Respect, Kinship, and Love with Uncle Paul Gordon and Dr. Paul Callaghan

Circle For Original Thinking

The East Indian sage Ramana Maharshi was once asked, “How should we treat others?” He replied, “There are no others.” From the perspective of the sage, the universe is one being. It is for similar reasons that the values of respect, kinship, and love are inseparable in aboriginal culture, as are gratitude, humility, and sacred obligations to original instructions rooted in traditional stories (the Lore). Join us as we share traditional aboriginal stories and wisdom of how to practice respect, kinship, love, and more, from the authors of The Dreaming Path: Indigenous Thinking to Change Your Life.

Uncle Paul Gordon is a Ngemba man from northwestern New South Wales, born of Gurulgilu Country, meaning he belongs to the stones. In his story, stones are born, stones have babies, stones grow, stones have spirit, and stones die, like all things do. His people are stone people. That is where they come from. Paul has spent his life working with Aboriginal communities creating organizations that can help his people achieve improved well-being. He has traveled Country and met with fellow Old Men and share the old stories so that we can take better care of each other and Mother Earth. Because “If we care of the Mother, she will always give us all that we need.

Dr. Paul Callaghan is an Aboriginal man belonging to the land of Worimi people, located on the coast of New South Wales just north of Newcastle. For many years he has held senior executive positions in Aboriginal an non-Aboriginal related service areas, but eventually his desire to focus on community and individual well-being compelled him to start his own business as a consultant. In addition to his consultancy work, Paul is a motivational speaker, storyteller, dancer, and author. Paul is the author of two non-fiction books Iridescence and The Dreaming Path, and has recently created two fictional novels Coincidence and Consequence as part of his PhD program. Paul’s passions are driven by the belief in the power of story to create a better world.