The river valley is awash with rain, green growth exploding, birds dancing in the branches, water gleaming in the morning sun.
Where is the spirituality within this place?
For me, spiritual connection is found embedded in place, in the movement of the tidal waters, in the glorious sound of bird song, in the changing patterns of the weather, in the strong plant growth since the rains came, in the possibility of seeing what's often hidden, eels, fish, lizards.
Spirituality emerges in the connection to the place, the reverence for the river and the daily ritual of paying homage to its flow. Spirituality arises too in the knowldge of its plight and the fight to protect it - an ecosystem under threat from development, upstream agricultural runoff and continuous habitat destruction.
For Aboriginal people, the Turrbal and Jaggera peoples, this is, and was, and will be, sacred land and river space. They hold the memory of the time before white settlement when the river was crystal clear, a waterway where fishing was abundant and species bountiful.
Remembering the life of the river and the sacredness of the past is an impetus to recognise the sacredness in the present and venerate the life that flows through this river city.
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