The association of a human body with the body of a tree has a long history. While sculptures have been carved of stone for thousands of years, the first sculptures no doubt were of wood. The material surely is more easily to work with. Moreover, some wood has a close resemblance to the human body. For example, an apple tree when debarked and saturated with linseed oil.

The Temple of Black Johns dedicated to lost forests has an annex where the trunk of an apple tree (see some of the photos in my previous blog), with an ax stuck in one of its crevices, hangs below the pole of a hazel branch. This trunk of the apple tree is the sacred body, an imitation of Black John (oak), but remains unpainted. If you look closely, you are likely to see that the trunk suggests both the body of a tree and the body of a human being.

The photos below give an idea of the setting, the stage, or if you will our 'altar'.

In the photo below, we see the body of the tree on the steps that lead to the foot of our outdoor temple. A creative dance group from the village of Matishi and onlookers perform a "greening of the tree" dance.

The following photo is of the visitors room and the altar space dedicated to the body of a tree, which we see as that of a human being as well.

The bodies of trees with humanlike bodies fill the stage/altar of the visitors room at the Temple of Black Johns.

We invite the reader to participate--by way of his-her subjective self--in the exercise of mimesis (imitation), which experiences our bodies as that of a tree. The next time you then need to cut down a tree, you will think twice whether you really need to do so, and if indeed you need to do so, then say a small prayer.

A very interesting blog by Elaine. It tells much about volcano activity in our day, but also tells about the significance of forests.

The Temple of Black John (dedicated to the memory of lost forests in Latvia) recommends you see and read it.
http://emsnews.wordpress.com/2011/06/13/volcanic-eruptions-chile-and-china/#more-11765





 DEVASTATING FOREST FIRES.
OUR SYMPATHIES TO THE PEOPLE OF ARIZONA

The Temple of Melnays Jānis (Black John) dedicated to the remembrance of man-destroyed forests, expresses its sympathies to the forests and the people of Arizona in the event of the wast  fires racing across their land. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iRxA7l9zF6xcAEzNbWoW0GyZjxag?docId=447ee61375414d308cc584d0a5f5e39b&index=1

If you ever come Latvia way, you may learn more about us in the blog below, re http://melnaysjanis.blogspot.com/. Do not overexploit the land, rather work toward letting it go fallow and renew itself. Make it a temple.

The Temple dedicated to the memory of destroyed forests, Melnays Jānis / Black John is open for the 2011 season and is receiving visitors.

We are located in Latvia, about 30 km west of Valmiera, in the North Vidzeme Biosphere protectorate. The name 'protectorate' is on paper only, but we are working to make it real. The Temple is on private property, but is open for visits to the public. We also offer space for small parties, family get-togethers, weddings, dances, or simply a place for a restful walk on a weekend day. Our's is a very unusual place.

The Latvian Janis (aka John, Johann, Jean, Gion, Huan, etc., also Joan, Zhenja, etc.) is of an ancient Christian root and the festival is celebrated on Midsummers Eve. The owner of the Temple, one Jandzs, is happy to provide visitors with a more detailed account of his views of the origin of this celebrated, but--even so--forgotten figure of arch-Christian times. The prefered time for discussion are Sundays, 11.00-13.00. Please call 'Inguna' (in Latvia) at 25979406 to make an appointment.

Please browse through the commentaries in earlier blogs. You will find a more detailed description of how to reach us. Hope to see you soon.

21 Here is a BBC documentary on Angor Wat, the largest temple in the world.

And here is a picture of one of the smallest in Braslavas pagasts, Alojas novads, Latvia. We call our temple "Melnays Jahnis" or Black John.

Black John is Green John turned black and all its limbs cut off. Black John recalls the forests of a land fast becoming deforested. Just yesterday a builder of log houses, which he exports to Norway, complained on a television program that his concern is running up against the problem of insufficient quality timber.

Like the jays and squirrels in the fall gather acorns to store them in their winter barns (whereever these may be), we, too, are gathering acorns and sowing them to grow into mighty (we hope) oaks.

We encourage you or your acquaintances to consider building your own private outdoor temple. Why? Because we all hold something sacred and nature best represents the sense of the sacred in our time.

When enough people build their own outdoor temples with the intent to resacralize the forest, we will have sown a seed that has a future as certain as nature is green.

18  Temple MELNAYS JĀNIS. August 14.

In its Saturday, August 14th issue, the Latvian newspaper "Diena" [suspect for some time to be the voice of the neo-capitalist right wing (Šķēle, Šlesers, Ulmanis, et al)], published a "questionnaire” under the heading "Politics with a tune for religion” (Politika ar reliģisku pieskaņu). All six men interviewed, politicians of as many political parties, came out for politics in religion and religion in politics. The most cited reason for collaboration is that collaboration of church with state has a long tradition. The first politicians, one Cilevičs, describes this “tradition” as one where one “should not build a fence” [between the state and religion]. The last helped the newspaper “Diena” to identify itself with the Bible. Said Šmits: “We will encourage the teaching of the Bible until High School.” (Rosināsim obligātu Bībeles mācību līdz pat vidusskolai). The politicians are:

Boriss Cilevičs (SC)
Dzintars Rasnačs (VL-TB/LNNK)
Juris Sokolovskis (LPCTVL)
Aleksejs Loskutovs (V)
Staņislavs Šķesteris (ZZS)
Jānis Šmits (PPL)
Not least among the above named is the editorial board of "Diena" standing up for the Bible and not separating politics from religion.

The tyranny of reactionary religious thought (I describe it as the projection of an attitude that claims for itself to be „I am my own state and social service and no law against it however I understand it”) highlighted by its collaboration with a corrupt state has troubled Latvia with its exclusionarism for a very long time. This once beautiful countryside, where once the endearing word ruled everyday speech of the people who lived there, has become a mind-oppressive closed-end bottom of the spiritual barrel. The men listed above are not the only ones for keeping Latvians there. The Latvian Prezident Zatlers, too, is a not so hidden Christian mole in government. Who speaks for the “religious” who do not identify themselves with the neo-Christian movement that arch-Christianity has been forced to become?

The Temple Melnays Janis invites the reader to build more private temples to challenge the prejudiced state of their state. It is time to shake off the iconoclasts that would prevent nature from becoming our garden again.