Acacia Sunrise

This is image is from my book All My Relations, A Prayer. The words that go with this page are as follows: ... more

by L T Sparrow

Original - Not For Sale

Price

Not Specified

Dimensions

8.000 x 11.500 inches

Title

Acacia Sunrise

Artist

L T Sparrow

Medium

Painting - Watercolor

Description

This is image is from my book "All My Relations, A Prayer". The words that go with this page are as follows:
"And some, with open branches stand,
A bridge between sky and land."

This tree has been revered for centuries by numerous religious traditions to include Christianity, Egyptology and Free Masonry as described in Wikipedia below. At the time that I was working on the book I didn't know about all it's religious symbolism. I chose it because it was beautiful and at the time, to me, represented the symbiotic relationships that exist in nature. The tree provides food, shelter and shade and the animals spread it' seeds and nutrients for the tree in form of manure. "What goes around comes around".

Symbolism and ritual
The Acacia is used as a symbol in Freemasonry, to represent purity and endurance of the soul, and as funerary symbolism signifying resurrection and immortality. The tree gains its importance from the description of the burial of Hiram Abiff, who provided some of the builders for King Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem.[18]
Egyptian mythology has associated the acacia tree with characteristics of the tree of life, such as in the Myth of Osiris and Isis.
Several parts (mainly bark, root and resin) of Acacia are used to make incense for rituals. Acacia is used in incense mainly in India, Nepal, and China including in its Tibet region. Smoke from Acacia bark is thought to keep demons and ghosts away and to put the gods in a good mood. Roots and resin from Acacia are combined with rhododendron, acorus, cytisus, salvia and some other components of incense. Both people and elephants like an alcoholic beverage made from acacia fruit.[19] According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, the Acacia tree may be the “burning bush” (Exodus 3:2) which Moses encountered in the desert.[20] Also, when God gave Moses the instructions for building the Tabernacle, he said to "make an ark " and "a table of acacia wood" (Exodus 25:10 & 23, Revised Standard Version). Also, in the Christian tradition, it is thought that Christ's crown of thorns was woven from acacia.[21]
In Russia, Italy, and other countries it is customary to present women with yellow mimosas (among other flowers) on International Women's Day (March 8). These "mimosas" are actually from Acacia dealbata (silver wattle).
Acacia farnesiana is used in the perfume industry due to its strong fragrance. The use of Acacia as a fragrance dates back centuries.


In the poem the whole of creation has been invited to pray

Uploaded

July 2nd, 2013