From the Cherokee Creation story, "How the World was Made."
When the animals and plants were first made . . . they were told to keep watch and stay awake for seven nights, as young men now do when they pray for their medicine [vision quest]. They all tried, but each night some fell asleep. By the seventh night, only Owl, Cougar, and one or two more were still awake. These were given the power to see and move through the darkness, and to prey upon those birds and animals which must sleep at night. Seven, in the Cherokee belief system, is a number that represents the highest, the most sacred, level that anyone -- human, animal, or plant -- can achieve. Thus, Cougar is not only a powerful nocturnal hunter, but also a holy creature, imbued with the power to see through the darkness and move through it. Taken in a spiritual context, Cougar teaches perseverance in the lifelong task of seeing through the darkness that surrounds us, of finding our way through challenges to the dawning of Light. What might we see in the world around us, if we look past the mists and shadows of fear and misunderstanding? Cougar's gleaming green eyes show us the way. Just as a cat's eyes capture and reflect back on its retina every possible particle of light available, giving it the night vision it's so famous for, so we can capture every bit of Light -- of love and truth -- in our world, and reflect it back to all. |
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