~Dulngulg Song Cycle, Australian Mudbara People~

At daybreak, the rising sun stretches her arms.

At daybreak, the goddess rises  to her  feet.

She rises, driving out darkness from the land.

She rises, bringing daylight and birdsong to the land.

Beneath her, we move about, enjoying her warmth.

Above us, she moves about, moving westward.

She shines bright on the blooming collibah tree,

with its sprawiling roots, with its spreading branches.

~Dulngulg Song Cycle, Australian Mudbara People



Light grows daily stronger at this time of year, but it is hard to believe it, for the world still seems shrouded in wintery gloom. Yet daily, the sun rises earlier and sets later. Daily, the great round of the year reveals its mysteries once again.



So it is with our lives. We pass through periods where we believe that we will never find happiness again, that we will never find an end to pain, that we will forever suffer from frustration and unease and anxiety.But nothing lasts forever. The greatest pain, like the greatest joy, someday ends. True joy exists in learning to delight in the dance of life, not clinging to a certain day's beauties or even to its pains. True joy exists in moving like the sun through each day, knowing that it will finally end but also that a new day will always dawn afresh.



By Patricia Monaghan