This post somehow became mis-laid, so leading up to yuletide preparation I present it again;
An Australian Christmas is traditionally based on an English one. A lot of these traditions; hot plum pudding, roast meat and vegetables, warm custard and bread and butter puddings, simply don't fit in a climate where 35-40 degree celcius heat predominates, most of the summer season. We, Australians have had to be clever about adapting a Christmas or celebratory season that suits all of our various belief systems, ethnicity & our individual families. this is a huge job considering that Australia is slightly larger than the continent, Europe.
In our family, we have come up with the following Australian summer season celebrations;
1. We love to spend our days on or near the beach - easy in Oz there are 10,685 mainland beaches and 838 beaches on 30 inhabited islands
2. recipes, in our family we have come up with a variety far from English ones - Mango & Coconut Prawns on the BBQ, ice-cream pudding & champagne breakfasts
3. sadhana/spiritual practice, we follow the main practice of the original custodians of this land and we watch the sunrise and sunset
4. we borrowed from the ancient Vendantic tradition, here is a tree tradition that suits our family.
A kalpa tree.
A kalpa tree is the wish-fulfilling tree in Sanskrit, in the sense of spiritual enlightenment.
From Spirit Song; The kalpa tree is a small chakra located just below the heart chakra. It is called the Anandakanda chakra. It depicts an altar shaded by an awning and a kalpa tree full of fruit, birds and flowers. This is the seat of the Ishta-deva or personal god. This little chakra has eight petals and is the place of mental worship. It grants whatever is asked and leads the aspirant to moksa, liberation from the bondage of karma. This is why it is called the wishing tree.
The kalpa tree is where you place your sankalpa; - meaning your determination, it is a process of training the mind to develop the will and to develop clarity of thought, the action of will, your spiritual resolve.
The sankalpa can be written down, perhaps on a ribbon & tied to the tree or you can put in there with your mental projection. Each time you see the tree, reinforce your sankalpa there within the tree, & within anandakanda chakra just below anahata chakra, the heart space.
Feel free to take the idea & use what you can find here. I have concerns about cut Christmas pine trees & also plastic trees so this year our tree is made from a collection of bamboo. Free, environmentally friendly & simple. The Chinese brought bamboo to Australia with them just after the English. Dazla cut the bamboo down along the roadside & we decorated it with long thin strands of silver tinsel, tiny old wooden decorations & our sankalpas.
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A song from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, identifies this Kalpa tree with Brahman, the Supreme Reality. From Kalpa Tree Press,
"Ever perched on the Absolute, the divine bird in our innermost heart is asked to sing its celestial song of God-absorption."
࿄࿄࿄
Sing, O bird that nestles deep within my heart,
Sing, O bird that sits on the Kalpa-tree of Brahman,
Sing God's everlasting praise . . .
Sing, O bird, "He alone is the Comfort of my soul."
Sing, O bird, "He alone is my life's enduring Joy."
O thou wondrous bird of my life,
Sing aloud in my heart.
