At the height of the Summer Solstice, when the sun lingers long and casts its boldest light upon the Earth, we are reminded of the ancient dance between light and shadow, fire and water, action and reflection. This is a time when the forces of life are in full bloom. Yet, beneath the brilliance lies the tension of extremes. In today’s world, we feel this tension acutely: the growing divide between identities, beliefs, and nations mirrors an old story: of two tribes, two lovers, and a river between them. The tale that follows is not just a myth of how the Sun and Moon came to be, but a reflection of what happens when love dares to bridge division, and how that act of defiance reshapes the flow of the galaxy.
In the beginning, there were two tribes: the Sun Tribe and the Moon Tribe, and they lived on opposite banks of a large, majestic river. One day, a beautiful woman from the Moon Tribe came to the banks to wash her clothing and dishes in the swiftly flowing waters. At the same time, a young warrior from the Sun Tribe was fishing on the other side of the river. He saw the young woman and immediately fell in love with her. However, the majestic river, which was the galaxy itself, separated them.
Initially, she didn’t see him, so he decided to try to get her attention by tossing large stones, dirt, and trees into the river. This created a huge commotion, and she looked up to see this warrior and what he was doing. She, too, felt an attraction toward this warrior, but she knew this river was too big and wide to ever meet with him face to face. So she finished her chores and returned to her village.
Early the next morning, she returned to the river, where he was waiting on the other side. When he saw her, he once again started tossing stones, dirt, and trees into the river. This time, she noticed that all of the debris he was throwing into the river was creating a land bridge, and this gave her a small amount of hope that they would one day meet. She returned to her village again, but didn’t tell anyone, because the Sun Tribe was their enemy.
Early the next morning, once again, she returned to the river to find that the warrior now sat in the middle of the river at the end of a finger of land he had created by throwing stones, earth, and trees into the water. She also could see that the river’s flow was being disrupted and now rushed around where he sat. This disruption in the river … the galaxy … was not concerning to her because she only cared about sitting with this warrior.
So, looking around where she stood, she found stones and earth. She threw these into the water just as she saw him do. After some time, she was able to create a land bridge out to where he sat. And so now the river … the galaxy … was very disrupted. But the couple didn’t care, as they finally sat together and looked into each other’s eyes.
People from the Moon Tribe, now, had become suspicious of what this woman was doing, and so they came to the river. They immediately saw how disrupted the water flow was, only to discover the land bridge. And in the middle of this bridge, she sat, staring into the eyes of the Sun Tribe warrior. This angered the Moon Tribe, so they gathered all of their warriors and prepared to go to war.
The Sun Tribe, too, discovered the river’s disrupted water flow and also found the two lovers sitting together in the middle of the land bridge. And they, too, became angry and sent their warriors to go to war. And so the two tribes met up in the middle of the river, ready to fight. The Chiefs from both sides confronted each other, standing over the young couple, and after much arguing and threatening, they came to a compromise.
The Sun Tribe Chief said that the woman should be punished and made into a light in the sky that would hold, comfort, and cradle the night. The Moon Tribe Chief said that the young warrior, too, should be punished and made into a light that would rise and blaze and bring warmth to the day. These punishments were agreed to, and so, because they had disrupted the river … the galaxy … they were placed in the sky, to chase each other for eternity.
Today, the galaxy remains disrupted, but continues to flow. As for the two lovers, only on rare occasions are they able to see each other, when one rises over the Eastern horizon just before the other sets in the West. And even more rarely, during the solar eclipse, can the two very briefly embrace and make love, once more.
This is how the Sun and Moon came to be.
Transcribed from oral telling: Native Memory Project with Lakota Storyteller, Byron Good Voice Elk
https://nativememoryproject.org/story/lakota-stories-creation-of-the-sun-moon/
As we stand at the Solstice threshold, may we reflect on what it means to disrupt the current, not for power, but for connection. I invite you to explore whether you stand on one side or the other, or if you might stand in the middle with compassion and grace.
The Shamanic Journey
Meditative journey work (also known as Shamanic journey work) can be a valuable tool for offering viable and meaningful help. This practice provides a pathway to connect with spiritual helpers and access wisdom beyond the physical world. Through these journeys, we can receive guidance, healing, and clarity to hold space for others during times of crisis. This practice empowers us to embody the compassionate witness, offering support and nurturing connection on both seen and unseen levels.