As a child I was captivated by a story about the moon and stars from a book given to me one Christmas. It was a beautifully illustrated book on Native American Folklore and the story has stayed with me down the years. It told of how the sun, moon and stars came to be in the sky; a creation story about a raven who was a supernatural being. He came into a world which was full of darkness and felt sorry for the people who lived in this world. He decided to search for light and after flying over many lands he finally arrived at the house of an old but all-powerful man who kept the sun, moon and stars in a box in his house. The clever raven turns himself into a pine needle and drops it into the food which the daughter of the old man is about to eat. Soon, after consuming the food, the young woman gives birth to a human which strangely resembles a bird. The trickster raven, now part human, steals into the old man’s room, opens his box of treasure and releases the sun, moon and stars into the sky, bringing light into the world.

The Moon, revered by our Celtic ancestors here in Scotland, was often referred to as the “Great Lamp of Grace.” Seen as a guide and protector, prayers were said to the moon, a guardian spirit and timekeeper whose great presence and energy was associated with transformation.