The Bird Who Dreamed
A beautiful Bird, a wise being who's asleep to who she really is, is dreaming and hears the song of the Beautiful Sounds. She believes in the dream, that this song dwells outside herself. But as she listens to the song, she goes on a journey into the sky where she meets the Radiant Beings, the 7 Stars, and brings the 7jewels to Earth. This is the creation story for the Rising Earth Creation Myths realm. Read the first three chapters below.
Chapter One
Once, there was a mountain.
In the heart of the mountain, there was a cave.
In the cave there was a Bird, dreaming. The Bird had long luminous wings and many-colored feathers. She lay on the floor of the cave, listening in the dark to the silence.
One day, the Bird was listening to the silence filling the cave, when she heard a Beautiful Sound. Then, she heard another… and another… and another… till the cave was filled with the Beautiful Sounds. The Beautiful Sounds came so close she could feel them breathing upon her. She could see their sparkling light. Softly, they caressed her wings. They told the Bird, “Through your listening, you have called the song of the Beautiful Sounds to you.” The Bird plucked one of the feathers from her breast, to touch the Beautiful sounds. But as she reached with the feather, the feather fell from her, and drifted into the shadows of the cave. And the Beautiful Sounds drew back.
From that day on, though the Bird lay on the floor of the cave dreaming and listening to the song of the Beautiful Sounds, falling more and more in love with it, she felt more and more separate from it. There was a darkness now, between her and the Beautiful Song. The Bird whispered to the song of the Beautiful Sounds, “My voice is not beautiful like yours. I cannot sing. What can I do? What can I do to be filled with the Beautiful Sounds? What can I do to sing the Beautiful Song?” The song of the Beautiful Sounds was silent.
But one day, one of the Bird’s feathers fell from her, and shone like white fire on the ground. It brightened the cave, and for the first time the Bird opened her eyes. She saw an opening in the cave, a door. The Bird rose. She walked across the cave and through the opening. She found a spiraling path and began to follow it, upwards through the mountain.
In the heart of the mountain, there was a cave.
In the cave there was a Bird, dreaming. The Bird had long luminous wings and many-colored feathers. She lay on the floor of the cave, listening in the dark to the silence.
One day, the Bird was listening to the silence filling the cave, when she heard a Beautiful Sound. Then, she heard another… and another… and another… till the cave was filled with the Beautiful Sounds. The Beautiful Sounds came so close she could feel them breathing upon her. She could see their sparkling light. Softly, they caressed her wings. They told the Bird, “Through your listening, you have called the song of the Beautiful Sounds to you.” The Bird plucked one of the feathers from her breast, to touch the Beautiful sounds. But as she reached with the feather, the feather fell from her, and drifted into the shadows of the cave. And the Beautiful Sounds drew back.
From that day on, though the Bird lay on the floor of the cave dreaming and listening to the song of the Beautiful Sounds, falling more and more in love with it, she felt more and more separate from it. There was a darkness now, between her and the Beautiful Song. The Bird whispered to the song of the Beautiful Sounds, “My voice is not beautiful like yours. I cannot sing. What can I do? What can I do to be filled with the Beautiful Sounds? What can I do to sing the Beautiful Song?” The song of the Beautiful Sounds was silent.
But one day, one of the Bird’s feathers fell from her, and shone like white fire on the ground. It brightened the cave, and for the first time the Bird opened her eyes. She saw an opening in the cave, a door. The Bird rose. She walked across the cave and through the opening. She found a spiraling path and began to follow it, upwards through the mountain.
Chapter Two
At the top of the mountain, the Bird stepped out under the sky. Night embraced her and the moon and stars kissed her hello! She heard the song of the Beautiful Sounds all around her. For the first time she opened her long, luminous wings, and let her many-colored feathers be seen. A little fire leapt inside her heart. The Bird whispered to the song of the Beautiful Sounds, “My voice is not beautiful like yours. I cannot sing. What can I do? What can I do to be filled with the Beautiful Sounds? What can I do to sing the Beautiful Song?” Still holding on to the earth, she opened her wings even wider, and began to grow. The Bird reached so high, her long, luminous wings lay upon the tops of trees. The moon and stars sparkled on the leaves, and the Bird’s many-colored feathers, twinkled. The Bird could hear the song of the Beautiful Sounds all around her. She thought, I love listening to the song of the Beautiful Sounds. The Bird was filled with joy in what is, and forgot she couldn’t sing.
Just then, a tiny, flying, luminescent being, whirred in front of the Bird. She was looking into the eyes of another living being! For the first time, the Bird didn’t feel alone on the mountain. The tiny, flying, luminescent being smiled into her eyes, as if to say, And you thought you were alone?
It was then the Bird forgot to hold on to the earth. The Bird let go. The Bird began to fly.
Just then, a tiny, flying, luminescent being, whirred in front of the Bird. She was looking into the eyes of another living being! For the first time, the Bird didn’t feel alone on the mountain. The tiny, flying, luminescent being smiled into her eyes, as if to say, And you thought you were alone?
It was then the Bird forgot to hold on to the earth. The Bird let go. The Bird began to fly.
Chapter Three
The Bird had never thought of flying. She had dreamed of singing, but never of flying! She had used her wings to feel small and separate, as she dreamt on the floor of the cave. But now, she used her wings to feel free, to feel powerful, to open.
Now the Bird was flying. She flew upwards through the night sky. She felt herself becoming lighter and lighter. She heard only silence, she felt only freedom. Silence and freedom filled the Bird, and she flew.
The night sky was becoming brighter and brighter. The Bird crossed into a circle of spinning light, a brilliant, many-colored, light. From the light came the song of the Beautiful Sounds, and the Bird could feel the darkness between her and the Beautiful Song was gone. The many-colored light spun in incandescent layers of infinite gentleness around her. She found she could alight on a beam of the spinning light, and stand upon it as if on the branch of a tree, for the spinning light was a circle of brilliant, many-colored, floating jewels.
In the circle around the Bird, stood 7 Radiant Beings, each a different color, each emitting warm, brilliant light. These Radiant Beings smiled at her and sang, their voices filled with the song of the Beautiful Sounds, “We are the 7 Stars who dance in the lands beyond the moon. You have called to the 7 Stars for the song and it has been given to you. It has been opened to you. You have called upon us and we have come. All you desire is given to you. All is opened to you. You are the song of the Beautiful Sounds!”
Through incandescent layers of infinite gentleness the Bird sank. She was carried by the love of the 7 Stars, and she felt loved for the first time. She thought, I feel loved by a love I don’t need to do anything to receive. A love that just is. The Bird sank deeper and deeper through the incandescent layers of infinite gentleness and felt her heart beating with the infinite radiant heart of the 7 Stars.
It was then the Bird began to hear for the first time, the song of the Beautiful Sounds deep inside herself. Deep inside herself, not outside herself, as she had always heard the song before. As she listened she was filled with more and more of the song of the Beautiful Sounds. And it was the most innate and spontaneous of things, when she opened her beak and began to sing!
From that moment on, the Bird and the Stars sang together in the circle of spinning light. They sang and they sang for many days and nights. And the Bird learned more and more from the 7 Stars.
One day, the Bird saw a warm, brilliant jewel radiating from the heart of each of the 7 Radiant Beings. She knew these jewels pulsed with the infinite radiant heart beating deep inside each Star. Her heart beat loud as she beheld the jewels, gazing lovingly upon them. The Stars took the jewels from their hearts, and gave them to the Bird. The Stars sang to her, “Plant these jewels in the heart of the Mountain. They will grow something wondrous for you!” The Bird was filled with joy. “Thank you!” she sang to the 7 Stars, tenderly placing the 7jewels within her silken breast feathers.
The circle of spinning light began to open. Sky River appeared, lapping at the circle’s edges and the 7 Stars sang, “We shall return now, to the lands beyond the Moon.” The Bird and the Stars embraced. Then, the 7 Radiant Beings stepped into Sky River, and the Bird watched them go.
From the circle of spinning light, the Bird looked and saw the mountain far below. She spread her wings wider than she ever had before. Then, with the 7jewels folded lovingly within her silken breast feathers, she flew from the circle of spinning light.
Now the Bird was flying. She flew upwards through the night sky. She felt herself becoming lighter and lighter. She heard only silence, she felt only freedom. Silence and freedom filled the Bird, and she flew.
The night sky was becoming brighter and brighter. The Bird crossed into a circle of spinning light, a brilliant, many-colored, light. From the light came the song of the Beautiful Sounds, and the Bird could feel the darkness between her and the Beautiful Song was gone. The many-colored light spun in incandescent layers of infinite gentleness around her. She found she could alight on a beam of the spinning light, and stand upon it as if on the branch of a tree, for the spinning light was a circle of brilliant, many-colored, floating jewels.
In the circle around the Bird, stood 7 Radiant Beings, each a different color, each emitting warm, brilliant light. These Radiant Beings smiled at her and sang, their voices filled with the song of the Beautiful Sounds, “We are the 7 Stars who dance in the lands beyond the moon. You have called to the 7 Stars for the song and it has been given to you. It has been opened to you. You have called upon us and we have come. All you desire is given to you. All is opened to you. You are the song of the Beautiful Sounds!”
Through incandescent layers of infinite gentleness the Bird sank. She was carried by the love of the 7 Stars, and she felt loved for the first time. She thought, I feel loved by a love I don’t need to do anything to receive. A love that just is. The Bird sank deeper and deeper through the incandescent layers of infinite gentleness and felt her heart beating with the infinite radiant heart of the 7 Stars.
It was then the Bird began to hear for the first time, the song of the Beautiful Sounds deep inside herself. Deep inside herself, not outside herself, as she had always heard the song before. As she listened she was filled with more and more of the song of the Beautiful Sounds. And it was the most innate and spontaneous of things, when she opened her beak and began to sing!
From that moment on, the Bird and the Stars sang together in the circle of spinning light. They sang and they sang for many days and nights. And the Bird learned more and more from the 7 Stars.
One day, the Bird saw a warm, brilliant jewel radiating from the heart of each of the 7 Radiant Beings. She knew these jewels pulsed with the infinite radiant heart beating deep inside each Star. Her heart beat loud as she beheld the jewels, gazing lovingly upon them. The Stars took the jewels from their hearts, and gave them to the Bird. The Stars sang to her, “Plant these jewels in the heart of the Mountain. They will grow something wondrous for you!” The Bird was filled with joy. “Thank you!” she sang to the 7 Stars, tenderly placing the 7jewels within her silken breast feathers.
The circle of spinning light began to open. Sky River appeared, lapping at the circle’s edges and the 7 Stars sang, “We shall return now, to the lands beyond the Moon.” The Bird and the Stars embraced. Then, the 7 Radiant Beings stepped into Sky River, and the Bird watched them go.
From the circle of spinning light, the Bird looked and saw the mountain far below. She spread her wings wider than she ever had before. Then, with the 7jewels folded lovingly within her silken breast feathers, she flew from the circle of spinning light.
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you can purchase a PDF version of all the myths & accompanying art for $35 here.