Where Reason Marries Passion

This last weekend I had the privilege of being initiated into womanhood in the traditional indigenous way by a Wirradjiri lore woman. It was a simple and profound experience and the tears pricked my eyes as my face was daubed with sacred ochre. In traditional society once you reach 30 you become a migai - a woman. One aspect of the ceremony is about wiping the slate clean and letting go the mistakes made through the passion of the learning years. It is the essence of our every mistake can be our greatest teaching. As you can imagine, this was pretty big for me as I am way past thirty, so it wasn’t just the silly indiscretions of youth but another twenty years of past wrongs. It was a pretty great experience from this perspective because I have used the Avatar tools really successfully here integrating old patterns of sabotage and this was another cut, removing the dross and feeling more connected to my essential self and my intentions to contribute to a saner more compassionate world. As Minmia says, you cannot have peace with the world if you do not have peace with yourself. She calls this stage of development the age where reason marries passion.

She told many of the traditional teaching stories on the weekend. This was such a rich experience hearing about greedy Brolga, humble Pelican and compassionate Kangaroo. I can just imagine how enthralled my granddaughter would be listening to these powerful stories.

One perspective she impressed on us that we all belong to the land no matter what our heritage. It is not just aboriginal people. She says if we were born on this land, we belong to it. She says it is part of women’s role in practical spirituality to act with care for Nungeena-tya (the earth), as well as family and community. It is in deepening this connection that we feel a greater respect for all sentient life. This makes sense to me.

According to Minmia we are all born 'boss of self' and we need to take responsibility. I get the similarity to other traditions, particularly Avatar where being 'source' is to be responsible for what we create. This weekend was quite a gift and I am grateful for all those who helped make it happen, and particularly Minmia who recognises the importance of this time in reconnecting to a more sustainable way of being.