celebrating trees

today is the day of celebrating trees. for the typical balinese that has land and trees on it, offerings are prepared the day before, and in the morning, the women wear their temple clothes and carry big baskets or trays with the offerings to the family temples, and pay gratitude for the trees. the offerings are comprised of fried sweets, hard boiled eggs, fruits, steamed rice packets, tapioca chips and flowers and incense. the idea of an offering is that you prepare according to your means, with intention, things which bring pleasure and offer it to "God", while praying. once it has been offered, it is returned home and shared with friends and family. those eating from this shared offering are meant to also have an intention of gratitude of being able to eat the blessed offering thus sharing physically in the holiness of it all.

my friends parents live on a large plot of land filled with trees that they have cared and nurtured for for over 50 years. a relative of theirs died last week, and so they are in mourning and are not allowed to pray or make offerings for about 2 weeks or so, until they are no longer considered "unclean" because of the death. even though they are filled with gratitude for their trees and would have liked to participate in the personal gesture of gratitude to God for their trees, they will wait until next year, god willing.

while sitting at the sea watching the sunrise today, i noticed the full moon was still out just as the sun was about to rise. and i knew that yesterday was tu b'av, the love celebration in judaism, and it got me thinking about judaism and hinduism and how there are many things that are similar, and i wonder how that all happened. because tu b'shvat is the jewish celebration of the trees, and interesting enough, the hindu one is also near the full moon....well i guess most holidays are celebrated on full moons probably in most traditions.

while sitting there, looking at the pink wispy clouds and mist along the bay, and coconut tree lined coast i wondered if part of the reason i am here is because i love being around big trees. since i don't have land with trees of my own, here, i walked back from the sea and just decided to touch the trunks of the big trees along my winding path as i walked back to my room, taking a few seconds to look at how they each differ, how the energy of each one is unique, how big and magnificent they are and what stories they have to tell. at the moment the mango trees are filled with hanging green mangos that are amazingly sensuous in their asymmetrical shape that just kind of invites you to follow the curve.

as i was nearing my neighborhood, still reflecting on what trees mean to the balinese, i remembered how they only cut down a tree on a designated day that is auspicious for that, since the trees have spirits in them, and they need to be respected. the empty lot to my left reminded me of that since for the past month as i walk by it each day, there are minor changes...on the auspicious day for cutting down the trees that are on the land so they can build their house, they cut them down. next was the auspicious day for crafting from the tree trunks the wooden beams for their new house, the day for burning the tree roots, the day for bringing building bricks and stones, and i am sure that one day it will be the auspicious day for breaking the ground and starting to build! my friend also just transplanted 2 trees around his new house, observing the rule to plant them on the full moon in order to encourage beautiful blooming flowers, and keep the spirits happy.

the small gesture that i could make today was that the little flower offerings i make in gratitude for a day well lived, at dusk, are from young palm leaves in a shape that has a "tree feel" to it....kind of like branches branching out into the sky. i had seen ilut make dozens of them yesterday with such grace and speed. i was confident that after observing her for quite a while, i too could do it. well....after all kinds of grand attempts at copying her, all i managed to realize was that they play with negative and positive space when they cut out their designs which gives them such beauty and balance. it was a good experience...in learning, but after my 8th one i decided to make the last 3 simple leaf shapes and concentrate on the intention and not the results. i am sure the balinese will do a double take as they pass mine at the entrance to the compound, puzzled at what kind of new design is that...but i had a nice peaceful (eventually) time celebrating trees while making them. i remembered putus words yesterday asking me if i have experienced a special kind of silence inside me when i am sitting alone preparing the palm leaf offerings and my mind is just empty?