Sacred trees for sacred moments
This place is surreal. That's the word my son used when I was telling him about it and showing him all the pictures. That is a perfect definition of my life here in Mexico, in Puerto Morelos.
Even sitting at a sidewalk table drinking some juice can go way beyond the normal. This conversation starts with an explanation about a tree.
maya-archeaology.org says that the tree that is generally considered the Maya tree of life (and the national tree of Guatemala). The ceiba (called the kapok tree in English) (also called the Silk floss tree) was the most sacred world tree, the axis of the world, in Classic Mayan cosmology. This tree is honored as an energy connection with the Cosmos, Earth, and the Underworld. The roots are considered to go down into the underworld. It's used in ceremonies and medicine.
Some people say there is a Goddess who lives in the tree named Xtabay.
The website says most ceiba trees are taller than a multi-story building, and only flower occasionally.
Well, a month ago I managed to take a picture of the beautiful flowers while out in the jungle looking at cenotes. I feel blessed.
The younger trees have spikes on the trunk. It's a very mystical tree. A surreal tree!
So a month ago I saw some gorgeous blossoms up close in the jungle. Then I saw this tree when we were at a cafe. The fruit is easy to see once the leaves are gone, the fruit looks like a smooth avocado-ish. Then the fruit skin peels back and the big green pods morph into balls of fluffiness. While we were sitting there the gusts of wind would give us mini fireworks, setting free clumps of seeds. Each seed had it's own transporter pod, so to speak. A vessel of softness to carry it away from the mother ship into unknown territory. In pre-hispanic times the fiber surrounding the released seeds was important for making clothes. I can see why, it feels amazing to hold one.
It kind of resembled when I would brush my big furry collie mix dog and the fur would go flying. Sometimes the breeze would bring a fluff of seed right to the table for me to catch with my hand. Catching seeds from a sacred tree is all Avatar-like. Very cool. I was being showered by sacred seeds.
And I realized it was a sign. My father died only last week, and I had this amazing inspiration. I could plant a seed in his honor. Knud lived in Denmark (I can't believe I have to use past tense with him now). His funeral is tomorrow, or in the middle of my night, with the times zones. I went to see him before he died, and had to come back, I just arrived back 2 weeks ago. Yesterday was the full moon and spring equinox. Good timing to prepare for my three seeds to start their new life. Our apartments are surrounded by the jungle on 2 sides, a good place to drop a seed and say a prayer.
After I made that decision I read (just now!) that it is believed that the souls of the dead ascend to the top of the trees to go to heaven. They are often planted near cemeteries. Pretty amazing.
This is how each seed looks. It's fairly flat and the striped seed is nestled in the softness. To infinity and beyond!




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