Heart in the mist...
Reflections
on Bentley…
23rd May 2014
The quiet darkness is filled with a
stirring of action…mists roll around a dew drenched paddock, cars move amidst
the rising shadows…feet walk through chilled air, breathing in anticipation of
the dawn…the smells of fire waft across the sea of tents…small little homes of
the masses of people camped out to ‘protect’ the surrounding lands from the
potential threats of unconventional gas mining.
It’s been a solid few weeks on the
ground….momentum building, tents growing, infrastructure being constantly put
up, pulled down, relocated, strengthened…dishes washed, kitchen meals,
computers, elders, radios, dogs, children, café, cows and cars. How to compost the lives of so many linking
together with strong arms in the fight?
Moving in the darkness, the feet hit the
worn path of Bungabee road; through the gates, past the traffic control with
fluoro high viz jackets…breathing the swirling mists one turns to see a bright
solar powered love heart light rising in the darkness above the café…cows chew
grass and the trees surrounding the paddock stand like sentinels, witnessing
the birth of something unspoken…
Heading onto the woodchip path that someone
or many hands have laid, walking along the busy highway of early commuters…the
light starts to the lift the mists into a veil of beauty…deep beauty of the
mountains that surround the valley…ridges of woodland watch like shadows of
time…this path has been trodden by so many – so many faces that pass on the path.
The eyes meet the many confluences of stories coming together on this path in
the dawn to stand strong. Passing Gate B, nestled into the driveway simmos and
vigil watchers warm hands by small fires and greet the passers by. Walking
through the rock walls to Gate A, one sees the sky lift its veil, mists in the
west, painted signs line the rock walls and iron love hearts.
The flags lead on to Gate B…confronted with
silhouettes of monopoles, ropes, tarps, star pickets, people and scrambling
sprawling life in camp, the heartbeat draws you in…it is dawn rising in the
guardianship of the arms of the protectors. Gathered together around the stones
of the sacred fire…its heat pulsing out towards the skies; the spirits holding
the power of the ancestors within…you are drawn into the circle, warmly
embraced into the fold. Soft prayers being spoken, stories told and
shared…everybody’s eyes fixed on the flames, directed towards the thoughts of
the ever-present fight…announcements are made, people drift off and on, songs
are sung…smoke billows to touch the faces of all present for the dawn vigil…
Looking eastward, the colours dancing in
the sky above the range give a glow to the congregation…passing through the
barbed wire fences – covered with pipes, passing the tripod, flags and lock on
fortifications, one bursts into the field of the wider landscape. It is
beautiful. The dawn touches your cheeks and you know this is the power of the
earth manifest in her raiment, her wonder and power…the thought of knowing that
where your feet are now standing, could, in a parallel universe, be an
industrial warzone of chemicals, concrete, pipes and poison. Hearing the
crickets at play in the golden stalks of grass, seeing more clearly now how the
land lays herself over the gentle rises and folds…The strengthening light takes
you onto the hill…
The silence and majesty here is palpable.
The sacred fire, held by the hands of many sends its plumes above…here,
everything else is noisy and distracted. For here, where the mists roll over
the plains, where it is clear, you see clearly the wider story…in this place
you see the sacred…this mighty fig tree with its twined roots standing firmly
on this rise; this is life…the tree of life…this is the power that draws us all
together. This is why thousands upon thousands of people have stood up, donated
their hearts, time, energy, money, skills and more beyond measure…it all makes
sense as you sit in the dawn light…and witness…
As the fire slowly burns on, as the sun
gently rises…so too we rise…together in the heart…all of those standing in this
place, we are rising…it is the birth of a powerful force…beyond what we know.
And it is bigger than what we thought and more powerful than anything
before…the truth of life, the corrupt forces that we plainly see for their
lies, illusion and deceit are crumbling… and we stand silent, together, firm
and strong like the solid ancient fig tree watching over it all…it is an
amazing force rising…the eyes gaze upon the sun as it blasts through the mists.
Here we are. It is on.
Reflecting on the campaign at Bentley and
having been involved in my humble, small way, I am profoundly determined to
carry this experience into all possible places of life. As a mother, as a
lover, a citizen and artist. Being involved with such a dedicated, passionate
group of people makes me, you, us, all stronger. Beyond the personal, being
witness to the group of seasoned elders & veteran campaigners who held the
fort strong with clear vision and empowerment from the beginning has been life
a life changing honour. The clarity, intelligence and problem solving skills of
the whole team devoted to holding the campaign and camp Bentley together are to
be applauded…it has blown my mind!!
The strategy of bringing together multiple
small groups, the political focus, social strength and networking capacity of
this has been totally epic. The fight has been peaceful. The fight has been
taken to the throats of the corrupt and made them quake in the face of their
own pathetic choices; standing in truth for the reality of what it means to
have a real future. Beautiful, simple grandmothers who have farmed the land for
decades humbly standing up. This has been a magnet for all walks of life; it
has galvanised a community into a strengthened, sharply honed arsenal of
peaceful, powerful and honest ‘protectors’.
Having responded to the call many weeks ago
to ‘represent’ and be out at Bentley ‘on country’ has been a powerful,
life-changing journey. From a humble tent, to fully developed camp, Bentley captured
my heart and felt for the first time in months like a home. Juggling between
life, children and all of the responsibilities, returning to that paddock was
the most meaningful and important place to be. Watching this place pull people
into its matrix and rip them apart to be put back together again has been both
painful and joyous to watch. The multiple challenges of living life and working
to hold the many layers together has been fragile to say the least.
Waking on Thursday 20th May was
like a dream. To hear the cows bleating and munching all as normal, feeling the
dawn rise above the mists…and then the muffled shouts, the heart beating
faster, cries of joy, bursting out of the tent looking for anyone…’we’ve
won…we’ve won….the minister has made an announcement’… running around the first
woman I saw grabbed me and cried into my arms…we cried and felt relief beyond
relief…tears, tears…
What we had anticipated was a nightmare.
Just hours before I had been in a heated conversation about battle tactics…to
burn tyres, to not burn tyres, how to deal with police horses, pepper spray…how
do we stay peaceful if the police are being violent?? All these questions, the
building confrontation and reality of potentially facing up to 800+ riot and
military police just seemed too inviolate to comprehend; we all felt the
pending doom. Yet, despite the potential force, so many were resolute; we will
face what is to come with full heart, full truth and will not balk at the force
of the mighty. So many willing to face violence, arrest and the full brunt of
police might. Like highly strung, tightly wound balls of string…all this
collectively ‘sighed’ in epic release on this morning…
Arriving to the main camp to hugs, cries
and joy was immense. It gave permission to finally feel it all, to see the
power of people, to see the fruits of what so many had tirelessly and
collectively sown. There was almost disbelief. There were media everywhere,
interviews, cameras, radios, microphones. A euphoria of disbelief, relief and
success wafted over camp like a golden mist in that early morning light. The
rock of Bentley penetrated the pond and rippled out in waves of epic
proportion…socially, politically, environmentally, culturally, personally…and
from there it hasn’t stopped…the house of cards continues to crumble on a
political level…corruption of senior politicians exposed…the snakes are
emerging from the grass and being seen for who they truly are (in fact snakes
would be far more welcome in the Bentley camp I am sure!!).
What I have witnessed I cannot really do
justice to in either words or pictures…the beauty is extraordinary and also the
pain…the pain of what it took to get there; the pain of losing what is no
longer needed and the joy of discovering what strength there is within. This
battle has been won both within and without…being a part of this whole movement
has shown that.
It has hit my core and asked me to feel
deeper and go deeper. To connect, to stand strong and listen more, ever more.
What has been lost and what has been gained is immeasurable…
I see the many eyes that I have crossed
paths with and the authentic, real place of being together, hand in hand with
so many amazing souls. Knowing that that is the true victory; to see love
joining hands, in a paddock, on a hill. To be brave enough to stand in the
midst of our own pain, truth and suffering and have the courage to go there,
feel it and let it burn in the ashes…all the stories and healing that has been
unseen in this land will burn forever in my heart…it is the dawn of a new
day…it is only the beginning…
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