Expanding Thyself

I’ll never forget the day that I communed with a tree. Akin to that imagined nestling place of Peter Pan and his lost boys. It is something comparable to Avatar whenever members of the Na’vi tribe tie strings with the Tree of Soul. Fortunately, I do not have to be a humanoid nor a pigment of one’s imagination, neither do I have to teleport to a hanging mountain 5000-meters above Earth’s skyline. It only takes a seven hour travel from Manila to be transported to an apparent film-bound experience.

A Banyan tree, Balete as our locals call it, granted this aspiration. Remarkably, this tree saw the world of Baler, Aurora for more than six hundred years now. It is nicknamed “Millennium Tree” to inform its on-lookers of the longevity it possesses yet appearance alone introduces itself. It does not meet the iconic shape of a tree. The bottom part is a bundle of roots which seemed to have gulped down gallons of steroids. The middle part is a marriage of stark green leaves and sprouting branches that of the size of human waist. The top-most part is beyond description as my head can only tilt up to reach the tree’s body. The extent of my sight could only reach a painting-like picture of numerous leaves forming silhouette against the well-lit background of sky.

The enormity of the tree strikes a chord to my childhood sensibility. The stories of human-horse Tikbalang and the tobacco-smoking tree demon Capre cloud my mind. Now, there is a mental juggle of stepping back versus moving forward.

Resurfacing to reality, I mustered my strength. I held the smiling local’s hand and entered the Millennium tree. The local soon let go of me as it is narrow inside. Hence I turned to the roots of the tree for support in my every step through the course made by the overlapping roots. Ironically, I found aid from my source of impediment. To add to the irony, my fears had been displaced by assurance. Firmly grounded roots confirm to me that it is steadfast, no room for breakage nor bending; I can put all my weight on it. Kids were even transformed into monkeys, happily climbing up the tree with faces as complacent as if the roots are strapped around their waist resembling harnesses. Respect now takes the place of anxiety. Inside this tree is safety and nurturing not horror.

I set forth to do the most logical thing inside this tree, which is to encapsulate this larger-than-life experience through a photo. After which, go out and give others the chance to relish the encounter.