The Dreaming is not just a recollection of the past, it is also the reality of the now and the creator of the future. At the most elementary level, the Dreaming embodies the Aboriginal idea of creation. In Aboriginal belief it was the activities of the Ancestral beings as the moved around which created the world as it is today. For example, to the Pitjantjatjat people of the western Desert of Central Australia, a high mountain peak may represent a place where one of the Ancestors stood up and looked over the surrounding country These Ancestral beings have been described as the “prototypes of the various natural species.” This belief reinforces the spiritual and physical ties that Aboriginal people have with the land. Thus insuring that the Dreaming is not separated from the physical world or hinged to the past, but existent in the present.
It is not only believed that the Ancestral beings gave aboriginals their physical surroundings but were also responsible for establishing the social and cultural patterns to be emulated. Demonstrating human qualities the Ancestor Spirits established the Aboriginal way of life including kinship systems, customs and moral lessons represented by both good and wrong behaviour. This is why the Dreaming is in one dimension thought of as the ‘law’ of Aboriginal belief. The way in which Aboriginal people accept it as their obligation to preserve the natural and social order created by the Ancestral beings is an expression of the Dreaming in itself.
Totemic identity conveys the significance of an Aborigine's relationship with the Dreaming and the subsequent social order created by the Ancestral beings aboriginals normally have many totems concerning their family and in particular the area of land where the mother first became mindful of carrying her child. To belong to the dingo or lizard totem, for example, gives an individual an identity which extends beyond those of his or her immediate family. Thus as another expression of Aboriginal spirituality, totemic systems integrate the individual with people, nature, and the Ancestors Spirits.
Not only is the Dreaming expressed in everyday life but also in stories, dance, sacred objects and ceremony. Increase ceremonies for example are a particularly important form of spiritual expression with the purpose of ensuring the fertility and abundance of various natural species. At the ritual sites lengthy cycles of songs and ceremonies are performed usually by the men of the clan associated with a particular totemic species. Initiation ceremonies are also held at significant stages of life, such as puberty to seek the assistance of spiritual beings. Male initiation rites, for example, include tests of worthiness and courage such as “tooth evulsion, circumcision, nose piercing, sleep deprivation, and the cutting of ceremonial markings upon skin.” These practices ensure the link between Ancestral Spirits and Aboriginal humanity is perpetuated.
The Dreaming is the state in which Aboriginal people interpret life and how their world came into existence. It is a memory of the past, a reality of the present and the creator of the future. The significance of their beleifs are paramount and this spiritual dedication is represented through every day living as well as formal expression.