test: white and gold

test: white and gold

Human Timeline evidence for Primal Religion at least 40kya Historical Religions begin about 4kya

Historical Religion Timeline

Primal and Historical Religions I. Primal (that which comes first) Religions Pre-historic II. Historical Religions: are religions with historical origins written sacred texts

They had what the world has lost: the ancient, lost reverence and passion for human personality joined with the ancient, lost reverence and passion for the earth and its web of life. Since before the Stone Age they have tended that passion as a central, sacred fire. It should be our long hope to renew it in us all.~~ John Collier, anthropologist, FDR s US Commissioner of Indian Affairs (quoted by Huston Smith in The World s Religions) REVIEW A Elders Speak

The Aborigines of Australia The term aborigines : from (ab) the beginning (origo)

Of Great Interest to Anthropologists: Hunter-Gatherer Society

didgeridoo

The Dreaming Source of Myths and Dreams Time of Creation The Primal Ancestor Gods established patterns for living Participating in The Dreaming maintains the order of the world The Rainbow Serpent The All-Father (Baiame)

And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:8

He walked on the earth for a time, created man and woman from the dust, and taught them how to live before returning to the sky. --Aboriginal myth

represented in some tribes by an eagle

Associated with the rainbow, springs, any natural body of water, and landscapes. Valleys, canyons, and river beds are said to be created by the Rainbow Serpent.

The Kookaburra was told that if he laughed like a wild man every morning, the sun would continue to come out.

The Arunta hunter doesn t just imitate the first hunter. The Arunta hunter becomes the first hunter. REVIEW B

Lucien Levy-Bruhl, (1857-1939), French Anthropologist The Mythic World : Mythic Participation

Carl Jung In Levy-Bruhl s presentation, there was a sense that this was negative both primitive and pre-logical. But psychologist Carl Jung thought it was positive. Mythic participation is learning to live in the unconscious.

A Western Example: Communion This is my body (the bread). This is my blood (the wine). Through this ceremony, Christians take part in ritual through which it is claimed that one can become part of the body of Christ. Through this, the eternal word is made flesh in us. REVIEW C And through this, we participate in the eternal.

4 Aboriginal Principles leading to Kanyini (Infinite Responsibility and Love) Aboriginal Worldview 1. The Dreaming: the map to live by 2. Spirit (Kurunpa) We are born with a choice of what voice we will listen to: Spirit Balance, Harmony, or Ego Imbalance, Disharmony When we re born, we re born into a songline that includes 3. Family, and Bob Randall, Aboriginal author of Songman and Tracker Tjginji 4. Extended Family: the land of birth and other creatures EVERYTHING IS INTERCONNECTED!

Tribal Thinking THE KEY TO aboriginal wisdom is family. Treat every being as you would your mother, your sister, your father, your brother. All creatures humans and other than humans are family. That is what has kept aboriginal communities strong, despite all the treatment we have endured. Despite our land being taken from us; despite enforced separation and schooling for our children. The principles of Kanyini have held us strong and will allow us to rebuild our culture now that it is being recognised that that culture has meaning, wisdom and durability. Aboriginals in Australia are the poorest and most powerless of communities but if we have our families, if we are able to practise Kanyini we have everything. ~~Bob Randall

Shaman A Shaman is a spiritual leader of a tribe. The Shaman is an intermediary between the Spirit World and People in this world. wisdom-keeper healer guide Black Elk, a famous Native American (Lakota) Shaman

REVIEW D Pictures from the film Australia

3 Key Elements of Primal Religions 1. ORALITY

The stories are lost if it s not memorized. The Storyteller becomes the text.

2. SACRED PLACES desert buttes Uluru The Lone Cypress

Oren Lyons

3. THE ETERNAL The Eternal dimension of time is that which lasts forever. The Dreaming is a time before time, without beginning or end. It is the source of meaning in this life. The Eternal is that which never changes. REVIEW E Celtic symbol of Eternity The Temporal is ordinary time. It is ever-changing. circular time v. linear time It is the world of the struggle of our everyday life.

Ancestors and Elders In Primal Cultures, ancestors and elders are honored for being closer to the origin than we are. We need to preserve their wisdom. They provide models of conduct. Oren Lyons

Reenactment of inherited rituals to maintain the order the universe circle of life theme Dance for World and Life Renewal. We have much in common. They have just come from the Great Mysterious and I am about to return to it. Black Elk, Sioux Shaman

REVIEW F "When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself." ~Tecumseh