ABUELA CEIBA -
GRANDMOTHER CEIBA
THE CEIBA TREE
THE CARIBBEAN TREE OF LIFE.
ABUELA CEIBA
The Centinela of the Caribbean forest and Sanse tradition is the ancient Ceiba Tree, she is the official tree of the island of Puerto Rico and has been respected and venerated since the times of the Taino people of the island of Boriken. The Taino people venerated this tree as Bibi Ceiba or Ancient Mother Ceiba, the mother of all trees. Not just in Boriken "Puerto Rico" is the Ceiba viewed as sacred and blessed, but through out the Caribbean, she is viewed as a Saint, a Queen, the Majesty and the Mother of all trees. She is the ancient daughter of Yaya, sister to Yucahu, and faithful maiden of Atabeira. She is known as "She who holds the mysteries and secrets of Mother Earth, Atabey."
It is said that La Ceiba is indestructible the "Zemi / Cemi" , Loases and Orisha Spirits who govern the forces of Nature respect her and do not dare harm her. The great Spirit Jurakan does not pull her from her roots, Guabanex herself the ancient spirit of the winds does not harm her, and the great Spirit Guataba who is the spirit of lightning itself dares not strike her, for fear of unleashing the fury of Yaya.
Imagine if la Ceiba could speak, the stories she would tell and the secrets she may reveal. She would tell the tales of the Taino Aracoel "grandmothers" the stories they told their grandchildren under her shade. La Ceiba would tell of the lament of both the Africans and the Taino, she would reveal the struggles both these proud people had to indure. She would tell us the tale of the Taina Guanina and the Spanish Conquistador Don Cristobal Sotomayor, she would tell of the Arietos and the Guateques the Taino people had and how they under the light of the Full Moon would dance their guarachas and jaranas to the beat of maracas and mayohacan, and how the Africans would dance la bomba to the beat of tambores, the ancient dances of Dahomey and Yoruba.
La Ceiba tree should never be killed by the careless hands of humans, for if she suffers so shall he who dare kill her. La Ceiba must be respected and venerated, she must be loved and held with great esteem.
It was believed by the Taino that to place your palms on her, she would give you stability and ground you, she would give you strength and stamina and to place your forehead on her trunk she would give you the answer to any situation.
La Ceiba is a natural peristyle and is also the portal to the realm of the dead and to the realm of the Great Spirits, her roots would lead one under the earth into the realm of the dead and the ancestors, while the branches led one to the realm of the great spirits in the heavens. The Ceiba is the sacred portal an energy conductor from which the energy of the Loases manifest themselves on earth, it is not just a portal for the Misterios but also for the ancestors. If one is to come in contact with the shadow of the Ceiba, one first must ask her of her blessings and permission before stepping on her shade. To fall asleep enveloped by her trunks, one will subconsciously connect with the Ceiba and will be blessed with prophetic dreams and healing powers. Folklore also says that to walk around the trunk of the Ceiba clockwise at the hour of noon,, three times touching the trunk with the power hand, she will reveal a spirit that will grant you three wishes. If one is to walk counter clock wise touching the tree with the power hand twelve times, as the clock strikes midnight, 12 demons will come and unleash their fury upon you, others say you will receive a fright.
The Ceiba is a Saint, and will never work black magic on humans for she loves all humanity, but to steel a branch, a leaf, roots, barc or dirt from her without first asking permission and making a payment of coins is to insure that she will not grant that your magic work and bestow unfavorable results.
The Ceiba is a powerful energy conductor, receiving her energy from Gran Solier, "The Sun." She is the ancient shrine to all the elemental spirits of the forest, and offerings of coins, fruits, flowers, incense and liquids are carefully placed by her trunk. In many magical and earth related traditions of the Caribbean one goes before this tree so that she may bless the initiate with fortification and foundation. On the night of the full moon, magical tools, religious items, talismans and amulets are buried or left within her trunk over night, so they may gather both the Moon’s and the Ceiba’s energies. The branches with permission are used for magic, the dirt the roots and barc are used for making magical powders to place within Resguardos while seven leaves from the tree are used in ceremonial baths. To plant a new Ceiba tree during the birth of a child is to ensure that the child will be well grounded and protected through out life. When an infant was baptized the infant was brought before the Ceiba, and she was adorned with white lace and ribbons and holy water was poured over her roots, to insure that the Ceiba would become a protector of the child. In the Sanse tradition ones Centinela is viewed as San Sebastian, who is believed to be bounded to a Ceiba tree.
If a woman wishes to become fertile, she is presented to the ocean and brought to the Ceiba, where the magic is grounded and fortified. She then places white eggs between each crevice of each trunk to ensure fertility.
The Ceiba is venerated in all Caribbean and South American Religions, from Sanse, Brujeria, Santeria, Vodou, Palo Mayombe and Maria Lionza, and each tradition uses the tree for their magical purposes. The trunk is used in binding spells, its shade entices the ancestors, the rays of sun light that pears through its trunk or leaves gives energy, and the soil around the Ceiba is used in every form of magic.\
"DIOS TE SALVE, MADRE CEIBA,
GRAN CENTINELA DEL BOSQUE!!!"
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