Late May through August in South Florida mean that the Royal Poinciana trees explode with blooms. The one in the photo above is inside the dog park where we take Noah – and Nika, when she visits – every afternoon.
For me, there is something utterly magical about these trees. I remember them as the acacia trees of my childhood, bursting in summer with reddish-orange blooms in our backyard in Maracaibo and along the river road in Caracas where we lived. They trigger memories of my parents younger than I am now, of the Sundays when my parents, my younger sister and I and our dachshund, Cindy, would pile into an old station wagon and later, a VW bug, and drive to the outskirts of the city for a picnic.
There was a spot in an area called Monte Elena where we would stop for our picnic. It was filled with these trees and we usually parked under one of them. The dog would leap out, overjoyed to run around without a leash, and we would grab our cooler and set up our lunch at a picnic table.
I learned to drive the VW on this hilltop above the city, putting along initially in first gear, sometimes forgetting to depress the foot clutch when I finally shifted into second or third. The road wasn’t paved, there wasn’t another soul around, so my dad apparently felt it was good place for me to practice driving. Somewhere I have old black and white photos from these years, of the picnic table, my parents, my sister and I, and even of the acacia trees. Those times were invariably happy and magical and whenever I see an acacia tree now, in full bloom, these early memories are triggered and I am flooded with a sense of well-being.
When we walked into the dog park this afternoon, I saw that the acacia tree at the far end of the park was even fuller and brighter with blooms than it had been yesterday. It lit up that end of the park, and our daughter’s dog, Nika, immediately tore toward it, racing full speed across the openness, just as our dachshund used to do. The memory had come full circle. I just stared after her, my mind racing, calculating the years between now and Monte Elena then. More than 50 years.
At the time, my mother was probably in her late-forties, my dad not yet 50. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s lay many years in their future. Rob was a teenager in Minnesota. Megan wasn’t even on my radar, although I suspect that in the larger scheme of things, she had a life in the sixties, but not with either Rob or me.
I have been re-reading Carl Jung’s autobiography, Memories, Dreams, and Reflections, and realize the acacia tree prompts me to ask the question that Jung asked himself countless times “What is your myth- the myth in which you live?” For him, that myth moved into levels so profound that it led him into a confrontation with his unconscious (his words) and into a kind of madness. It was during this period that he wrote and painted what eventually became The Red Book, a stunning collection of writings on alchemy, mythology, dreams, synchronicity, symbolism, the paranormal, and a collection of paintings that are epic in scope.
My personal myth is far simpler. And part of it is intertwined with acacia trees. So when I walk into the dog park every afternoon and see that gorgeous tree, entire continents of memories burst open. And afterward, I run home and write. It’s not synchronicity, but synchronicity can certainly be triggered when the power of memory and creativity are intertwined.
“The Acacia Tree | synchrosecrets” was in fact honestly enjoyable and beneficial!
In modern society that’s really difficult to manage.
Thank you, Jacqueline
Daz didn’t read my comments about the FreeMasons and the Acacia! I had added a post-script that according to the Bible, God instructed Moses to make the Ark of the Covenant out of Acacia, and also the Tabernacle. Don’t know why that comment didn’t pass. Oh absolutely, Rob. The Black Masons have many Lodges and they are no different in doctrines, etc, than are the “white” masons. As a matter of fact, currently the Lodges are integrated, although some of the black Masons still prefer their own Lodges. It’s become a matter of personal choice. One of the black cattlemen who worked for my Dad was a Mason. The Fraternal Order is open to all peoples (with sponsors) except those who are atheists and agnostics, as the core foundation of Freemasons is based on the belief in God, or in a Supreme Creative Power.
Symbolism and ritual
Egyptian goddess Isis
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.
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.According to Easton’s Bible Dictionary, the Acacia tree may be the “burning bush” (Exodus 3:2) which Moses encountered in the desert. 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.
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).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia
Wonderful memories shared here. Thanks, Math, for this extra insight.
I really love how you stated: “the power of memory and creativity are intertwined.”
No acacia trees in my childhood, but there was an Acacia Avenue near by. Didn’t seem to be many trees where I lived back then, other than in Hayes Park where there were some magnificent old specimens. I thought it a magical place and the times I have been back has helped to enforce the memories of those happy carefree days with mum and dad.
Your lovely post took me back there for a moment – thank you.
Memories are such interesting things – what triggers them, what creates them, what sustains them. Daz sent some lovely photos of acacia trees that were in his parents’ backyard.
A beautiful post, and very, very relevant and essential to my own life and convictions.
My entire birth family is buried on Acacia Lawn, the Masonic plot in Westview Cemetery in Atlanta. May I share some of the magnificent mysticism of its symbolism as recognized in the Masonic Order?
It is preeminently the symbol of the IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL ———-that important doctrine which is the great design of the Masonic Order to teach. It is aptly compared to that spiritual life in which the soul, freed from the corruptible companionship of the body, shall never die. Thus, in the funeral service of our Order, it is said, “This evergreen is an emblem of our faith in the immortality of the soul. By this we are reminded that we have an immortal part within us, which shall survive the grave, and which shall never, ever die”. “I have been in the grave; I have triumphed over it by rising from the dead; and being regenerated in the process, I have a claim to life everlasting”.
The sprig of acacia is intended to remind the Mason that the better and spiritual part within us shall never die. In FreeMasonry, the symbol of the Acacia carries two other meanings: Innocence, signifying the moral quality of innocence and purity of life as practiced by Masons. It is therefore the symbol of INITIATION of the Third Degree, alluding to the ancient mysteries and initiations of the Sacred Order.
It goes without saying that this spectacular flowering tree holds a deep and special meaning for ME, being as it is an integral symbol in my and my family’s Masonic heritage. It was immensely comforting to listen at my Dad’s graveside when this solemn service was performed, and when the Acacia branch with it’s flower was laid upon his casket before it was lowered into the ground. Acacia Lawn is not a big section of Westview, which is the largest cemetery in the Southeast. But my family lies beneath its gorgeous blooms every year, and when those blooms fall on their names, I experience, always anew, tremendous faith in the on-going Life of their souls. Thank you, Macgregors, for sharing this story of your own experiences with the eternal Acacia.
This is a fascinating insight, Math. Thank you. Now I’ll look at the acacia with new eyes!
Math, did you know that the Buffalo soldiers, two regiments of black soldiers in the Old West–former slaves and freemen–were almost all Masons? We usually think of Masons as well connected white people. But that wasn’t entirely so. – R
The Golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha), is the floral emblem of Australia.Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not.
The genus Acacia previously contained roughly 1300 species, about 960 of them native to Australia, with the remainder spread around the tropical to warm-temperate regions of both hemispheres, including Europe, Africa, southern Asia, and the Americas.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia
My first soccer team I ever played for was called
Acacia Ridge,which is a suburb in Brisbane.
Which was the team in the photo I e-mailed to you last night.
Acacia seeds are often used for food and a variety of other products.
In Burma, Laos, and Thailand, the feathery shoots of Acacia pennata (common name cha-om, ชะอม and su pout ywet in Burmese) are used in soups, curries, omelettes, and stir-fries.
In Mexico, the seeds are known as guajes. Guajes are the flat, green pods of an acacia tree. The pods are sometimes light green or deep red in color—both taste the same. Guaje seeds are about the size of a small lima bean and are eaten raw with guacamole, sometimes cooked and made into a sauce. They can also be made into fritters. The ground seeds are used to impart a slightly garlicy flavor to a mole called guaxmole. The dried seeds may be toasted and salted and eaten as a snack referred to as cacalas.
In my childhood home is a Poinciana tree that covers the whole backyard now.
Dad planted it from a seed pod he brought home when I was a young boy,and I used to run and jump over the tree all of the time.
That would be an impossible feat now.
I’ll try and find a recent photo and e-mail it to you.
Just saw the photos! They’re gorgeous!! Thank you for sending!