From Night On: Sacred Grounds

Chapters 11-12

Chapter 11:

The Story Continues

The Beginning

Zapotec Creation Myth

Before the earth became what we know it as, it was only a body of water. As water is one of the elements of life, a being was born deep in the core from all the pressure pushing life into one center. The being was there and found that it had, like water, no form, but, unlike water, it had a choice as to what form it took.

It decided to take a form that would allow it to move through the water much more easily. It was a small form. With nothing to compare itself to and no memory that we have of forms, it resembled a small plate which could move it's outer edge to glide through the water.

The amount of energy it took to create such a form forced some of the life energy out of it and created other beings of this new form. "This is interesting," the being thought, and decided to make another form, this one a little larger. Again, the life energy that it gave off during the change created others of that form.

The being experimented with this for a long time. Each new form took longer and longer to create as each new form became larger and more complex. It thought again, "This is interesting," and the being noticed that when it was water, it was with water. When it was the small form, it was with small forms. When it created a new form, it was with the new forms. It thought, "No matter which form I take, I am never alone, but these other forms do not think like me. All they care about is eating each other. They have no language for me to communicate with."

Just then, many stones and rocks fell from the sky. The waves they created caught the being's attention. "What is happening?" the being asked. "What is this that is entering the water? It has a form, but it is not living."

In curiosity, the being swam all the way to where the water stopped and looked out into the vastness of space for the first time. It saw stars and the sun and a large form that seemed to be the source of the falling rocks. "Who are you?" the being yelled out to the massive form, its voice booming and sending tidal waves out from it.

Time went by and the tidal waves became the splashes from falling rocks,but there was no answer. The being's eyesight was better suited for underwater, far away from the sunlight, so it focused and changed its eyes to see better. It looked and studied the surface of the form. It looked like a larger version of what was falling into the water."What are you?" it yelled out, but there was no reply. The being stared and studied the form and its vast surface.

The being turned to the bright sun and asked, "Who are you?" and this time it got a response.

"I don't know who I am," the sun responded. "Who are you?"

The being thought to itself and realized how difficult the question is,but responded with, "I am from the water. I am the creator of the beings that swim."

"Interesting," the sun thought. "Then I am the watcher and mover. Before your water got close to me, it was solid like those rocks. My warmth changed it to the formlessness that it is now." The sun continued,"I have seen many forms pass by me. Some circle me, like your water, but none have ever spoken to me." The sun shown brightly, "I am happy that you have."

The being looked back at the massive form that was raining down rocks and asked the sun, "Do you know what or who that is?"

"I have seen many forms like that," responded the sun. "They pass by without a thought and I pull some of them to me, but if they get too close to me, they become formless and then become one with me."The sun let out a long sigh, "I can pull forms to me and I can spread my warmth out over a great distance, but I do not have the power to push forms away."