The Australian Rainbow Serpent

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The Australian Rainbow Serpent

The Australian Aboriginal people believe the universe has two aspects - the physical world in which we live and another connected world from which it is derived called the Dreamtime.

One of the most important dragons of creation mythology is the Australian Rainbow Serpent, its symbol being the rainbow bridging Heaven and Earth.

For more information on the original painting Australian Rainbow Serpent by Susanne Iles please visit:http://www.bonesinger.com/rainbow.html

The original article entitled The Dragon and Creation: Reclaiming the Sacred in Our Lives by Susanne Iles may be found at http://www.bonesinger.com/essaycreate.html

The Australian Rainbow Serpent by Susanne Iles 

The Australian Aboriginal people believe the universe has two aspects - the physical world in which we live and another connected world from which it is derived called the Dreamtime.

One of the most important dragons of creation mythology is the Australian Rainbow Serpent, its symbol being the rainbow bridging Heaven and Earth. Given the Dreamtime is connected to our world, the creation story of the Ancestors and their mythical past is simultaneously the creation of the present and our future. According to Aboriginal cosmology the link must be maintained if our future is to be made manifest.

There are as many legends of the Rainbow Serpent as there are tribes of people, but the common elements can be found as follows.

Dreamtime 

Creation

The All-Mighty Creator formed the Earth and the heavens. However, at the time of creation the Earth in the Dreamtime was flat, colourless and desolate. The Rainbow Serpent descended from the sky and moved over the face of the Earth creating deep valleys and rivers, nourishing the planet and giving it form. Some legends tell the story of the Rainbow Serpent populating the world with plants, humans and animals.Other versions tell of the great serpent calling out to all the living creatures of the planet to come out of hiding and enjoy the land. The wise serpent taught them the laws of community, structure, ethics and respect.

By embracing our mythical past and remembering the wisdom of our ancestors we can re-create the sacred trust between Heaven and Earth to ensure a future for humankind.

Australian Rainbow Serpent Links 

Aboriginal Dreaming
The Rainbow Serpent came from Northern Australia in an era when the country was in its dreaming
origins.
Rainbow Serpent
Rainbow Serpent Wikipedia entry.
The Rainbow Serpent
Aboriginal Art Online offers quality paintings and limited edition prints by Australian Aboriginal artists - together with information and comment about Aboriginal art, cultures and society.
The Great Rainbow Serpent
"The country was flat. Goorialla, the great Rainbow Serpent, stirred and set off to look for his own tribe. He travelled across Australia from South to North. He reached Cape York where he stopped and made a big red mountain called Naralullgan. He listened to the wind and heard only voices speaking strange languages..."

Recommended Reading 

The Oxford Companion to Aboriginal Art and Culture

Amazon Price: $115.50 (as of 12/26/2009) Buy Now

Aboriginal Paintings of the Wolfe Creek Crater: Track of the Rainbow Serpent

Amazon Price: $30.36 (as of 12/26/2009) Buy Now

Painting Culture: The Making of an Aboriginal High Art (Objects/Histories)

Amazon Price: $16.56 (as of 12/26/2009) Buy Now

Papunya-A Place Made After the Story: The Beginnings of the Western Desert Painting Movement

Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009) Buy Now

Australian Dreaming: 40,000 years of Aboriginal History

Amazon Price: $29.16 (as of 12/26/2009) Buy Now

The Bone Singer Studio Blog 

Reconnecting Our Natural World With The Divine

For current news and information about Susanne and the Bone Singer Studio~Gallery in Castletownbere, Ireland please visit the Bone Singer Blog.

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The Ring of Beara Blog 

Living in the Beautiful Beara Peninsula, County Cork, Ireland

Please join artist and writer Susanne Iles as she travels around the Most Captivating Place in Ireland.

The Beara Peninsula, otherwise known as the Ring of Beara, is a place where ancient landscapes and changing skies welcome the passionate traveler. Discover mysterious stone circles, wedge tombs and standing stones. Explore wild beaches and rolling hills. Enjoy the music, great conversation, and company of friendly people in colourful towns. The Beara Peninsula holds the spirit of Ireland within its rugged beauty.

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by Susanne_Iles

Welcome! My name is Susanne Iles and I am a contemporary symbolist painter, writer, and curator. Please visit my homepage, Bone Singer Studio~Gallery... (more)

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