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Xam bushmen - And the moon
Identifier
005883
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
The /Xam Bushmen
In the following extract which gives an explanation for the waxing and waning of the moon, the story describes how it is the sun’s rays which cut away at the flesh of the moon. This at first sight has no metaphysical or spiritual content – it is just a good story. But it does have a spiritual element. /Xam Bushmen undertook spiritual journeys in much the same way that most shamans do, as such they were capable of ‘soul travel’. Here although they haven’t built a creation myth around the sun and moon they do describe the fact that you can ‘hear’ the moon
‘and as he goes, he talks, and talking, he sings as he walks
for although he has been cut, he still talks as he goes along
the moon talks for his mouth is still sweet’
A description of the experience
The First Bushman’s Path: stories, Songs and testimonies of the /Xam of the Northern Cape
It is while the moon shines, that the sun cuts at his side
And I showed this to /A!kunta when the moon came out one night;
‘look at him’ I said to /A!kunta ‘the moon has been wounded’
and /A!kunta agreed with me that the sun had certainly cut him
‘he has already been wounded, but the sun will cut him again’ he said
‘the sun will still run after the moon to cut him’
and in the nights that followed, the sun stabbed him again;
he cut the moon’s flesh, the sun cut off the moon’s one side
so that soon he had only his other side left as he returned
and as he returned, he came, limping, he staggered forward
‘look at the moon, see how he now lies there on his side’
/A!kunta said to me and indeed it was just as /A!kunta said:
he had only one side, and I saw him lying there like a bow
for he was curved, the moon was hollow as he lay in the sky
and I said to /A!kunta ‘the sun has cut off the moon’s side
and now the moon has only his other side left on which to lie
it is putrid, that side that is left, it smells rotten
that side is a small putrid thing, a stinking decayed thing
and the sun follows it as the moon limps and staggers forward
he walks in pain, but he walks on slowly, he walks softly on
and as he goes, he talks, and talking, he sings as he walks
for although he has been cut, he still talks as he goes along
the moon talks for his mouth is still sweet, it is still well
and although his body is ill, although his side is now putrid
he keeps returning and his putrid side shines, it gives light
he is wounded, but his putrid side nevertheless makes light