Living Tree Altars

It saddens me to see all of the trees being cut down here in Boulder to erect miniscule apartments and condos, which I call Limited Living Units. Trees should be honored, not razed. Here’s a case in point from history.

Before the Civil War, slaves were forced to worship in secret. Not allowed to make an altar to their gods, they ventured into the garden or into the fields late at night and offered prayers to their deities at a designated tree. As their ancestors had worshipped at a fig, and figs didn’t grow in this environment, they chose a beech tree, oak or silver fir as a focal point for spiritual activities. The plantation owner never learned that his slaves worshipped their African gods right under his nose! I encourage everybody to continue the custom, no matter your race or religion. Trees support us all.