The Moon Comes Home
Part 1 of Trilogy: Timeless Stories for the End of Time
A story of the Moon and Sun retold
1
To my mother, grandmothers, ancestors.
To my cousin, Teenah, and all of my relations, biological, human, and otherwise.
To beloved Mother Gaia and the waters of life from which we are all born.
This story is for my inner child.
It is for the children not yet born.
This story is for all who go unseen, whose voices have been silenced, whose bodies have been stolen.
It is for anyone who feels alone, who doesn’t know what they’re doing here, who feels there is no place for them in this world.
If you need a reminder…
A reflection of your inherent value, your unique beauty.
This story is for you.
2
Once upon a time,
before the moon ever shone in the night sky, she was crying.
She was so tired of feeling lonely and left out.
The other heavenly bodies always teased her and told her to go back to earth where she belonged, with the other dead rocks.
3
This was an especially cruel thing to say in the sky realm, where every being had the fear of one day falling to the lower world.
Her only friend was the red condor. He was also an outsider.
The other birds called him a coward and a fool because he didnʼt hunt or sing pretty songs.
They were disgusted that he ate rotting leftovers.
4
But the moon loved the strength of his huge wings, the graceful way he danced with the wind, and his gentle nature…
which she suspected was the true reason for his particular eating habits.
The condor also had the gift of vision-
he knew of things unseen and of things to come.
This made the condor not only a wise friend but a wonderful storyteller.
He, unlike the others, loved both earth and sky
and would tell the moon amazing stories about the earth and her creatures.
5
The moon was most curious about the emotional ones called humans
and often wondered what things like water and weight might feel like.
6
But, mostly she felt ashamed…
Ashamed of her humble origins.
And on this particularly dark night, even the condor wasnʼt around to cheer her up.
The only time the moon felt comfortable was when she was alone in the darkness of night where no one could see her.
7
But soon it would be daylight and once again she would have to face the others.
And worst of all… witness the glory of the sun.
Why had God compelled her to orbit around him, day after day?
Although the sun never taunted the moon like the others, she still hated his arrogance.
8
He was the golden king of the heavens, blazing hot, generously shining his never-ending light on all the world- even the lower world because he was so noble.
While she was the dark, cold rock that floated passively around him.
Being near him was so painful to her, she never looked at him.
It was bad enough that her body had to revolve around his-
she was certainly not going to give him her attention as well.
But, he was hard to ignore.
9
The thought of another day of this hell was almost more than she could bear.
“What am I doing here?” the moon cried.
“I donʼt sparkle like the stars,
I canʼt fly like the winged ones do, and
I have neither freedom nor power as the wind and the rain.
Why am I here?”
10
And the moon’s heart grew so heavy that she found herself falling to earth.
She sunk gently into lush grass, through clear pools of water and rich, fertile soil.
When she finally came to rest, the moon was deep in the heart of Mother Earth.
11
The moon was wondering at this new feeling of density when she suddenly noticed beautiful colors sparkling in the warm darkness around her.
“Stars in the earth?
So I am not the only celestial being that has fallen!”
12
And just when she was starting to feel a bit better,
The voice of Mother Earth corrected her.
“Those are not stars. But once, they were stones, become jewels through the fire of my eternal embrace.”
13
And the moon began to cry once again.
“Why didnʼt you love me until I became beautiful?”
The Earth replied,
“I am your mother, but this is not your true home.
And even I do not have the power to make you beautiful.”
14
The moon felt more miserable than ever.
She wanted to disappear,
But she had nowhere to go. She had no choice but to remain cradled in the arms of her Mother.
The moon felt angry, betrayed, and abandoned.
She spent days and nights yelling, crying, and feeling sorry for herself.
She didn’t know how much time passed and she didn’t care.
15
And through it all,
the Earth just held her silently,
adding the moon’s tears to her bloodstream.
But at night, when the moon fell asleep from heartache and exhaustion,
the Earth would sing her a lullaby in an ancient language of the heart.
16
“사랑하는 딸
니가 누군지 궁굼하냐?
너는 하늘에 있는 모든 별 보다 더 밝고
너의 빛은 시작이 없고 끝도 업다.
아름다운 마음은 내가 줄 수 있는 것이 아니고
네 가 살면서 알게 됀다.
너는 이 잠든 세상을 깨울 수 있는 힘이 있다.
이 세상 인간들은 하루 종일 행복을 찾지만
찾이 못한다.
행복이 멀리 있는 것이 아니고
가까이 어더운 마음 속에 묻여 있게 때문이다.
햊빛이 아무리 밝아도 아무 도움이 돼지 않다.
네 신비한 눈빛만 밤을 낯으로 만들 수 있다.
자, 이제 깨우라.
네 운명 만날 시간이 됐다.
그리고 아무 걱정 하지 마라
네가 어디나 가도
내가 항상 네 곁에 있을 테니까.”
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“My child you wonder who you are.
Well, you are brighter than any star.
Your beauty is something I cannot give
For your beauty is that which must be lived.
Your light has no beginning and no end.
It is limitless and here to mend
The hearts of men which are fast asleep.
They search all-day
Yet cannot find what they seek.
The sacred song buried within
Is what they long to sing again.
Though the sun is bright
It cannot unravel
This mystery through which they must travel.
It is only your mysterious light
That can bring the day into the night,
Beyond division- black and white-
You reveal the infinite: inner sight.
Now wake up child to who you are.
It is time to rise and meet your star.
And remember there is nothing to fear
For wherever you go,
I am already here.”
19
The moon did not understand these strange sounds,
for she only understood the language of rejection.
But nevertheless, the Earth’s song began to awaken a memory that had been asleep deep inside the moon.
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And one morning,
the moon awoke to a refreshingly cool wind and a familiar feathery touch on her face…
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Her old friend, the red condor:
“My moon, it is time to come back home,
where you belong.”
But the moon turned to him angrily,
“Are you blind? Look at me! I’ve fallen.
Heaven was never my home.
I don’t belong there… or anywhere.”
22
The condor let out a deep sigh.
“It is you who have been blind.
The King of Heaven, the Sun himself, seeks you.
Can’t you see how much he loves you?
And how patiently he has been waiting all these years
just for you to turn and face him?”
23
The moon felt something stir in her cool still center.
The truth of her friend’s words gently dissolved
the remains of the fortress
that she had built around her heart.
24
And finally, the moon remembered why she was here.
The world was incomplete without her.
And she had always, in all ways, been loved.
As the moon accepted this truth,
the heaviness of her shame and self-denial fell away
and she began to fly.
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When she arrived in the sky, the sun was the first to greet her.
“Iʼm so happy you have come home.
You belong with me.
It is our destiny to brighten the world together
both day and night.”
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And the moon-
finally free of her fear of being fully seen-
slowly turned and faced him.
27
And what she saw
was her own beautiful reflection for the first time.
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But what the world saw
was a light such as none
had ever seen before.
If you would like to read more, follow me here! Read Part 2 of Trilogy.
