Botanical Name : Millingtonia Hortensis
Common Name
: The Indian Cork Tree
Spiritual
Name : Transformation - The goal of creation
The tall evergreen Indian Cork Tree
with a straight trunk and very handsome foliage is very ornamental
and is often found (in Western India) as a roadside tree. The snowy
white flowers, in attractive contrast to the dark green leaves,
grow in terminal panicles with a long narrow corolla and in four
segments.
The tree is believed to be indigenous to the tropical forests of
Burma but now grows wild in certain areas of central India. It is
fast growing and produces a lot of root suckers which can be transplanted
in the rainy season for new cultivation.
After strong winds, one often finds the Indian Cork tree fallen
across or along the roadside because the wood of this tree is soft
and brittle and the roots are shallow. The bark which is cracked
and furrowed yields an inferior cork and the wood is used for furniture
and ornamental work.
The Trees near the Ashram
In Pondicherry near the Ashram one can find several beautiful samples
of the 'Transformation Tree'.
In winter, the main flowering season, the trees lavishly shed a
white carpet of flowers. The delightful fragrance fills the surrounding
air.
The meaning of the "Cross"
The white Transformation flowers look very beautiful as they hang
down in bunches. The flower has an interesting shape in the form
of a "Cross". The Mother, in one of Her talks, has explained
the deeper significance of the "Cross", and commented
on the beauty and the perfection of the flower. The Mother says,
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"Do you know the
flower I have called "Transformation"? Yes.
You know it has four petals; well, these four petals
are arranged like a cross; one at the top which represents
the transcendent, two on each side: the universal, and
one on the bottom: the individual.
[The Petal at the top is divided into two]. Exactly,
the transcendent is one and two (or dual) at the same
time. This flower is almost perfect in its form. This
was the original meaning of the cross also, but that
was not as perfect as the flower, for it was one, two,
and three. It was not so good - the flower is perfect."
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A Divine Transformation
Here are a few beautiful quotations from the Mother on "Transformation":
"The Divine whom we seek
is not far off and inaccessible. He is at the very heart of His
creation, and what He wants us to do is to find Him and, through
personal transformation, to become capable of knowing Him, uniting
with Him and finally of manifesting Him consciously."
*
"In the very depth of your
being, deep within your breast, the Divine Presence is always
there, luminous and peaceful, full of love and wisdom. It is there
so that you may unite with it and it may transform you into a
luminous and radiant consciousness."
*
"In the present state of
human consciousness, it is good for it to think that aspiration
and human effort can hasten the advent of the divine transformation,
because effort and aspiration are needed for the transformation
to take place."
- The Mother
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