Reflection on Moonlight
At the time of Creation, the Light shone in every corner of every part of the universe; and so it was that the whole of existence came to be. Each creature was fashioned to see itself and to show itself in a particular form, but all in their essence were Light. And the Earth became Mother to all who lived there, sustaining and providing for her children. And man, with his ability to think and reason, became responsible for loving his mother and seeing that she was treated with respect. When harmony had been planted, the Light said to the man,
“Now you will live in abundance and peace. Although you won’t see me again with your eyes, you will learn to look deep within yourself and find the light that dwells in your soul. Let it illuminate your path and enlighten your mind so that your choices will be those that bring you joy. Your desire will determine the world that will grow from the seeds I have sown.”
And the man felt important and his pride made him blind to the spirit that connected him with all of Creation. No longer could he see the Light that lived within him, and soon he became afraid.
“Don’t leave us,” he cried to the Light, “we will fail if we need to decide our own fate.”
“Trust,” the Light answered. “Trust yourself because you trust me. Be what I have created you to be.”
And the Light, in its infinite wisdom, retreated; but always it remained in each creature it had shone into existence.
In the heavens, above the Earth and reaching farther than the eye could see, the Light spoke to two other beings, two heavenly bodies placed near the Earth so that they could be seen from below.
“Sol,” he called out to the larger of the two, “I have made you to shine so that even in my absence the creatures of Earth will have warmth and energy and enough light to allow them to grow and to live and to work. Your warmth will encourage the small seeds to sprout as they lie in the womb of their mother, the Earth. You will set into motion the magical ways that will make the plants grow and bring food to all creatures. They will dance in your light and delight in your warmth, and your name will be ‘sun,’ because they will think you are my son. I will fill you with my light, and you will transform it so that Earth will have energy to provide for her children.”
Sol swelled with pride as he turned toward the Light, taking in all that he could contain. When the Light had completely saturated him, Sol placed himself above the earth, feeling very important indeed! He began to shine; and as he did, the light within him worked at consuming his pride and self-importance, and Sol became quite hot. So great was his pride that as the light burned it away, a new supply would appear.
‘I have chosen well,’ thought the Light, ‘his pride will allow him to burn for eternity. Never will Earth be barren and cold.’ But the Light knew the sun might easily burn a hole in the Earth on the side where he sat. So the Light gave the Earth a spin, and Earth began to turn slowly, one turn per day, and the heat of the sun never rested in the same place long enough to scorch the land below. Life on Earth flourished and each day brought new creation.
Now the Light called to another of his children.
“Luna, I have a task for you as well.”
Luna approached the Light humbly, amazed that she, too, might be given a position of importance in the heavens.
“What is it that you would have me do?” she asked the Light.
“Take this,” the Light answered, and it handed her a large mirror. “Hold it steadily,” said the Light. “You will stay far from Sol, on the dark side of the Earth, and watch over Creation as it sleeps.”
Luna took the mirror and held it in front of her, and the Light shone on it and its rays were bounced to the Earth below. Luna felt a bit sad. She had seen her brother, the Sun, grow mighty and powerful as he was filled with the Light; but the mirror she held sent the Light away from her. She didn’t grow warm or bright or powerful. She didn’t understand. Luna loved the Light, and she knew that the Light loved her; but her job seemed trivial compared to that of the sun. He made people dance and gave the Earth life, and all she did was sit alone in the dark never owning any light at all. The mirror suddenly felt heavy in Luna’s hands and her heart felt heavy, too. She began to weep silently, and her tears fell like a whisper from the heavens and landed as a fog and rested on the Earth below.
The next morning, the Light shone on Luna.
“Look at the Earth,” the Light directed.
Luna looked down, and at the edge where the night met the day, she could see the grass glisten in the light of the rising sun.
“Have you been crying?” asked the Light.
“Maybe just a little,” Luna replied. And she hid her face from the Light.
“Don’t look away,” the Light said, “Tell me why your tears lie on the Earth.”
“I’m sorry,” Luna began, “it’s just that Sol has such an important job, and when you called on me, I thought my job would be important, too. Instead, I sit here and hold a mirror. Your light never even touches me. I’m all alone and forgotten in the sky, with only the stars to keep me company. This isn’t what I expected at all.”
“Do you trust me?” asked the Light.
“Of course I do,” replied Luna.
“Then hold the mirror,” the Light told her, “but this time look beyond it and let your heart see the Earth below.”
And the Light moved away, leaving Luna on her own once again, holding her mirror in the quiet night sky. She wanted to feel ashamed; but she knew that the Light didn’t judge her, so she pushed the shame aside and let it evaporate into the darkness all around her. Luna sat alone in the deep, silent sky; and as she held her mirror, she looked past it to the land below. No longer did she feel sad, for her trust in the Light gave her new resolve. With the eyes of her heart, Luna looked past the stars, through the clouds, and all the way to the surface of the land. There, in the darkness, she saw a young woman sitting alone. The woman gazed up at Luna’s mirror, and the voice of her own heart spoke,
“Oh, Moon, you are the only one I can talk to this night. The whole world is sleeping, and only I am awake. The Sun has gone to bed for the night, and there is no light to warm and reassure me. My child is ill, and I am afraid. I feel so lost in the dark of night, and the Light seems far away.”
The young woman began to cry as she sat alone in the deep, still night. Luna heard her cries and heard the words of her heart.
‘Oh, my,’ thought Luna, ‘that woman feels just as I did when my sadness made me forget that the Light is always with me.’
Luna steadied the mirror she held and purposefully aimed its beam directly at the young woman. As the Light bathed the young woman with its loving rays, Luna became aware that her own tears were falling once again. This time it was not her own sadness that gave birth to tears. It was the memory of sadness and the recognizing of another’s emotion as being like her own. The tears that fell from Luna’s eyes were the tears of a young woman she never had met but whose heart she recognized because of the light that lived in both of them.
It was at this moment that Compassion was born; and it fell silently, like a whisper from the heavens, and landed on the woman and on all the Earth below. As she looked toward the place where the dark of night met the light of the sunrise, Luna could see her tears of compassion sparkling like diamonds through the night. It was at this moment that Luna understood with humility the importance of her purpose in holding a mirror in the vast darkness of the night sky. As she bounced the pure Light of Creation in the Earth’s darkest hour, Hope landed in the heart of each creature it touched, bringing them Peace and reminding them of the Light that resided deep in their souls. And the Light looked down on the dewy morning, watching the sun burn away the tears of the night, and saw that it was good.
And so it is that the Sun continues to send his warmth and life-giving energy through the daily sacrifice of his own self-importance and pride. And so it is that the humble Moon stands aside, defers to the Light, and holds firmly the mirror that delivers Hope and Light even in the world’s darkest night.
ã Pamela Stead Jones 2010
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