Elemental Surfi Tales Original Stuff from DownUnder
Check Freesurf at Global Oceanic Surf Links
The 1st Set ... The Spirit of Surfing Editorial - Inaugural Edition ... Elemental Surfi Tales Introduction - Gettin' wet & paddling out the back Article 1 - The Nature of Surf - the Cosmic Ecosystem Article 2 - Kohanamoku DownUnder - Freshwater Beach 1915 Article 3 - Cyberspace Threads - Surfing the Hemispheres
Web Publication by Mountain Man Graphics, Australia

G'Day

Glad you could make it ...

Welcome to the first set of Surfi Tales:
The Spirit of Surfing

Sunshine and Salt there is a-plenty by the shores of our terrestrial planetary oceans, and you may help yourself to the philosophy interwoven into the Surfi Tales, for there are a number of common threads apparent in the fabric of the Tales:

The Elements of Nature: Common to all living beings is some degree of comprehension concerning their survival. In many of the Surfi Tales exists the simple observation that survival in the world wherein we dwell and co_evolve may be more sensibly understood as being composed (at the fundamental level) of the original ancient elements of nature ... that is:
• Earth - Analysed by the scientific mind to an atomic table,
  yet known by the heart in terms of survival by food.
  
• Water - Analysed by the scientific mind to an H20 molecule,
  yet known by the heart in terms of survival by its own name water.
  
• Air - Analysed by the scientific mind to a mixture of N2 and O2 molecules,
  yet known by the heart in terms of survival by its own name air.
  
• Fire - Analysed by the scientific mind into the Electromagnetic Spectrum,
  yet known to the heart in terms of the simple sunshine.
  
• Discussion of the fifth element Aether (or Akasha) is to be reserved until there exists an established working definition of terms in relation to the common understanding of the nature of the four elements of living survival which are known as earth and water and air and fire.

The Environments of Nature: Since the beginning there has been evident the observation that the land and the sky represented different extentions of space. The differences between the nature of the land and the nature of the sky are - the planet over - the subject of many legends, traditions and lore, and this is not surprising. What is often overlooked is the fact that it has only been very recently determined that the earth orbits the sun, and that the earth was not at the center of the cosmos, but rather one of many worlds. Now that man is generically capable of extraterrestrial vision, it is generally understood that the terrestrial environment is located on the surface of the spinning planet of Earth, the dominant partner in the Earth/Moon binary system. This terrestrial ecosystemic environment represents a complexly derived chariot which bears us proudly through our little fragmentary corner of the universe, a universe which therefore seems to exhibit dual environments. We might summarise this by observing there appears to be two sensible environments:

• The Terrestrial environment: The environment seemingly contained within the bounds of the planet earth - all that enclosed within the ocean of air, but more ... extending to the consideration of the moon, which clearly influences the manifestation of terrestrial phenomena - such as the tides. For countless millennia extending back to pre-history and beyond, the terrestrial environment was known as the center of a geocentric universe. The earth was at the center of the cosmos. But then came the telescope, space travel and image communications.
  And the nature of the cosmic fields were seen to be of Sunshine.

• The Cosmic environment: What is the nature of the sun? Spinning slowly about its own axis, at the center of the earth/moon pair's annual orbit, the sun represents the ecosystemic engine of life for our entire planetary history. Yet, like a grain of sand on a long long strand of beach, the sun is also a star in the immensity of the cosmos. As such, the nature of the cosmos appears to be an ocean of light within which, scattered at remote and far_flung locations, the prominences of terrestrial islands and outcrops brave the eternal cosmic swell.

The Kingdoms of Nature: The nature of Life ... the nature of Time ... the nature of a Life-Time ... this is yet a mystery - or so it seems - and so it is told. The emergence and evolution of living beings into the tapestry of nature has been the subject of many observations. In the modern scientific era much research and literature has been enacted in pursuit of the seeming never_never ending classification of the varieties of life. Yet even from ancient times there have been held, and substantiated by the modern classification, the broadest division of life into the kingdoms of nature as follows:
• The Mineral Kingdom: Earth, water and air: terrestrial beneath the cosmic fire
  
• The Plant Kingdom: The Greening creatures, seeking circulation in water and sun.
  
• The Animal Kingdom: The mobile aerobic creatures, of all kinds and forms.
  
• The Kingdom of Man: Wherein we Art.

Comments may be sent to the editor by E-Mail.

keep surfin' :)

[Index]

Surfi Tales
The Spirit of Surfing

An evolution of consciousness is the central motive of terrestrial existence.
The evolutionary working of Nature has a double process:
an evolution of forms, an evolution of the soul.
Man occupies the crest of the evolutionary wave.
With him occurs the passage from an unconscious to a conscious evolution.
At each step one receives an intimation of what the following step will be.
The nature of the next step is indicated
by the deep aspirations awakening in the human race.

The Future Evolution of Man
Sri Aurobindo

The Lineup of the Surfing Culture

The emergence of the surfing culture within the terrestrial environment, in particular in the last few human generations, is encouraging for the planet. There is a certain knowledge carried by that culture in respect of the ocean, and in respect of the elemental forces of nature, and in particular, in respect of the individual peace and freedom which the experience of oceanic surfing may engender.

The surfing culture is a global movement which cannot adequately be expressed in any one individual set of beliefs or code or mannerisms, yet all surfers share a common experiential link with the nature of the ocean, and in particular the manifestation which is known to many as the simple surf.

The waves of life

Eternally restless are the waters of the terrestrial oceans under the tidal relativity of the spinning earth with the moon and sun. Superimposed over this cosmologically scaled harmonic resonance of the oceanic tides, is the action of wind upon the surface of the same waters. In addition to this, research indicates that life began in the ancient seas more than 3.5 billion years ago today.

If surfing only started on a global basis in the middle of the last century of the second millennia, that means there has been alot of perfect days we have missed when the surf would have been totally indescribable.

Experience is essential .... from the extention of the contemplative moments in the solitude of the ocean, waiting for the time between the sets, or indeed the compression of the raw energy of elemental survival in the surfing of its waves, when the sets roll through - beneath the sky and wind. These experiences are good for the soul. But when the session is ended, or the light of day withdraws, or the swell ceases to roll in from beyond the distant horizons, then it is often the time to contemplate the foundation of peace, and the nature of nature, and how the surf waves are formed and sent on their journeys across the horizons of our common and shared terrestrial island in the cosmos.

And it is with such research in mind that we arrive at TheTakeOffPoint
for the first set of Surfi Tales has rolled into sight:

Article 1 - The Nature of Surf
This article provides one of the foundational reference resources for anyone who has no idea of the substance of the above introduction to Surfi Lore. Surfi Lore is a remnant world_view. It is the world_view ascribed to by those who have not been brainwashed into believing that the traditional "civilised" western scientific culture has all the answers neatly stacked into some form of universal general relativistic quantum wave equation.

This article sets out the elemental metaphysics relating to the generation of surf using only the elements of nature - fire, air, water and earth - and advances the foundational notion of the reality of the substrate of kingdoms of nature which have eternally hosted all that is young, and maintained all that is ancient, under the common sun and sky of our ecosystemic environment.

[Index]

---

Article 2 - The Duke - Kohanamoku - Freshwater Beach, 1915
"Duke Kahanamoku represented the ali'i nobility
in the highest and truest sense -
concern for others, humility in victory,
courage in adversity, good sportsmanship in defeat.
He had a quality of life we are all challenged and inspired to emulate."

Reverend Abraham Akaka

A bit of history in relation to surfing downunder, this article provides the background to the Southern Summer of 1915 wherein surfing - the traditional sport of Hawaian Kings - was first demonstrated to the new Australian culture at Freshwater Beach in Sydney, by the south Pacific Ocean. The new Australian culture is referenced as such because it surplanted the ancient and existent dreamtime culture of the Australian Native aboriginal Peoples.

[Index]

---

Article 3 - That Legendary Wave - Article by The Duke
How does the surfing culture compare to the ancient cultures of traditional history? In what manner can the outlook of a lone and solitary surfer change the world-view of tradition? Kahanamoku gave it a pretty good shot.

But this tale is one from Kahanamoku himself - his Legendary Tale of his Legendary Wave - well worth the reading, again and again. It was a big day 70-80 years ago in the Islands of the Central Pacific ....

[Index]

	Elemental Surfi Tales Original Stuff from DownUnder
The Spirit of Surfing
Web Publication by Mountain Man Graphics, Australia