Koorakoori has told me ancestors are present, said Uncle Max. We were sitting on the bushspirit cliff overlooking the vast gulleys and forests. A place where  I have talked with the ancestors for the last five years ever since Don Bowak friend, mentor and elder among men died. I had forgotten that Max knew Don and had done ceremony with him.

After telling  Max about Don, the wind spirit Koorakoori let him know this was a place of ancestor talking and they were present.  I felt Max shift into a deeper place, the energy had changed. Later I decided to name that spot, voice of no sound cliff. Why, well there is a story………………………

I asked Uncle Max to come and check out bush spirit country. There was a local  community that had experienced trouble for over 30 years now and I wanted Max to check the area out.  He is of the Yuin tribe of the NSW south coast and  is one of the great spirit elders holding the passed on lore and ceremony of his people. Full name is Max Dulumunmun Harrison. His book My Peoples Dreaming, a must read, has just been reprinted and is available through local booksellers on request or online through Booktopia  they say about him –

‘Uncle Max provides simple and clear understandings into Aboriginal culture for people from all nationalities. His teachings cover their Creation Dreaming, bush lore, foods, healing, laws and punishment, spirituality and the significance of relationship to land. ‘

So along with friends, Davy, Giles and Damith we set out to explore the country., As we were engaged in serious ritual ritual business,  Max started the day with a smoking ceremony.  I gave him my ironbark clap sticks which I had been using here. Shortly Max found a spot to do the ritual, using the sticks of asking the spirits and ancestors permission to enter, engage and explore.

Max taught us about the need to relate to and respect the land and spirits. Not just an intellectual thing, rather a full body/spirit engagement with the energies present. To listen to the whispers of the forest, the voice with no sound.

Many things had been done here without respect and permission. It is also a place of very strong spirit energies, many people know this. So when there is no respect and relationship with the land and spirit,  there is always trouble.

A healing ceremony could be done to cleanse the past and ask for forgiveness. However if that was just recieved in a tokenistic manner and  people did not start properly respecting and relating to the place then nothing would change. In fact it could get worse, because it would be a bigger disrespect to engage in ceremony and then not carry it through.

It is lyrebird dreaming country and they were singing around us  all day. They have been here for a few million years. Davy, musician and photographer,  made a short video called Lyrebird Dreaming which captured the energy of the day well.  check it out –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-2nuGIkaig