I was lucky in childhood as I was brought up partly in the Sydney melting pot of Balmain and partly
on a property in the Australian Bush. I never really settled into either, always somewhere between. But the constant was my connection with earth. I talked to birds, plants, animals. I found treasures and created things. Though I don't consider myself a writer at all, I made up stories that comforted me and gave me understandings. Now I use these stories, old and new as meditations in the creation of my artworks and now I'm feeling brave enough to start sharing them.... Djarruga Totem Meditation
Standing on top of a large well covered hill.
The scent of gum trees and bush grasses fill the air as the warm sun envelops you in comfort.
You look for a place you will call home in the gully.
It may have been your home once before, it will always call you back.
There are many clearings in the gully along the twisting river.
People, families move with happy purpose and you look on with a warm heart.
Smiling.
Peace.
You start to walk down the steep hill, through the guardian trees of this gully, they part as you
make your way and you see a path.
The path gently curves back and forth on it’s way down the long hill.
You walk deeper through the trees. Light grows heavy. Grasses grow thicker.
The sounds of the sun filled hill you left behind fade.
Quiet.
It is quite dim and your bush path is harder to make out. You edge slower, feeling tree trunks,
paper barks, fronds, crunching the thicker carpet of the dark scrub underfoot.
In a flurry of illuminating splendour, a magnificent Cockatoo swoops your shoulder and comes to heavy rest on a branch in front of you.
He watches you.
Head angled.
You stop and take in the sight of this magnificent bird.
White pure plumage, tinged with the rays of the midday sun light up all that surrounds you.
Black glistening eyes, touched with his humor but ever so knowing.
Missing nothing and ready to share his illumination with those he befriends.
He asks you why you are here.
You answer.
Cockatoo dances on his branch as he welcomes you to his gully as ‘friend’.
He fans his wing of wondrously brilliant feathers before you and pushes back the dark
of the bush and before you both is the illuminated path.
Cockatoo wishes you well on your journey as friend.
The path is sun filled once again.
The plants sparkle with his energy, Cockatoo’s good humor lifts your spirit high and you continue.
You now think on why you are here and what you told Cocktoo.
While thinking and walking your illuminated path you notice so many more Bottlebrushes.
They are the finest you have ever seen.
Thick large healthy strong bushes surround you on either side.
Flowers fire red, passion, power, strength. Though with such gentle softness.
Flowers orange, energy, vitality. Though again with the softness of butterfly wings.
You touch the flowers closest to you and through a part in the scrub a bird like you never seen proudly walks out.
She looks at you in expectation.
Are you the one she has been waiting for.
Her feathers are rusett brown, orange tinged. A white rimmed eye watches you.
Scrub Hen, you know her from somewhere.
She speaks.
“I am Djarruga. I am the Mother, the one who makes home and family.
Are you lost?”
You do not think you are ‘lost’ though you want to find the place you saw from your hill.
You tell Djarruga about the gully places and what you hope to find there.
The beautiful hen walks around the path before you. Her warmth, strength,
and knowing energy envelope you.
You speak, Djarruga, the Mother Hen listens to you with love.
Djarruga reaches out her orange wing, and takes your hand.
Together you pass back through the Bottlebrushes and you are amazed to find you are on the gully floor.
Amongst the people you saw from so far away when you began your journey on the distant hill.
All smile and welcome you.
Djarruga releases your hand.
You are home.
More information on this sculpture can be found in this post DJARRUGA