The Secret of Dreaming: An Australian Aboriginal Myth of Creation

[ënagualí~ᏉLAᗪἇ ኔጡ።]

The Secret of Dreaming: An Australian Aboriginal Myth of Creation

Once there was nothing.

Nothing
but the Spirit of All Life

For a long time
there was nothing.

Then
in the mind of the Spirit of Life

…a Dreaming began.

In the empty darkness
there was a dreaming of Fire.

And the colour of Fire burned brightly
in the Mind of the Great Spirit

Then came a Dreaming of Wind,

and the fire danced and swirled
in the mind of the Spirit of Life

Then came a Dreaming of Rain

For a long time
the battle of Fire Wind and Rain
raged in the Dreaming

And the Great Spirit liked the Dream.

So the Dreaming continued.

Then, as the battle waned
between Fire Wind and Rain

There came a Dreaming
of Earth and Sky
and of Land and Sea.

For a long time
this Dreaming continued.

The Great Spirit began to grow tired
from the Dreaming,

but wanted the Dream to continue.

So life was sent into the Dream
to make it real,

and for Creator Spirits
to continue the Dreaming.

So the Spirit of Life
sent the Secret of Dreaming
into the world
with the Spirit of the Barramundi...who is the fish,

And Barramundi
descended to the deep still waters, relaxed and calm

…and began to Dream

The  dream took Barramundi to
waves and wet sand,

But Barramundi
did not understand the Dream
and wanted only to Dream
 of the deep still water.

So Barramundi
passed the Secret of Dreaming
to the Spirit of the Currikee,
which is the Turtle.

And Currikee
paddled out of the waves
settled down to the wet sand

…and began to Dream.

Currikee Dreamed
 the smoothness of pebbles and warm of the sun.

But Currikee
did not understand the Dream,
and wanted to Dream
only of the waves
and wet sand.

So Currikee
passed the Secret of Dreaming
on to the Spirit of the Bogai,
which is the Lizard.

And Bogai
climbed onto a bed of pebbles
and felt the suns heat above him on his back,

…and began to Dream.

Bogai Dreaming flew Bogai
through the clearest sky by the lift of the wind.

But Bogai
did not understand the Dream
and wanted to Dream
only of the small pebbles and 
warm sunshine.

So Bogai
ushered the Secret of Dreaming
onto the Spirit of the Bunjil,
which is the Eagle.

And Bunjil

harnessed the wind under her wings,

soured in the cloudless sky…

and began to Dream.

Bunjil Dreamed
of tall trees and the blanket of the night sky,

But Bunjil
did not understand the Dream,
and wanted to dream
only of the wind
and open sky.

So Bunjil
released the Secret of Dreaming
onto the Spirit of the Coonerang,
which is the possum.

And Coonerang
scampered high into the tallest tree,
lost herself in the twinkling of stars,

…and began to Dream.

So  Dream sang to Coonerang

the rustle of yellow grass & wide plains.

But Coonerang
did not understand the Dream,
and wanted to Dream
only of the great trees
and the blackness of night.

So Coonerang
allowed the Secret of Dreaming
to pass onto the Spirit of the gangaroo.

which is the Kangaroo

And Kangaroo
leapt high above the yellow grass

contemplating the white plain.

…and began to Dream.

the dreaming tickled the ears of 
Kangaroo with music, and song and laughter.

But Kangaroo
did not understand the Dream
and wanted to Dream
only of the board plains
and the swaying grass.

So Kangaroo
passed the Secret of Dreaming
onto the Spirit of humanity.

And man & woman
walked across the land
and saw all the works of creation,

given life by the dreaming of the mind of the spirit of all life
Woman & man heard the  quarrels of birdsong at dawn
and saw the red sun on the horison at dusk,

…and began to Dream.

They Dreamed of 
of sharing in the music of dawn birds,
of dancing of the bobbing emu
and of sinking into the red ochre of sunset

And they Dreamed also 
of the laughter of children

And man & woman understood the Dream

So they continued to Dream
and dream of all the things
that they had dreamed before.

He dreamed
of the deep still tranquil water,
of the waves and damp sand,
the rocks and sun beams,
of the  clearest sky & breeze,
and the trees & the night sky,

and of the plains of yellow grass.

And woman & Man learned through their Dreaming,
of all the creatures
were their spirit cousins

…and that they must protect the Dreaming of all life.

And they Dreamed
of their child they knew would soon arrive;

and they dreamed of how they would

teach this secrets of dreaming to his child

who was not yet born  

Then the Great Spirit of life knew at last

that the Secret of Dreaming was safe.

And being tired
from the Dreaming of Creation,
the Spirit of all Life entered the land
to rest & recover

So that this world now,
when the spirits of all creatures
become tired

they join the Spirit of Life in the Land
So this is why the Land is sacred

and man & woman must be its Caretakers.

Just as they protect the secret of dreaming...