On this, my second snow-day in a row, I have spent the greater part of the day drinking tea, listening to Mozart and Django, and reading Bruce Chatwin's, The Songlines.
What a great read. The book is Chatwin's account of his travels into the Australian Outback (not the meat shack) to learn the meaning of the Aboriginal's ancient "Dreaming-tracks."
dreamtime.net.au describes them ...
Dreaming-tracks trace the creative journey of the Spirit Ancestors as they formed the land and laid down the Law. Dreaming tracks are sometimes called songlines. They record the travels of the Spirit Ancestors who "sung up" the country into life. It is believed that performing the right songs and ceremonies at points along the Dreaming track gives people direct access to the Dreaming. The Dreaming tells of the journey of Ancestral Beings who created the natural world. The Dreaming is infinite and links the past with the present to determine the future. It is the natural world, especially the land or county to which a person belongs, which provides the link between the people and The Dreaming.
I am fascinated by tales of trekkers. I am very fortunate to have a few friends who have traveled extensively and they patiently indulge me with their stories. In The Songlines, at the end of chapter 30, Chatwin contemplates man's desire to roam...
Read the excerpt from The Songlines here.
Subsequent pages in chapter 30 contain quotes Chatwin collected within the pages of his vrai moleskine. I will post these in future entries of HP.
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