"The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
the cedars of Lebanon that God planted."
Psalm 104:16 NRSV)
Have you every seen a baobab tree? That looks like the opening line from a children's book, doesn't it? I haven't been to Africa, so I haven't see one face-to-branch, but they have fascinated me for years. Baobabs are dying, so they are getting our attention. Some of these giants are more than 2,500 years old but drought and climate change are the likely suspects for their demise.
I saw another article about the threat to a sacred kauri tree in New Zealand called Tāne Mahuta, named after the forest god of the Maori people. Tāne 51.5 metres tall and has a trunk girth of 18.8 metres. Apparently the physical majesty oTāne and the atmosphere around the tree brings tourists flocking to Waipoua. Sadly, a die-back disease, brought on the shoes of visitors, is killing kauris is now only 60 metres from this forest giant.
Tāne Mahuta
Feeling a little bummed out by now? Today I read that the famed cedars of Lebanon are having a rough go as well. They are mentioned in the bible, particularly in the story of Solomon, so it shouldn't be a surprise that one of the last protect mountain groves is called the Cedars of God. Jesus and his fisher disciples may well have used boats made of cedar from the ancient forests. Some of the remaining trees are a 1,000 years old and are now within a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And --you guessed it -- climate change is affecting habitat, as well as deforestation.
I may have mentioned that we revisited the blockbuster film Avatar not long ago There is a massive sacred Tree of Souls which comes under attack by the rapacious human colonizers. The disregard for trees results in a war with the indigenous N'avi people, and some devastating scenes in the film. But here on Earth this isn't fantasy. We're told repeatedly that planting trees is a key to reversing the effects of climate change, yet we're so willing to sacrifice what already exists, and that's profane. Perhaps we need to declare all trees sacred and our elders, and protect them accordingly.
Have you ever had a special relationship with a tree(s)? What do you think about the notion of sacred trees?
Tree of Souls -- Avatar
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