Aboriginal Spirituality - 1
Does a ‘truth’ which has been identified during the early development of a religion remain relevant in today’s world?
Hypothesis: The land is the basis for all Australian Aboriginal Spirituality. Without their reverence for the land there would be little spirituality or enduring method of communicating their way of life.
For some 40,000 years the framework for Australian Aboriginal spirituality is their belief that all objects are living and share the same soul or spirit that Aboriginals share. The basic Aboriginal spiritual belief is invariably about the land Aboriginal people live on. ‘This belief is ‘geosophical’ (earth-centered) and not ‘theosophical’ (God-centered)’ ("What is Aboriginal spirituality? - Creative Spirits", n.d., p.1). This means that Aboriginal spirituality is inextricably linked to the land on earth, they say “it’s like picking up a piece of dirt and saying this is where I started and this is where I’ll go”. (S knight, page 1 – www.creativespirits.com) The land is the means of everything, their food, their culture, their spirit and identity. They do not own the land of this earth, the land owns them. ‘The land is their mother, their mother is the land. Land is the starting point to where everything began’ . (S knight, page 1 – www.creativespirits.com) Aboriginal people make no distinction between the secular and spiritual life. Aboriginal spirituality is a total way of life, with their total regard and respect of the land as the centre point of their spiritual existence.
The basic principle that supports the Aboriginal spirituality is a notion commonly referred to as the Dreaming. The Dreaming is a term referring to Aboriginal spiritual beliefs about origins of the universe and existence of all life and objects. It determines all relationships, responsibilities and laws which must be adhered to for living harmoniously and with reverence for the land.The Dreaming is therefore inextricably connected to the land, because as previously
Hypothesis: The land is the basis for all Australian Aboriginal Spirituality. Without their reverence for the land there would be little spirituality or enduring method of communicating their way of life.
For some 40,000 years the framework for Australian Aboriginal spirituality is their belief that all objects are living and share the same soul or spirit that Aboriginals share. The basic Aboriginal spiritual belief is invariably about the land Aboriginal people live on. ‘This belief is ‘geosophical’ (earth-centered) and not ‘theosophical’ (God-centered)’ ("What is Aboriginal spirituality? - Creative Spirits", n.d., p.1). This means that Aboriginal spirituality is inextricably linked to the land on earth, they say “it’s like picking up a piece of dirt and saying this is where I started and this is where I’ll go”. (S knight, page 1 – www.creativespirits.com) The land is the means of everything, their food, their culture, their spirit and identity. They do not own the land of this earth, the land owns them. ‘The land is their mother, their mother is the land. Land is the starting point to where everything began’ . (S knight, page 1 – www.creativespirits.com) Aboriginal people make no distinction between the secular and spiritual life. Aboriginal spirituality is a total way of life, with their total regard and respect of the land as the centre point of their spiritual existence.
The basic principle that supports the Aboriginal spirituality is a notion commonly referred to as the Dreaming. The Dreaming is a term referring to Aboriginal spiritual beliefs about origins of the universe and existence of all life and objects. It determines all relationships, responsibilities and laws which must be adhered to for living harmoniously and with reverence for the land.The Dreaming is therefore inextricably connected to the land, because as previously