Maya Churi

A few days ago I asked a couple of kids to come over and show me what they would look like if they were a tree. I didn't give them much instruction. More than anything I wanted to see what they would come up with on their own. The results were interesting: one did a yoga tree pose and another looked up at me and said, "Why would I be a tree?" After a little prodding and discussion of what a tree looks like they loosened up and made some tree-like gestures. For the first round, the kids were free to do what they wanted with their arms and their legs. But given this freedom I found that they were constantly trying to balance their top half with their bottom half. I then wrapped a towel around their legs and everything changed. They became more experimental with their arms, suddenly, the top half of their bodies seemed free. The limitations put upon their bottom half, liberated their top.

After the kids left I did the experiment with myself and when I wrapped the towel around my legs I felt completely different. It felt as though I was standing in a foundation that provided me with stability that allowed me more flexibility with the rest of my body. If the legs are stable and feel well supported it seems to allow one to let go of that part of the body and no longer think about it, which frees up the senses to focus elsewhere.

...and what I saw there.

There are spider webs all over the tree.
Webbing from leaves to branches - maybe moths?
Nest. A bird flew out when I touched the tree.
Outside of tree is green and lush. From underneath the leaves aren't so bright. Droopy. You can see a lot more detail of the branches.
The parrots in the tree next to this one make a lot of noise. They come in packs, eat the fruit from the tree, drop the shells to the ground and leave. The hummingbird also comes and sits and rests.
The tree provides a lot of shade.
The sun shines through the leaves.
There are eyes on the tree from where branches were cut or broken.
The fruit the tree provides for the birds and other animals. When the fruit gets too heavy because it isn't picked off, it weighs the tree down. It becomes droopy. As soon as the fruit is picked the tree perks up.
Dead leaves that fall to the ground.
The sound of the leaf falling and hitting the ground.
What if something fell from tree and could be collected? Could many leaves be made - each with some sort of interactive componant to the leaf? What would we do with it? What would we want to do with it? What if people could take them home? Would people bring them back and if so what would the significance be of bringing them back be?

While under the tree I started thinking about the mythology of trees. Their significance in story and the historical purposes they have served. I'd like to start a resource of when and where trees have appeared in story and in historical context. If you remember any, share them. And if you have any personal stories - let me know.

Have you ever been to the Treaty Oak in Austin? You can read about its history.