The Baobab Tree of Life!
There’s something sacred about Baobab Trees.
For quite a while, I have been fascinated with the image of the baobab tree. Trees and plant life have always been a facination in my mind.
The Baobab Tree reminds me of the Story of Ausar.
Goddess Nut, the mother of the Stars, created 4 days at the end of the year by giving birth to 4 children, Ausar (December 21st), Auset his wife (December 22nd), Sistar Het Heru (December 23rd) and his Brother Set (December 24th). Ausar became a benevolent ruler of the planet, who brought great abundance and prosperity. He created Heaven on Earth. Set, the baby brother was very spoiled and selfish. He grew jealous of Ausar's popularity and thought he could steal his brother's kingdom and fame.
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.
Even in death, Ausar made his presence known in abundance and prosperity! Auset finally learned that Ausar's wooden chest had grown into a great Baobab tree of Life right off a bank of the Nile river. All of the land around the tree grew prosperous and abundant. A farmer built his compound and community around the Baobab tree. The tree was so large, part of the trunk was carved into the farmer's bedchambers, where his newborn sun was born. So, Auset humbled herself and was hired as a nursemaid for the Farmer's wife. She finally convinced the farmer's family to dig down to the roots of the tree to remove her husband's body.
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 symbolism and allegory of the tree is rich with meaning and helps me to think of metaphysical axes.
It is hard not to marvel at the awesome possibilities of growth that these trees show yet paradoxically they are the upside down tree.
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| Image Credit: Daniel Montesino [flicker] |
Knowledge and wisdom are like the trunk of the baobab tree.
No one person's arm span is great enough to encompass them.
Saying from Ghana
There are many myths and legend about the Baobab tree:
One African 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 long periods of drought with it's massive sponge like trunk that
which can be hollowed out to provide shelter.
The Baobab Tree is Kemet's Tree (Chemistry)!
It provides shade for all living things in the sub Saharan heat.
Baobab near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (Image credit: ironmanix [flickr])
sharing stories and debate of important issues and ideas.
It can undergo a huge amount of mutilation, and still continue to thrive and heal.
For some cultures it is the tree under which man was born.
It is a symbol of endurance, conservation, creativity, ingenuity and dialogue.
The great baobab tree — the tree of rest and resolution.
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.
For some cultures it is the tree under which man was born.
It is a symbol of endurance, conservation, creativity, ingenuity and dialogue.
The great baobab tree — the tree of rest and resolution.
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.
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
A tree of life...redeeming, restoring...making all things new.
A tree that thinks of heaven.....
that provides so much for many
The tree holds out hope that whole cultures will be healed and mended, becoming places where people can flourish and it sets an agenda for faith as a way of life that contributes to that flourishing, in anticipation, here and now."
The baobab tree— the source of sustenance, spirituality, medicine, fuel, and identity for the villagers.
Rest of this wonderful review of it is here
Another extract from a film review from The Japan times says :
"For his new film, he went to the village of Touba Toul, 30 km west of Dakar, where he recorded the changing of the seasons and the planting of millet and peanuts, the two main crops. His focus, though, is the still abundant baobab.
The villagers feed the leaves to their animals, or dry and pound them into a nutritious powder called lalo; they pick up its fallen twigs for firewood, while using its bark to make rope, its pulp to make juice and its roots to make medicine; and they commune with the spirits of the dead that are said to inhabit it.
More and more Senegalese see the baobab not as a source of natural riches and spirituality, but as an impediment to the latest strip mine or real-estate scheme."
Rest of this wonderful review of it is here
Another extract from a film review from The Japan times says :
"For his new film, he went to the village of Touba Toul, 30 km west of Dakar, where he recorded the changing of the seasons and the planting of millet and peanuts, the two main crops. His focus, though, is the still abundant baobab.
The villagers feed the leaves to their animals, or dry and pound them into a nutritious powder called lalo; they pick up its fallen twigs for firewood, while using its bark to make rope, its pulp to make juice and its roots to make medicine; and they commune with the spirits of the dead that are said to inhabit it.
More and more Senegalese see the baobab not as a source of natural riches and spirituality, but as an impediment to the latest strip mine or real-estate scheme."
Let's sit down under the baobab tree
Man woman and child to discourse
Nuta Beqsu, is a Kandki Ma of many Suns, Daughters, Grand Princesses and Princes, living in the urban Kansas City Area. With a Mission to provide solutions to the cycles of violence, health disparities, poverty, and inequalities in wealth, she opened the Amen Par Ankh, a Natural Life Center, and Amen Ankh Academy and Homeschool network of Industrial arts. This is a green space for Home Scholars, an Independent Library and Home Blessings and Notions. She presently available for Consultations, Workshops Edutainment and lectures. currently working with grief counseling making Dolls for mothers who have suffered loss of their children. A Teacher, Priestess, Minister, Life coach, blogger and respected public speaker and educator who has conducted several workshops at various organizations, served as a panelist and as keynote speaker at regional meetings. She has a monthly call-in or listen online- Radio show http://www.blogtalkradio.com/amencommunications Nuta Beqsu means (heaven gives me balance) This is an ancient KMT language that is still in practice today. Nu, Nut, & Ta are Elemental powers of the Heavens: Nu is Moisture, and Water. Nut is the Celestial Sky goddess. She represents the cosmos and the universe. The Universe is always giving birth to new solar systems and stars. Ta is the original word for land and Queendoms of our ancient Matriarchal societies. Our land is our home, and the place for the empirical existence where we learn form our experiences. She seeks to live in balance between the planetary and heavenly existences. We are all connected to the land, trees, microcosm and macrocosm, Inner verse and universe. Nuta Beqsu (heaven gives me balance) will be programmed into conscious spirit, to produce thought sequences to direct a course of action as way to achieve successfulness in life. Visualization is thought converted into a pleasurable visual image(s) to achieve a goal and/or purpose. We connect with Divine Power to guide and direct our pathways. As a divine name is spoken the receiver has unity of direction in life. Her name reflects her Destiny. So, the sight Sound, vision, smells and colors associated with a divine name will give guidance in her pathway. As a Minister and Director at Amen Par Ankh and Ankh Amen Ankh Akademy, we offer Ancestor Libation Ceremony, Consultations and Life Coaching for Destiny, Name, Health, Career and Relationships. Afrikan Wedding planning and officiate services, Home and Business Blessings, Naming, Birth Blessings, Domestic Engineering, Home going Ascension services, Lectures, and edutainment- Storytelling, Music, Dance, Youth Outreach and economic Literacy, Travel agency, Insurance Referrals and STEAMM(science technology engineering Vocational, Industrial Arts, mathematics medicine) Career introduction called You GROWW Girls- Teach a Girl, Heal a Nation GROWW means (Gaining, Resilience, Opportunity, Wellness and Wealth) Call for your appointment: Feel free to Contact the Amen Ankh Urban Farm... amen.ankh@live.com or amen.parankh@gmail.com Please like our facebook pages: https://www.facebook.com/Green.Griot https://www.facebook.com/PARANKH , https://www.facebook.com/Amen.Ankh.Farm , https://www.facebook.com/Adenike.Art , https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ankh-The-Way-of-Life-Communities