[pause to catch breath]
So, if this were a truly religious practice of Lent, I would be worried. However, since this is more of a Lent-inspired celebration of "giving up," I think we're going to be okay. I still haven't decided if I will stick to my original 40 days and end the week before Easter, or add something different in that last week, or just go ahead and have 46 Days of Dreams. So many possibilities.
In any case, I am definitely more educated now and that's always a wonderful thing!
Now, onto the dreaming.
I did a research project in a Historical Methods class about "The Dreaming" in the aboriginal tribes in Australia and New Zealand. "The Dreaming" is basically the aboriginal version of creation. It contains many of the elements of other traditional creation stories, with ancestral beings traveling the earth creating landscapes and creatures. Unlike those traditional stories, "The Dreaming" is not considered ancient history; it is still going. The Australian Government website explains what makes "The Dreaming" tradition so unique.
Once the ancestor spirits had created the world, they changed into trees, the stars, rocks, watering holes or other objects. These are the sacred places of Aboriginal culture and have special properties. Because the ancestors did not disappear at the end of the Dreaming, but remain in these sacred sites, the Dreaming is never-ending, linking the past and the present, the people and the land.
Through song, dance, painting and storytelling which express The Dreaming stories, Aborigines have maintained a link with the Dreaming from ancient times to today... and have the longest continuous cultural hisotry of any group of people on earth, estimated between 50,000 and 65,000 years.
Source: Ausralia.gov
While the whole thing is fascinating, I found myself struck by the art.
Isn't it gorgeous? Please do more exploring of your own.
It's all fantastic and the stories are incredible too.
How does this relate to my current dream-scheme, you ask? It means, my plucky picquettes, a trip to Australia in my future. Someday, I want to hear and see the Dreamtime tradition for myself. I want to become a part of the "longest continual cultural history" on Earth. I want to be a part of The Dreaming.
I know it is more traditional to "give up" something during Lent. I guess you could say I'll be "giving up" reality for just a little bit. The next 40 days (and posts) are dedicated to dreams. So we're giving up limitations, fear, uncertainty.... and allowing ourselves to dream no matter how wild or crazy or out-of-this-world that dream might be!
40 Days of Dreams
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