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The Legend Of The Dewadaru Tree
The Dewadaru tree is mostly found to the north of the
island of Java, among the Sunda islands of Karimunjava, in the Java Sea, bearing
the coordinates of Latitude 5° 52' S, and Longitude 110° 26' E. It has a human
population of approximately 20,000 people. The Dewadaru tree had been sanctified
by the local inhabitants of the island for countless generations as a result of
a myth perpetuated by the elders of the society. In one of the local dialects,
"daru" means "blessing from heaven," while "dewa,"
(derived from Sanskrit) is the Indonesian term for "god." "Dewadaru"
is thus interpreted as the "gift of the gods," implying that this tree
genus is a tangible symbolic gift from the gods/esses to the islanders. To the
local inhabitants, the Dewadaru represents the wisdom of the gods in maintaining
the harmony, stability, and peacefulness of Nature. The Dewadaru is believed to
be the protective guardian of the living souls on the Karimunjava islands.
According to the legend, there was once a man living on the island of Java who
was furious with his son for constant disobedience. The man, although he loved
his son dearly, strove to inculcate in him a certain hard lesson. So one day he
drove his son away from home with the warning that he was not to set foot on
Java again.
Not willing to disobey his father again, he prepared himself for the journey. In
sadness, the son left Mt. Muria where they dwelt and moved on to the open seas
to the north. He sailed on a boat for many days through stormy weather and
amidst huge waves, not really knowing his destination and perhaps with little
will to survive. Then one day, his boat landed on the shores of a small,
uninhabited island.
Meanwhile, from the peak of Mt. Muria in Java, the boy's father was secretly
watching over his son clairvoyantly. But for some reason his vision was vague
and unclear, and thus lost track of the whereabouts of the boy on that island.
In the old Javanese language, the word "vague" is translated as
kerimun. Thus the island became known as "Karimun-java."
The boy continued his journey inland bearing two wooden staffs as walking sticks
to assist his journey. He retrieved these from the shore. These two short poles
wounded him while his boat was capsized to shore by the sheer power of the
waves. In the middle of the forest he poked the two staffs to the ground and
started to rest from the tiresome journey. Miraculously, in that very instant
the two staffs grew into magnificent trees. In awe of the incident, he named
them "Dewadaru." In the present day, the place where he rested now
stands the village of Nyamplungan.
Nowadays, although not too numerous, there is a substantial amount of Dewadaru
trees growing on the islands-the descendants of the very first two. The remains
of the original, fabulous Dewadaru trees may still be seen. The humps are there
as if to substantiate the truth of the legend. The descendants of the magickal
trees grow in hill-slopes of the islands and are not easily accessible.
In proximity to the once glorious trees is a grave that until now is still being
sanctified by the locals. On certain nights-such as Jumat Kliwon (a Thursday
night occurring once in 35 days) of the Javanese calendar, the grave would be
visited by pilgrims desiring the blessings of the spiritual adept to whom the
grave belongs. The adept was known as Sunan Nyamplungan from whence the village
received its name.
For centuries, the Dewadaru tree or wood is believed by the inhabitants of
Karimunjava to possess magickal powers. Tested through time, the wood is said to
heal poisonous bites, and aches or illnesses in the abdominal region. Dewadaru
wood is often carried as an amulet for personal protection against evil persons
as well as a weapon against evil spirits. It is said that unlike other types of
wood, the Dewadaru, even a small piece of it, sinks when placed in water.
Seventy-five kilometers away, as the crow flies, from the town of Jepara in
Java, the Karimunjava islands has a scary myth related to the Dewadaru. There is
supposed to be a warning by the regional spirits that the sacred Dewadaru wood
or tree is not to be taken out of the islands without the concession of the
spiritual guardians of the area. Whosoever violates this, even by taking a small
piece of the wood, incurs the wrath of Nature and calamity befalls him or her
not long after. The usual mishap is the sinking or the immobility of the vessel
that the person travels on to journey back to the mainland. Sometimes it could
be a fatal illness after the trip. Often the person dies a tragic death in a
freak "accident." At first this myth was regarded as a superstition,
but several instances of this have been recorded.
In regards to the sinking of unfortunate vessels transporting the wood, some
observers have noted of unusual events beforehand. Signs and warnings are given
from the invisible world. Tales of these spirit communications and unheeded
warnings abound. One story in particular relates of an old woman appearing to
the captain of a vessel warning that the boat or ship was carrying the sacred
wood and that this was taken from the region without permission and the required
ceremony. Before disappearing, she warned the captain to unload the illicitly
gained item. The captain did not heed her request and as a result, the vessel
that he commanded en route to the Java mainland sank to the watery depths.
Before the ship sailed even the villagers of the island were given omens that
the vessel was doomed. Many of them heard blasting sounds on the nearby
Nyamplungan hill. Careful investigations revealed nothing that could have
produced those noises. It is said that to this day these sounds still occur
whenever a ship or a boat is destined to plunge into Davy Jones' locker. In 1981
a mishap was prevented from occurring. There was a ship on its way to Java from
the Karimunjava islands. Somewhere in the middle of the sea its engine stalled
and it became immobile. Moments later everyone on board, passengers and crew,
panicked. Out of the calm sea, huge waves suddenly appeared, threatening to
capsize the vessel. The captain realizing what was wrong in haste called upon
the passengers to throw into the sea any Dewadaru wood that they were carrying.
One person confessed that he had some of the wood in his possession. This was
quickly cast into the sea with apologies to the spirit guardians of Karimunjava.
Amazingly, minutes later the waves subsided.
There are always two sides to a coin. The above myth also has a different
aspect: if by any chance the Dewadaru wood finds its way outside of the
Karimunjava islands, the wood would double its potency and act as a powerful
catalyst to awaken the dormant occult faculties within its possessor or user.
The energy of the wood itself is a potent amulet against all forms of black
magick and it also wards off negative entities, as mentioned previously.
Dewadaru is also worn as protective amulets against the jettatore, the evil eye.
From the metaphysical viewpoint, the dryads or spirits of the trees are
especially empowered and their power or virtues are occultly inherent within the
wood. The energy of the Dewadaru wood has a beneficent influence upon the
psychosomatic system of man. The village shamans say that the Dewadaru is an
exclusive gift to the people on the island, one reason why the spiritual
guardians of the region do not permit the wood to be exported unless with
special concession.
There are numerous strange stories related to the magickal Dewadaru tree or its
wood. To the local inhabitants these are no longer a matter of belief but
knowledge and conviction gained from day to day experience. Being sacred, the
Dewadaru is used only for devotional and protective purposes. One hardly finds
the villagers using this wood for the fashioning of furniture or as a building
material; and only the courageous would use it in their spiritual activities.
The trees are not too numerous on the islands nowadays and therefore they are
forcefully preserved. The Dewadaru is esteemed highly for their traditional and
cultural value, and regarded as the totem guardians of the island. Because the
occult power of the Dewadaru is well known, many disrespectful outsiders plunder
the wood seeking to possess and misuse the power within it for egoic purposes.
But it is also believed that Sunan Nyamplungan, the guardian of the island, or
his proxy, plays a role in protecting the place from pilferers. Some say that
the Adept sometimes appear as a gigantic bat to those who carry-out their
negative intentions.
In 1992, the faculty of biology of the University of Gajah Mada conducted some
research on the Dewadaru and the report of their analysis states that this tree
is quite rare and not easily propagated. There are two strains to be found in
the Karimunjava islands: the first strain is Dewadaru Baccaurea Sumatrana from
the Euphorbiaceae family. The second, Fagraea Elliptica from the Loganiaceae
family.
The Dewadaru is supposed to be found solely in the Karimunjava islands. Although
almost unheard of, there is at least one Dewadaru tree to be found in Java in
the area of Mt. Kawi in the region of Malang, East Java. Strangely enough, those
living in this area sanctify the leaves rather than the wood.
Mt. Kawi is well-known for its pilgrimage site for those seeking wealth. The
tree grows nearby a grave of someone who was known as Eyang Jugo, a metaphysical
practitioner of royal descent. It is said that those sitting underneath the
Dewadaru tree and is fortunate enough to have a leave or two fall on their heads
out of their own accord, then this is a sign that great financial blessings or
wealth will be bestowed upon them. It is thus not surprising to find people
sitting or even spending the night 'neath the shade of the tree hoping to catch
a leaf-fall. People come from all over Java hoping to transform their fate with
a simple sitting. However, even with strong winds, seldom does a leaf detach
itself from the branches with the hope and expectation of the sitters. Many
return to their normal lives in disappointment. At times those standing quite a
distance from the tree are often blessed with a falling leaf, often blown by a
non-existing wind. There are tales of those who disbelieved in the sacredness of
the tree and mockingly place a leaf upon their own heads. The result was that on
their way home from the mountain they encountered tragic mishaps.
The origin of the Dewadaru tree at this particular site of pilgrimage has a
similar tale as the one of Karimunjava. Both were the result of the insertions
of walking staffs into the grounds. According to the legend, Eyang Jugo once
journeyed with a companion to his close friend R.M. Imam Soejono, who lived on
Mt. Kawi. Along the way he rested in a shady area. It was there that he received
intuitively from the spirit planes that his life was drawing to a close. He
advised his travel companion that where he died, it was there that he was to be
buried. Further along the way Eyang Jugo suddenly stabbed the ground with his
staff and expired. The staff filled with the power of Eyang Jugo, suddenly grew
into a tree. The Chinese people living in the precincts of Eyang Jugo's
gravesite called the tree "Shian Toho," and this was translated into
Javanese as "Dewadaru."
As mentioned above, the Dewadaru wood is often carried as an amulet. Those able
to acquire a rosary fashioned from it for spiritual or devotional purposes is
indeed fortunate, for it is rare that anyone is given the permission to secure
this wood from the islands and to tap into its inherent magickal virtues.
Copyright © 2006 Luxamore
Bio:
Leonard Lee aka Luxamore: Metaphysical teacher, counseler, healer and merchant
of occult/magickal items of Indonesia. www.indotalisman.com
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