Evan's website was unique. While most site's claimed to get you through lines faster so you could take in more views from scenic overlooks in the Blue Mountains, Evan's big sell on his site, which was last updated in 2003, was that you would get to see the Blue Mountains through his eyes."Welcome to our genuine Australian Aboriginal walkabout. Achieve ancient wisdom to enrich your life and a deep connection to our country & culture. Six hrs in nature (2 hr walk with 4 hrs of learning, activities, & relaxing)". I wasn't in the mood for crowds and tram rides over gorges. I was sold on the bonus of learning about the Aboriginal way of life from an Aboriginal descendant. What surprised me most about this magical day was the connection I made between a walkabout and a sabbatical.
My email instructions were to show up at Faulconridge Railway station on the 09:42 train from Central Station in Sydney. I loved that Evan suggested sitting on the top deck of the train, sitting on the left hand side so one could take in the sweeping views as you approach the mountains from the city. I am all about views out my transportation windows! At 09:42 I was the only person who got off the train and there was no one on the platform. My Type A self expected at least a dozen people to get off (all in my group) and for Evan to be standing on the platform with a sign that said, "Aboriginal Blue Mountain Walkabout, Hi, I'm Evan". I immediately began to question my wisdom in trusting the internet and wonder, "why the hell didn't you contact this guy in advance?". Always with a smile on my face and taking it all in as an adventure, I began to plan at least a dozen scenarios of what else I could do on this, the first non-rainy day I had in Australia.
No more than a minute or two passed since I stepped off the train (despite my brain going a mile a minute) when a very calm, young-looking outdoorsman appeared waking towards me. His web-site said he was 53 years old, so he must have found the fountain of youth in the mountains. He introduced himself, stared deeply into my eyes waited for me to say my name and introduction and then he explained the one other person joining us was at the wrong station and would I mind if he drove to get her. He left in his white Subaru Forester and returned ten minutes later with Laurie who was from Chicago studying at a university architectural landscape program.
From a small country road less than 100 yds from the train station Evan led us into the forest on an unmarked path. We just dove right into the bush. Laurie and I looked at each other with raised brows and curious smiles and followed his lead. My guess is that not many tourists or even locals hiked the "path" we were on. This became very clear later on as we stopped at several sacred sites. I am pretty sure the Indigenous people of Australia had no intention of sharing the exact location. I’m not sure I could find these sites again if I tried.
After a few steps from the main road Evan stopped at what would be the first of many descriptions of the flora in the area, sharing his knowledge of their medicinal value and how the Indigenous people of Australia might use them in years past and today. He pointed to a stalk of mat grass and grabbed a collection of the tall, thin, sharp blades and explained how important touch and feel are to his indigenous identity. He stroked his hand up and down the blades and moved on. A few steps further we were instructed to pick the tiny leaves of a bush, crush them in our hands, and smell. The herbal, lemony scent was refreshing, and we learn this plant was a natural antiseptic. Right next door, we pluck leaves from another tree, rolling these up and inserted them in our nostrils to clear our airways. Laurie and I were 100% into this journey and felt everything Evan stopped to feel and ate everything Evan put in his mouth. Yep, that's right, we ate leaves and rubbed sap on our skin all day long! Evan explained how important it is to connect to mother earth and to release one's negative energy ("bad spirit trouble") by absorbing the positive from the sacred and spiritual lands.
Evan was open to any and all questions throughout the day. After eating a leaf that tasted like peppermint chewing gum I asked him how many of the leaves around us were poisonous. “Quite a few!”, he responded. He then told us that peppermint is actually a stimulant, so it would be wise not to use peppermint toothpaste before bedtime. He also noted that he kept a few peppermint candies in his car for long road trips so that when he got a bit sleepy he could suck on a candy until his next stop.
Sensory awareness was clearly important to Evan as he showed us how to walk without making a sound (I think he pointed this out because Laurie and I were crunching the ground constantly) and to do the "penguin shuffle" so as not to slip on the path. He said he preferred to walk barefoot though on this adventure he was wearing his Merrell hiking boots. In addition to making us mindful of this experience, the walking techniques were practices that are respectful to the environment, would mean we wouldn't frighten off so much wildlife with our heavy steps, and was better for our own cartilage. He would often stop on the path just to listen to the cockatoos screeching across the patches of blue sky we could vaguely see through the dense canopy of trees. It reminded me of what we do at John Burroughs School during our 7th grade orientation program in the Missouri Ozarks during a night quiet- walk through the forest.
After walking downhill for about an hour Evan asked us to find a spot on a flat boulder, to pull out our ground pad he asked us to bring and to get comfortable. For the next hour we sat and Evan shared with us his Aboriginal knowledge for a wonderful life of peace, healing, health, happiness and wisdom. Evan explained that he was Aboriginal born from Darug land (the local language group). We learned that his knowledge of Aboriginal culture came from listening to his living, 92 year old father, from Aboriginal elders, as well as from the knowledge of visiting hundreds of sacred sites in the wild bush. As he describes the importance in Aboriginal culture of establishing a circadian rhythm around the movements of the sun, Evan told us about the Dreaming, which he described as “the natural, cyclic, dynamic and creative spirit that is shared by everything in existence, including the past, present, and future.” This encompasses a very individual responsibility to care for certain aspects of our Mother Earth, or Nungeena, as well as an unbreakable interconnectedness with everything and everyone else, represented by the overarching nature of Baiamee, Father Sky. Evan emphasizes the importance of physical feeling and imagination in connecting with the Dreaming, and gave us some ‘rituals’ to practice that remind me very much of other philosophies around sensation and mindfulness. Although each culture has its own ways of coming to it, there does seem to be a consistent theme that emerges, of both connecting with the outside world and evolving internally by the way we mentally interact with physical sensations.
Next, Evan led us a few yards away to some rock carvings in the stream bed, telling us their story before inviting us to look closely. Such carvings mark a sacred site that form part of a songline, a Dreaming story that is sung and danced from site to site during the traditional walkabout. We learn about the ancestral beings who brought the lore of observing, connecting and sharing with all of nature to the Aboriginal people, and the positive effects this had on society.
The engravings above are of the style known as "simple figurative", which conventional archaeological thinking dates to the last 5000 years. Dating of the engravings is complicated given that they are sometimes "re-grooved" during ceremonies. This particular site, with depictions of kangaroos and snakes and the water hole depicting Mother Earth, are considered "increase sites", where a ceremony would be held to increase the availability of a food source such as kangaroos or fish. The site below, where Evan built a fire to keep us warm during our lunch, is perhaps where initiation ceremonies were held, to celebrate and facilitate the transition of a young boy into manhood. The pink and ochra swirls of this limestone cave were incredible.
Our adventure continued deep into the rainforest. The further we went down past waterfalls and streams, the more we joked about how we would make the 3:37 train back to Sydney.
We had to climb back up this mountain! But truth be told, I was in my element and in a deeply reflective mood and so glad I chose to spend the day with Evan.
A traditional walkabout for Indigenous people in Australia is a rite of passage where an individual, typically a teenage boy, undergoes a journey living alone in the wilderness for a period as long as six months. Besides the obvious goal of the walkabout – to walk and survive, the initiate also has to devote his time to thinking and discovering himself. The teenager needs to understand the concept of bravery and to get in touch with his spiritual guides. While moving across the land, the initiate sings so-called “songlines” – ancestral songs that serve as “spoken maps” that help him find his way. In the lack of modern instruments such as a compass or radio, it is believed that the young person is guided by some spiritual power. One can say that the walkabout is both a journey across the land and a journey of the mind, an excellent time for self-evaluation and reflection.
As we spent the day walking through the Blue Mountains, being mindful and in the moment, being respectful and understanding of the environment and all that Mother Earth has to offer, I couldn't help but make a connection between the adventure and journey of a walkabout and how I view my sabbatical year. Among all the different types of journeys that people undertake there are also those of a spiritual nature. Some of the trips we do in our lives are purely for pleasure, some are meant to make us stronger, sometimes we travel to explore and learn, and in all of these undertakings we grow and become wiser. In a way I feel the voices of former students and teachers, who have shaped who I am as a teacher today, are my spiritual powers and guide me to reach further, learn more, and expand my knowledge. I shared this with Evan and he absolutely agreed that I had a great opportunity ahead of me and, like a walkabout, I would return to my community and share all that I learned, which he said is a crucial component of a walkabout.
Perhaps a sabbatical is not necessarily defined by the absence of work, but by the presence of it. I'm not taking time off from work for the sake of relaxation, rather, I am engaged in another type of personal and professional pursuit. This year is an opportunity to be courageous and explore new ideas, following my dreams and reignite a passion. Sabbaticals aren’t just another word for vacation. They’re the new word for an active pursuit of purpose. And when I return to the classroom, after this period of self-evaluation and reflection, may I serve more effectively in our school community and in my field of specialization.
Lessons learned today? Practice mindfulness in an intentional and daily basis, recognize and let go of "bad spirit trouble", and trust in the wisdom of Evan, who got us to the train platform at 3:35 without rushing.
From The Dreaming
By Evan Yanna Muru
Inspired by a poem by his father, Angel Guru Dyarralang
"Inner peace but outer awareness
Real happiness as addictions fade
Your mind harmonizing to your soul
Freedom from your limiting thoughts
Clarity to follow your truth
Creating everlasting change
And replacing any bad spirit trouble
Welcome to your sacred journey
Shed your skin and feel it
Dance your song line into life
Walk it gently and become green
For mother nature is yearning
For all our polluting to finally stop
And for us to restore our paradise"