Banyan Tree

Empowerment
(The Wishing Tree)

By Jan S. Wilson
RMT*RGM
The Banyan Tree
Native to India and Pakistan, banyan trees grow widely throughout tropical
Asia and other parts of the world. They are considered part of the Mulberry
family. Because they are held sacred and represent eternal life, they have
been an important plant throughout history.

The seeds of the banyan tree germinate and send down roots towards the
ground. Young plants put forth roots, which form secondary trunks to
support the expansive limbs. These trunks send out more roots until they
crowd out the host tree. The roots envelop part of the host tree or building
structure with their roots, giving them the casual name of "strangler fig".

The tree produces figs which are popular with birds and monkeys. It also
produces flowers that attract wasps for pollination. Older trees can reach
more than 200 meters (656 feet) in diameter, with a height of 30 meters (98
feet). The leaves of the banyan tree are large and leather-like.

The largest banyan tree is now found in Kolkata India. One of the most
famous of banyan trees was planted on the island of Kabirvad in Gujarat.
Records show that the Kabirvad tree is more than 300 years old. Another
famous banyan tree was planted in 1873 in Lahaina's Courthouse Square in
Hawaii, and has now grown to cover two-thirds of an acre.
Whats in a Name
In the Gujarati language, banya or banias means "grocer/merchant," not
"tree." Eventually "banyan" became the name of the tree itself. The
Portuguese picked up the word to refer specifically to Hindu merchants and
passed it along to the English as early as 1599 with the same meaning.

In most villages, the banyan tree provides a meeting place for the
community. People gather in the shade to relax, discuss issues, and make
decisions. Banyan trees are frequently planted near homes, temples, villages,
and roadsides. In fact it is said that at one time Alexander the Great camped
under a banyan tree that was large enough to shelter his army of 7,000 men.

Banyan Tree Places of Interest

The first banyan tree in the U.S. was planted by Thomas Alva Edison in
Fort Myers, Florida. There are many banyan trees of undetermined
species still growing in Fort Myers.
The City of Vadodara in western India is named after the Banyan Tree.
Ta Prohm in the Angkor Wat temple complex of Cambodia is well
known for the giant banyans that grow up, around and through its
walls.
Several banyans can be found near downtown Hilo, Hawaii. Some of
them were planted by celebrities throughout the 20th century and they
form Banyan Drive in Hilo.
Banyan trees known as strangler figs can be found in areas of
Australia such as the Daintree rainforest in Queensland's far north.
Well known is the Curtain Fig Tree on the Atherton Tablelands. The
tree, originally only 4 feet (1.2 m) tall, now covers 400 feet (120 m).

Banyan Roots
Spirituality Religion and Mythology
Banyan trees are sacred in South Asia and throughout the world. The tree
represents eternal life because it supports its expanding canopy by growing
special roots from its branches. These roots hang down and act as props over
an ever widening circle, reflecting the Sanskrit name bahupada, meaning
'one with many feet'.

In Hindu culture, the banyan tree is considered sacred and is called "Vat
Vriksha." God Shiva as Dakshinamurthy is nearly always depicted sitting in
silence under the banyan with rishis at his feet. It is thought to symbolize
eternal life due to its seemingly unending expansion.

Also in Hindu culture, the banyan tree is called kalpavriksha meaning 'wish
fulfilling divine tree'. In modern parlance in the Hindi language, it is known
as Bargad, Vatavriksh, and Barh.

Art has featured banyan trees throughout history. A stone pillar found in the
Vidisha region, now the state of Madhya Pradesh, and dated from the 2nd
century BC is carved in the shape of a banyan tree and is hung with a conch
shell, a lotus flower, vases filled with coins and bags tied with string. The
tree is enclosed by a lattice railing. This sculpture is believed to be the wish-
giving tree known as the kalpavriksha featured in the Buddhist Jataka tales.
Others consider it to be the sacred tree or sthalavriksha hung with treasures
associated with shrines of such deities as Kubera, the God of Wealth.

Buddha is believed to have achieved enlightenment in Bodhgaya in India

while meditating under a banyan tree.

Typical metaphors allude to the banyan's epiphytic nature, likening the

banyan's supplanting of a host tree as comparable to the way sensual desire
(Kama) overcomes humans.

In Philippine mythology, the banyan, (locally known as balite) is home to a

variety of spirits and demon-like creatures (among the Visayans, specifically,
Dili ingon nato,meaning "things not like us"). Maligno or mystical creatures
associated with it include the kapre (a giant), duwende (dwarves), and
especially the tikbalang (a creature whose top half is a horse and whose
bottom half is a human).
Children at a young age are taught never to point at a fully mature banyan
tree for fear of offending the spirits that dwell within, especially when they
are new to the place.

In Guam, Chamorro people believe in tales of taotaomona, duendes and

other spirits. These are spirits that act as guardians to banyan trees.

In Hinduism the banyan tree represents immortality ancient literature. In a

song called the 'Bhagavad-Gita or 'Song of the Lord', Krishna uses the
banyan tree as a symbol to describe the true meaning of life to the warrior
hero Arjuna. Banyan is viewed by Hindus as the male plant to the closely
related peepul or bodhi tree. It is regarded as a sin to destroy either of these
trees. It is commendable for a person to plant a young banyan close to a
peepul, and this is done with a ceremony similar to that of marriage. It is
customary to place a piece of silver money under the roots of the young
banyan.

Banyan is mentioned in the Buddhist Jataka tales. In the tale of Satyavan

and Savitri, Satyavan lost his life beneath the branches of a banyan. Savitri
courageously entered into a debate with Yama, the God of Death, and won
his life back. In memory of this couple, in the month of Jyestha during May
and June, the tree is celebrated. Married women visit a banyan and pray for
the long life of their husbands.

The tree is associated with the life of the 15th century saint Kabir. A giant
tree is said to have sprung from a twig he had chewed.

It is said that the wise Markandeya found shelter under it during a torrential
downpour.

Minor deities such as yakshas (tree spirits), Kinnaras (half-human, half-

animal) and gandharvas (celestial musicians) are believed to dwell in the
branches on banyan trees.

Ghosts and demons are also associated with its branches. Because it is
believed that many spirits are harbored in the banyan, people do not sleep
under it at night.
Banyan Tree Tidbits
The banyan tree, considered sacred and representative of eternal life,
is also a human symbol. In contemporary India, the banyan tree is the
national tree. Its linked roots and branches are sometimes used to
symbolize the country's unity within its diversity.
The banyan is part of the coat of arms of Indonesia. It is meant
to symbolize the unity of Indonesia - one country with many far-flung
roots.
Robinson Crusoe, in the eponymous 1719 novel by Daniel Defoe
makes his home in a banyan tree.
In Stephen R. Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, he
describes the giant tree-city of Revelwood being built out of a huge
banyan with multiple trunks that occupies an entire valley.
Banyan trees are scattered across the island in the hit TV Series Lost
and they serve as refuge when the characters are being chased by the
island's "Monster".
The shadow under a giant banyan tree is worshipped by a fictional
tribe in The Stone Dance of the Chameleon.
The Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy personnel use the term
"banyan" to mean a spell ashore for a barbecue on a deserted beach.
"Banyan Rig" denotes the casual (and often traditionally tasteless)
clothes worn for these events.
Banyan Tree Uses
They produce a special type of rubber.
Their sticky milk is used in gardening and to make bird lime.
In the Nepal region, the milky sap is used for polishing copper and
brass and bronze.
The wood and bark of the banyan tree are suitable for making paper.
The roots are often used to make ropes to secure wood bundles.
The women in Nepal crush the root of the banyan tree with a paste
with elephant dung to create long and luxurious hair growth and skin
conditioner.
The banyan tree is also used to produce shellac, which is widely used
as an adhesive and surface-finisher in the industrial world.
The wood of banyan is suitable for the paper pulp.
In Assam and Madras regions, paper has been prepared using the
bark.
Shellac is used in hair lacquer and lac dye is used as a skin cosmetic.
The wood of the aerial roots is stronger and more elastic; it is used for
tent poles, cart yokes, banghy poles and carrying shafts.
The aerial roots also make good toothbrushes.
The wood of the banyan is moderately hard and is not considered to
be of much value as timber however, it is durable under water and
may be used for well curbs, boxes and door panels. When carefully
cut and seasoned, it can be used for furniture.
It is also used in leather dressing and to stiffen hats.
It is even used to make waterproof ink for printing.
Lac dye was traditionally used to color wool and silk. The color varies
between purple, red, brown and orange
Banyan as Food?
The ripe fruits of the banyan look like small figs. In times of food shortages
they have consumed by humans but it is not recommended for normal
consumption. The leaves and young shoots are sometimes cut to be eaten as
fodder crop by livestock.

Medicinal Uses
The sap treats external skin inflammations and bruising.
The roots and sap are used to treat skin ulcers, dysentery, and
toothaches.
Twigs of the banyan tree are sold as toothpicks in India and Pakistan
to promote dental health and also to prevent gum diseases.
The whole leaf can be applied to the external parts of the body that
are red and inflamed.
The latex is applied to the gums to treat toothache.
The underground roots of a banyan species found in the Amazon are
cut, dried and smoked regularly to relieve pain. This practice
originated in the Amazon. There are no visible side effects.
Companies in India now make extracts from the twigs and bark of the
banyan tree to make toothpaste and tooth powders.
In Ayurvedic, Unani and Siddha medicine, the milky latex from the
stems and leaves of the banyan tree is applied to bruises and to parts
of the body that are causing pain. The feet are frequently treated to
decrease pain.
Infusions of the bark and seeds are used in Ayurvedic medicine as a
tonic and to cool the body, whereas infusions of the bark have been
traditionally used to treat patients with diabetes.
Shellac produced from the lac of banyan trees forms the coating for
pharmaceutical pills.
The shellac is also used in confectionary.
ATTUNEMENT:

There are no pre-requisites for this attunement. The attunement is based on

intent and may be sent as intent or chi ball. Always ask your higher sources
to be with you and always thank them for their assistance. Please use
whatever procedure you normally use to align with receiving attunements.

This system is free of charge, and it shall always be passed as a gift to

others! You are free to share this manual as long as it is kept intact. You are
also free to translate it but I would really like to know that you are doing that
for my own records.

MAKE BIG WISHES and ENJOY!

Disclaimer: All information in this document is for spiritual and enjoyment purposes only and
not meant to treat any disease or illness. If you are not well, please seek the attention of a
properly licensed professional immediately.