The Secret of Dreaming

a tale from indigenous Australia

Anti-copyright 2009 Yggdrasil Distro yggdrasildistro@gmail.com yggdrasildistro.wordpress.com Please reprint, republish, redistribute.

Foreward
The Secret of Dreaming isn!t really one story. "either is it a story o# one people, or e$en one person. %t is many stories #rom many peoples, always changing, always being re$ised, retold, recreated. &here are countless incarnations and retellings o# the Dreaming myth e$en among indi$idual nati$e communities, which warrants inconcei$able $ariety ta'en collecti$ely. &hrough all its #orms, the essence o# the Secret of Dreaming remains constant. &his particular telling has been published in at least two sources % ha$e #ound, both o# which are published #or pro#it. ()ultural appropriation, anyone*+ &he words published herein are my ta'e on the published sources, shamelessly and ,oy#ully stolen #rom the ci$ili-ed .estern #ools who thin' they can ma'e intellectual property out o# a li$ing story, out o# a people. &he Secret of Dreaming or Dreamtime is o#ten thought o# as the /Aboriginal creation myth.0 1rom certain perspecti$es this is true2 the story does detail the #ormation o# the world and its $arious inhabitants. 3owe$er, by sharing republishing this story, it is not my intention to push this creation myth (or any other+ as the correct or determinant account o# how it is we (as in all li#e, not ,ust humans+ came to be. &he ob,ecti$e reality (inso#ar as there is such a thing+ o# the story is irrele$ant anyway. &he Dreaming has in part created the cultures o# numerous nati$e Australian groups, it is part o# who they are. 4ore to the point, it is who they are. &hus, in certain respects it is real and true. 5tories de#ine the cultures who gi$e them li#e. And i# anything is to be learned about the people who created (who are+ this story, it is that they are human beings. &hat is, they recogni-e that they are animals, that they ha$e a niche to #ill in the many ecosystems they inhabit, that they are brothers and sisters to all the plants and animals and 6

And &hey Dreamed o# their )hild, who &hey 'new would soon arri$e. And &hey Dreamed o# how they would teach these 5ecrets o# Dreaming to this child who was not yet born. &hen the 7reat-5pirit-o#-8i#e 'new at last that the 5ecret o# Dreaming was sa#e. 9eing tired #rom the Dreaming o# )reation, the 5pirit-o#-All-8i#e entered the 8and to rest and reco$er. &hat is why now, when the spirits o# all creatures become tired, they ,oin the 5pirit-o#-8i#e in the 8and. &his is why the 8and is 5acred, and 4an and .oman must be its )areta'ers, ,ust as &hey protect the 5ecret o# Dreaming.

/inanimate0 things in the world, and that they are interconnected with all li#e. &hey are one with- they are- the earth. &he ci$ili-ed ha$e lost (read2 #orce#ully eradicated+ all o# these $ital aspects o# human e:istence. .e must reco$er them, then #eed and nourish them, pass them on to whate$er #uture generations are un#ortunate enough to inhabit the now dying planet. All li#e is dependent on our landbases, on the planet to whom we belong, and this world- these landbases- is being slaughtered. .e must absolutely annihilate those who are acti$ely 'illing the world, we must destroy and dismantle industry, and we must remind oursel$es how to li$e and be human. And in so doing we must learn to tell old and in$ent new stories. ;therwise, we are nothing. %t is with these thoughts in mind that % gi$e to you, cherished readers and #riends, The Secret of Dreaming. 8earn it, care #or it, grow it, grow #rom it, and pass it along. < =owan .al'ing.ol#

The Secret of Dreaming

;nce there was nothing. "othing... but the 5pirit-o#-All-8i#e 1or a long time the 5pirit-o#-all-8i#e dwelt in the nothing. &hen, in the mind o# the 5pirit-o#-8i#e >a Dreaming began. %n the empty dar'ness there was a Dreaming o# 1ire, And the colors o# 1ire illuminated the dar'ness within the mind o# the 5pirit-o#-8i#e. &hen came a Dreaming o# .ind, and the 1ire snapped and snarled, #ed by the blowing o# .ind, in the mind o# the 5pirit-o#-8i#e. &hen came a Dreaming o# =ain, and with it a great struggle. 1or a long time, the battle o# 1ire-.ind-=ain raged in the Dreaming. And the 7reat 5pirit li'ed the Dream, 5o the Dreaming continued. ?

and saw all the wor's o# )reation, gi$en li#e by the Dreaming o# the mind o# the 5pirit-o#-All-8i#e. .oman and 4an heard the chorus o# birdsong at dawn, saw the red sun eat the hori-on at dus', >and began to Dream. &hey Dreamed o# ,oining in the music o# dawnbirds, o# dancing with the head-bobbing @mu, and o# sin'ing into ochre with the sunset. &hey Dreamed also o# the laughter o# children. And 4an and .oman understood the Dream. 5o &hey continued to Dream, and Dreamed again all the Dreams that had come be#ore. &hey Dreamed o# the deep, tranAuil water, o# the wa$es and damp sand, o# the roc's and sunbeams, o# the clear s'y and bree-e, o# the trees and the night s'y, and o# the plains o# yellow grass. And .oman and 4an learned through the Dreaming that all creatures were their spirit cousins, and that they must protect the Dreaming o# all li#e. B

lost hersel# in the twin'ling o# stars >and began to Dream. &he Dream sang )oonerang the rustle o# yellow grass and wide plains. 9ut )oonerang did not understand the Dream, and wanted to Dream only o# great trees and the blac'ness o# night. 5o )oonerang allowed the 5ecret o# Dreaming to pass onto the 5pirit o# 7angurru, which is the Cangaroo. 7angurru leapt high abo$e the yellow grass, contemplated the wide plain >and began to Dream. &he Dreaming tic'led the ears o# 7angurru with music and song and laughter. 9ut 7angurru did not understand the Dream, and wanted to Dream only o# the broad plains and swaying grass. 5o 7angurru handed the 5ecret o# Dreaming to the 5pirit o# 3umanity. And 4an and .oman wal'ed across the land

@$entually, the battle waned between 1ire, .ind, and =ain. &he calm that #ollowed brought a Dreaming o# @arth and 5'y, and o# 8and and 5ea. 1or a long time this Dreaming continued. &he 7reat 5pirit began to grow tired #rom the long Dreaming, but 'new the Dream was not #inished, and wanted the Dream to continue. 5o 8i#e was sent into the Dream to ma'e it real, and #or )reator 5pirits to continue the Dreaming. 5o the 5pirit-o#-All-8i#e sent the 5ecret o# Dreaming into the world... And the 5ecret o# Dreaming entered into the 5pirit o# 9arramundi, who is the 1ish. And 9arramundi descended to the deep, still waters, rela:ed in the calm ...and began to Dream. &he Dream too' 9arramundi to wa$es and wet sand.

9ut 9arramundi did not understand the Dream, and wanted to Dream only o# the deep, still waters. 5o 9arramundi passed the 5ecret o# Dreaming to the 5pirit o# )urri'ee, who is the &urtle. )urri'ee paddled out o# the wa$es, settled onto the wet sand >and began to Dream. )urri'ee Dreamed the smoothness o# pebbles, and the warmth o# the sun. 9ut )urri'ee did not understand the Dream, and wanted to Dream only o# the wa$es and wet sand. 5o )urri'ee guided the 5ecret o# Dreaming to the 5pirit o# 9ogai, who is the 8i-ard. 9ogai climbed onto a bed o# pebbles, #elt the sun!s heat upon his bac' >and began to Dream. F

&he Dreaming #lew 9ogai through the clear s'y by the li#t o# the wind. 9ut 9ogai did not understand the Dream, and wanted to Dream only o# the smooth pebbles and sunshine. 5o 9ogai ushered the 5ecret o# Dreaming onto the 5pirit o# 9un,il, who is the @agle. 9un,il harnessed the wind under her wings, soared into the cloudless s'y >and began to Dream. 9un,il Dreamed o# tall trees and the blan'et o# night s'y. 9ut 9un,il did not understand the Dream, and wanted to Dream only o# the wind and open s'y. 5o 9un,il released the 5ecret o# Dreaming onto the 5pirit o# )oonerang, who is the Possum. )oonerang scampered into the tallest tree, G