The diversity of our land shows us we must live and
celebrate our differences. We are in a wonderful exciting phase of Australian
Pagan History. We have access to the most incredible amount of information
about the history and customs created by our Aboriginal forefathers. We must
listen and learn from them. Simply swapping Northern Hemisphere traditions for
Southern Hemisphere traditions in the Northern created Wheel of the Year is
simply not enough. We are not England and we all experience the changing seasons
very differently. Even the definition of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter is
not applicable to the incredible diverse ways our land changes through our
cycle of the year. For example – Northern Tropical states of Australia
experience their highest rainfall during their Summer months and in the
Southern States of Australia, Summer months are hot and dry, described as Mediterranean. Druids Down Under explain it as-
By
understanding the unique cycles of nature in our various localities in this
vast and diverse land, by finding insight in the symbols and messages of the
trees and animals, by learning about the history of the place we live in and
the spirit of all those who have lived in and loved this place, we will come to
find our own kind of Druidry, specific to who we are and where we are.
Australian
Magick in its creation was formed with the common passion for connecting to our
own traditions, creating our very own ritual joy as we connect intrinsically to
the elements, native flora and fauna and the amazing geography that surrounds
us. We have watched Sabbat rituals that involve the blind following of
traditions that have nothing to do with the land they are performed on. Performed
inside as the weather outside may make people feel uncomfortable. We watch the
changing cycles around us but do not include these in our personal rituals. The
Wheel of the Year with its eightfold ritual calendar was created by Mid-20th
century British Paganism.
While many historical pagan
traditions celebrated various equinoxes, solstices, and even cross-quarter days
for their seasonal and agricultural significances, none were known to have held
all eight above all other annual, sacred times.
We try
to honour the changing landscapes that surround us. We adorn our altars with
the native flowers and branches we find in our gardens. We are constantly
seeking more and more knowledge of the continuous cycles of native flora and
fauna and its connections to the land.
The Aboriginal people have been
living in Australia for at least 50,000 years and during this time have developed
a unique method of living that has enabled survival to be maintained in
sometimes incredibly adverse conditions.
A culture was developed in which
all things past and present are interrelated, including the weather, landscape
and previous generations, together with the plant and animal kingdoms.
All these are connected as a
continuum in which everything is placed in a proper order and has distinct meaning
g and relevance.
Climate and weather are vital
parts of this continuum, and are largely controlled by supernatural forces
which manifest themselves through the behaviour of the surrounding natural
world.
As we
look into creating a uniquely Australian Pagan Tradition, we must consider the ancient
owners of this land and how they saw the various seasons, their ‘Wheel of the
Year’. They do not see their connection to the land around them in the British
based seasons of Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. Each and every state and
territory in Australia has a very unique seasonal change and how we experience
our connections to the changes in the land are very different. To show our
wonderful diversity, below is a table showing the Seasonal Cycles from Around
Australia which was created by Julie Mills from Druids Down Under –
Our country has the most
incredible diverse climates and there are many different tribes that see the
changes very differently. In trying to
translate these writings and oral traditions to our traditional Wheel of the
Year, we have discovered diverse and wondrous accounts of how the various
changes in the natural world were intrinsic in knowing what season lay ahead. In
the Yarralin area of the Northern Territory, flying foxes moving from the
inland bush to nest in the pandanus trees that line the rivers in the dry
season is an indication that the rains are imminent. In the Northeast Arnhem Land, there are only
two occasions when the White breasted wood swallows and the Mudlarks are seen
together. These two occasions are the start of the wet and the start of the dry
seasons.
As Australian Magick and Pagans
Australia are located in Victoria, we look to the knowledge of the Kulin
nation. Aboriginals define their social structure in 3 distinct ways-
1.
physical or geographical
2.
the religious and totemic
3.
social
There
are approximately 30 tribes located in Victoria alone and the Kulin Nation
consists of 5 common language groups.
When Europeans first settled, a
single bloc of Kooris consisting of five language groups owned the entire Port
Phillip region as far north as Euroa. The five groups all spoke a related
language and were said to form a confederacy or nation, which the Kooris
themselves called "Kulin" from their common word for a human being.
The
Kulin nation mark the change in their seasons by the various movements of the
stars, the changes in the weather and the life cycles of the local flora and
fauna.
Below
is a comparison of various Aboriginal seasons from around Australia with the
European calendar as we know it-
|
|
Aboriginal Seasons
|
||||
|
Month
|
European
Seasons |
Minang
SW WA Temperate |
Arrernte
Central Australia Desert |
Gadgerong
NW NT Monsoon Tropics |
Tasmania
NE TAS Cool Temperate |
|
DEC
|
Summer
|
Beruc
|
Uterne
|
Bandenyirrin (cont)
|
Wegtellanyta
|
|
JAN
|
Mayurr
|
||||
|
FEB
|
Meertilluc
|
||||
|
MAR
|
Autumn
|
||||
|
APR
|
Pourner
|
Alhwerrrpeurle
|
Nguag/Gagulong
|
||
|
MAY
|
Tunna
|
||||
|
JUN
|
Winter
|
Mawkur
|
Alhwerrpa
|
||
|
JUL
|
|||||
|
AUG
|
Meerningal
|
||||
|
SEP
|
Spring
|
Ulpulpe
|
Pawenya peena
|
||
|
OCT
|
Uterne urle
|
Bandenyirrin
|
|||
|
NOV
|
|||||
As
we look to creating our own unique Wheel of the Year, we must take into
consideration the traditional owners of the land and how they lived,
intrinsically connected to the land. We here at Australian Magick do not have a
set belief system on how we practice our Paganism in Australia. To us, it is an
eclectic blend of traditions and legends from far and wide as well as from our
own land. We interpret and use our knowledge and learnings of symbolism and
traditions into our own unique worship of this beautiful land we call home. We
do not believe we have the final definition of ‘how rituals and worship must be
done’. It comes from the heart. We seek the knowledge and use what resonates
with us. We do not believe that ours is the only way Paganism can be practised
in Australia. Call it the Great Mother, Yahweh, The Rainbow Serpent etc. All paths lead to the same truth.
Bright blessings to all (0)
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