Not all who wander are lost.....

Not all who wander are lost….. This is probably one of my favourite sayings by an amazing writer, an author of one of the greatest tales ever known to man ‘The Lord of The Rings’ by JRR Tolkien. It has been a phrase to keep solidarity within me in moments of my life where I have compared my free spirit to the homebound soul, the comfortable housewife or the dedicated career person. At times in life I have stood next to these ‘pillar people’ and felt inferior. Why could I not settle into a career straight out of school, finish university or marry my high school sweet heart? Because I wander about wonder….

I see so many loved ones in my life, like me, thinking they are lost because they cannot ‘settle’, their view is that they need to find a ‘life path’ or a ‘definition of self’ to justify their existence and that somehow it will make them happy….a view point I cannot judge as it is one that I come face to face with over and over in life. But bringing myself to the centre of my heart and realising that maybe….just maybe I AM living my dream by simply being a good friend, a dedicated mother and a committed free spirit….maybe my existence is justified in that alone.

 Seeking personal definition within another person….or a career or a university degree is not a necessity…..who you are is here….now…. in those blank moments of day dream in the afternoon sun, or the goose-bumps of awe you feel when listening to your favourite music, that moment of sleepy clarity that comes in the limbo between awake and asleep….there YOU are…..nothing more and nothing less and why do you need anything more to be happy?

Now this does not suggest you should sit back and do nothing with life - to seek is to stay in touch with the magick in life, to seek is to find beauty, to seek is to discover adventure…..and that is blessed….. and I think sometimes – especially for people like me – to seek leads me to unveil that place of solace within that comes from wandering – I am not lost…..I am not inferior….. I am a gypsy soul in search of the magick in this universe that lights my soul day after day after day.  And so life brings me experience after experience to show me mirrors of myself and time after time I have been freed by the experience of life and the way that it has shown me who I am and how beautiful the colours of my heart do meld into the colours of the universe around me…..I have learnt  to love everyone and everything with the experience of adventure as the wisdom in my stride.

Do not define yourself by anything other than your own heart and soul, your job does not make you a better person – your open heart does, the amount of money in your bank account does not make you rich-your spirit does, your relationship does not make you stable-your connection to the world around you does…..You are what is within…..and the rest is just the costume you wear to the party. So enjoy the show, dance and be merry in your capes and masks but know that the realness of your humanness is within the veils of what you put to the world and it is as beautiful as you wish it to be.

To star gaze…..

To dream….

To sing with my eyes closed and let my voice raise my skin in tingles of light and love….

To wander….and never be lost for I know that I am always where I belong…….within the colours of my own heart…..

EarthyFae
xoxox

Eco Faerie Community Living Expo

Be there.......

....or be square ;)

The 6 Nyoongar Seasons

 Nyoongar Boodja

This planet is the only planet we have. There have been wondrous stories of the magnificence of science and how one day we may live and exist on another planet; but as time goes by it still remains as it has for thousands of years that this is our home and we must take care of what we have.

A big part of taking care of the planet lies within caring for each other, understanding and respecting people of different cultures, sharing our knowledge of taking care of the planet and most of all creating a community vibe within our society; as we have since the beginning of our existence as humans. Love one another to love the planet - SIMPLE! J

Our tribal history as human beings is varce; every country has a tribal history. What is yours? And what is the tribal history of the land you live on? How are they similar? How do they differ? For me, my bloodline runs back to Wales and the ancient Celts that studied the stars and seasons, planted crops by the moon, built megalithic structures to their deities and celebrated harvests and nature with costumes, stories and fire. Stocks and food were shared, families were united for support and protection and best of all – the earth was happier.

But I was born in Australia. My father was once told by an Aboriginal Elder that ‘the spirit of the land doesn’t see colour, you will feel the land you were born upon sing to you no matter who your father is…’ and I can swear this by my soul. Despite my fascination with my Welsh/Celtic heritage my heart lies fondly within the knowledge, the stories and the song of Aboriginal Culture and the Tribal History of Australia.

Tribal history is something that I think we can all learn from. In a world where we have become mass consumers – is there not something to be learned from our ancestors that barely left a footprint on our blessed home? The people who lived for centuries, in harmony with nature, knowing the planet, its plants and animals, this knowledge lovingly passed down through the generations and without it there was no survival… and maybe in our world today where we seem to have lost touch with our roots and each other there is some peace to be found by turning back to our lineages for guidance.

It is said that Aboriginal people have existed on this land for 60,000 years and I feel it is here that I should note the last ice age was 20,000 years ago and lasted 5,000 years. This super race of human beings lived in such harmony with the land that they survived where most men would perish and their culture stands strong today despite many trials and challenges…..and this we celebrate!

In my local area of South Western Australia the predominant tribe is the ‘Nyoongar’ tribe, within it there are 14 tribes; the closest one to home for us here in Perth is the Swan River (Derbal Yaragan) dwelling people called the ‘Whadjuk’ tribe.

In this beautiful and picturesque region of Australia there are actually 6 seasons in a year!

Bunuru – February to March – This is a time when it is hot, with dry, easterly and north winds. The people would catch fish, marron and other water dwelling wildlife for food. They would collect fruit and dig up bulbs to grind for spices.

Djeran – April to May – This is a time when it cools down and the winds come in from the south west. The people would continue to fish and begin to gather bulbs and seeds for winter.

Makuru – June to July – This is when seasons turn cold and westerly gales hit! The Nyoongar people would move inland to hunt and warm them by fire and build Miya Miya’s as shelter from the rain and wind. This is actually the wettest part of the year in Nyoongar Region.

Djilba – August to September – This is known as the coldest time of the year, the nights are cold but clear and starting to warm as the days creep on. People would continue to gather roots and plants, Emu and Kangaroo was on the menu for our tribes of the great South West.

Kambarang – October to November – By now the rain begins to lessen, fewer cold fronts meant that Nyoongar people would gather their children and head back towards the coast for fishing season. This is also the height of wildflower season here – which meant one beautiful thing – NATIVE HONEY! J

Birak – December to January – The heat of summer has begun!!! This is when the people would do controlled burn offs of the local bush land to assist hunters in catching some dinner and aid plants in regeneration for the coming months.

With the knowledge of the seasons and the way the people of this land lived and survived for thousands of years I thought to utilise the knowledge to affect my impact on the planet. Knowing the seasons I can plant my veggie patch and flowers when I know there will be rain, I can open my windows when I know the cooler breezes will be blowing and I know from which direction they will be coming. I plant native floras to the Nyoongar country – these plants know how to survive without me fronting a hefty water bill and they become a food source for the native birds and animals that have lived here since the beginning!

And last….most importantly and most lovingly from the heart of the Earth Fae –  I CELEBRATE our ancient Australian culture with love and respect. No matter where you are from or where you are going – the place you call home has a tribal history full of knowledge and song, story and magick, and within it you may just find a glimmer of something that you have been searching for all along.

We must all work together to take care of our home as best we can, in the ancient wisdom of Aboriginal Culture I have found ways to live in harmony with the planet I love so deeply and show love to a country that sings the song of my soul…..this wondrous culture is part of our varce and very diverse multicultural society here on Earth. It is a gift to have this knowledge and a blessing that it has survived to be shared with all. Find your tribal self….and enjoy it! <3

<3 <3 Tribal Earth Faerie <3 <3