaints and so yanked it up by its roots and placed it upside down to keep it quiet."
All the animals were alarmed, and so was the huge tree. For after that, the magnificent tree only grew leaves once a year.
The other months the roots seemed to bend and grow towards the sky.
“Trees are poems the earth writes upon the sky; we fell them down and turn them into paper, that we may record our emptiness.” Khalil Gibran
It is among the largest and longest-lived trees on earth capable of growing to 98 feet tall and 36 - 60 feet wide.
It can survive lengthy periods of drought with its massive sponge-like trunk that can be hollowed out to provide shelter.
Baobab near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (Image credit: ironmanix [flickr])
For millennia, the baobab tree has provided a Market Place and a meeting place for dialogue,
sharing stories and debates of critical issues and ideas.
The five leaves of the Baobab Tree resemble an outstretched hand, hence its Latin name Adansonia Digitata, as if reaching out in friendship.
Baobabs create their own ecosystem with hollowed-out trunks, leaves, foliage, nectar, fruit, and bark providing habitats for many different creatures. This tree thrives in diversity.
The baobab's bark, leaves, fruit, and trunk are all used. The bark of the baobab is used for cloth and rope, the leaves for condiments and medicines, while the fruit, called "monkey bread", is eaten. Sometimes people live inside of the huge trunks, and bush-babies live in the crown.
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It is not very often that you see a Baobab tree picture with leaves on the tree, usually only seen in a short rainy season for a couple of months.
Some baobabs can store up to 120,000 gallons of water from the rainy season to sustain themselves through the dry times.
When the long dry season returns the trees drop their leaves.
Image of baobab in leaf from Brian Gatwicke
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*Image Source Baobab tree at sunrise. © Shahidul Alam/Drik/Majority World
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