High School Advice #3 - Guest Post by Jan Hawkins author of the Dreaming series

This is my 3^rd Guest post for High School Advice by Jan Hawkins:

High School is a rite of passage for many kids. That it is anything other than a learning curve for teenagers often comes as a surprise to parents. To a parent, high school represents a necessary step towards a future for their young adults but to the kids it can be an excruciating experience, a struggle to be accepted, a fight to find out just who you are and to discover where you would like to be headed.
In Australia as with many other westernized countries that nurture many cultural influences, this path to discovery of just who you are can be difficult and it is one that is often confounded by the muddied pool of racial identity.

Australia’s first Nation of people, the Aboriginal people have mostly been dispossessed by the colonization of their country, which began barely 200 yrs ago and while the vast majority of kids who come from an indigenous background also share links with Australia’s convicts and settlers and their descendants today they still experience a confusion in their ancient Lore and culture and its place in their world.

It was for this reason that I wrote the books in The Dreaming Series, as I watched teens struggle with their identity while I worked within the Secondary Schools for over 20 yrs. The ancient Aboriginal Lore of Australia is one of the oldest living cultures in the world and their approach as a people to lore or religion as a term more commonly recognized, is unique.

Their culture is a very spiritual culture and while their traditional tribal ways of the past are often viewed as primitive, they were in fact extremely complex and having an amazing depth rarely appreciated. It is a quiet and yet intricate belief in the spiritual world, one of great value in todays mish-mash of religion and lore.

The Dreaming series of books is the story of four Aboriginal Shaman who each struggled to find a way in today’s world. One which will accommodate their Lore, their passions and their way of life which in essence is very different from the society in which they now live. While the stories are fictional and paranormal, they are bedded in an ancient Lore, which is still alive today and the essence of the stories has been drawn from historical text, research and experience.

I invite you to explore the tales, each book is a story in its own right and yet the series of four books will tell you a tale like no other, one that can still be found in the many communities which thrive outside and within the cities of Australia.

When the edges of reality have been blurred, remember that throughout the whole series of The Dreaming, there has only been one fact within the tales that has been created for the reader. All else can be found in history, in research and within the experience of what is uniquely Australian.

My interest in Australia’s indigenous Lore as well as Australian natural and more recent colonial history has been life long, and has grown from my early years spent in the bushland around Sydney. This interest was nurtured by many years of travel across my land and many experiences. With my travelogue publications, The Around the Campfire Series, I have tried to impart the joy and delight of new experiences to readers. I can only hope I have succeeded.

I would like to invite the reader on a journey of discovery. My web page is http://janhawkins.com.au and you will find more details of my publications at my Amazon Author’s site.

Join me on my journey on Facebook. The official page for the Dreaming Series of books can be found there also on the dedicated page.

Jan Hawkins
Australian Author

About Jan:  Australian Author, Jan Hawkins, was raised in the Australian bush on the outskirts of Sydney on the Georges River. Now residing in Queensland, she spent 20 years in education at secondary level in the IT field. Her love of computers pales in comparison to her love of the Australian bush. She is passionate about the history of her country and a strong desire to discover and experience new places fuels her desire to travel extensively throughout the land. Along the way she relishes being able to listen to people and to share and enjoy the adventure she calls life.

Connect with Jan:
The Dreaming Series: http://janhawkins.com.au/Dreaming%20Series.html Facebook Jan Hawkins Author:

https://www.facebook.com/writerjanhawkins

Amazon.com Jan Hawkins Authors page US:

http://www.amazon.com/Jan-Hawkins/e/B008WGH00W
The Dreaming Series Facebook Official Page:

https://www.facebook.com/authorjanhawkins

Jan’s Blog Spot:

https://www.createspace.com/en/community/blogs/janhawkins

See Series Spotlight post here

Previous Guest posts:  High School Advice #1, High School Advice #2