Long ago, when the earth was still being made, there was no day and night. There was only darkness. You see, the Sun and the Moon could not decide who should watch the earth. The moon said, “I should watch the earth, I am smarter and more calm.” “Moon, you are a great Overseer, yet it is I who shall Oversee the earth,” replied Sun. The Moon and the Sun quarreled for many weeks, yet no one could decide who would be given the honor of watching over the life on the planet. Eventually, the two lights went to the sky gods hoping they would be their judges. The sky gods roared with their loud, booming voices, “Ah, it is Moon and Sun. What art thou doing here when you should be Overseeing the world?” “We can not decide who shall be the one to Oversee,” Moon and Sun softly spoke in firm tones, “Moon believes earth shall have a soft, cool energy while I believe the great planet should have a more bright, happy life to it.” The gods whispered with their backs turned toward the lights and came to a final point, then bellowed, “We shall be the judges of your petty argument.” Moon and Sun were both very excited, yet they tried not to show it to prove that they were strong. Suddenly though, before they had time to thank the sky gods, they were interrupted by a messenger that burst through the door yelling, “Oh great sky gods,” getting down on his knees, “there is trouble with life on earth! The plant god has made some plants that need sunlight to grow and some plants that need moonlight to blossom.” All the people in the royal court were shocked and speechless.
Everyone could hear the person next to them breathing, and nobody spoke for several minutes. Finally, the sky gods bellowed, “The competition shall begin immediately.” The gods, with the wave of a hand, whisked the entire group, including the messenger, to a flat cloud high in the sky. The gods instantly started shaping the white, puffy dough into chairs and sat down. They told Sun and Moon to stand several paces apart from each other and answer the questions to the best of their ability. The gods would decide the Overseer when they felt they had reached a decision. The sky gods queried Sun first, “What do you think the planet of earth is? What type of life shall it support, and what energy should it possess?” Sun took a slight moment to answer and hesitated to reply, uncertain his answer would please the gods, “I believe the earth is a soul and should be cared for like so,” he continues now more confident, “The life should be warm and proud. The energy shall be new and radiant and animated.” The gods remained expressionless for a fair amount of time and motioned for Moon to present his answers to the questions. Moon had thought over his answers several times while Sun was speaking. The second light took his stance and began, “The earth is similar in character to a stone from a river, soft and smooth, yet strong at the same time. The life shall also be similar to a river stone, soft and cool, yet strong. Lastly, the great planet shall bear the energy of which is soothing, still, and silent.”
Clearly, Moon’s answer was better yet the gods considered both competitors. They summoned all people to the middle of the cloud after they turned their chairs back into the mushy dough which was the cloud. The gods whisked them back to the royal court, with the same wave of their hand. They all sat down and waited for Sun and Moon to sit in front of them. Slowly, the sky god in the center spoke, “The almighty one who shall Oversee the great planet is, Sun,” Moon roared up in fury while Sun danced in joy. The sky gods yelled over the whir, “Wait! Moon shall also Oversee.” Sun and Moon were both confused while the rest of the sky gods nodded in agreement. The almighty gods explained, “Yes, both of you have the potential and the mind set to be great Overseers. Only, you both have different views on how. We have decided,” the sky god points to the rest of the group, “to let each of you rule the planet taking turns. This way, Sun will be able to Oversee his way, and Moon will be able to Oversee his way. You have both strived hard to accomplish your goals and we admire that.” The sky gods then return to their thrones and return to their duty of monitoring the heavens. Sun and Moon, however, return to their spots in the sky. They agree to put all quarreling behind them and work together to Oversee the great planet, earth. From then on, Sun and Moon have taken turns Overseeing the earth and keeping watch over the life. Whether it be calm, smooth, and soft, or if it be warm, happy, and animated, life is protected by Sun and Moon.