
In the myths of Creation by an emergent Creator,
we are to understand first that the Creator created
himself/herself. The writers of Egypt and the Indian
Subcontinent explain that s/he was "tired of his/her
impersonality." In this chapter, we will
consider representative myths from: Egypt, the Indian
Subcontinent and the Zuni Indians of North America.
The
Cosmogony of the Pyramid Texts (c.2800 BCE}
tells us that while reposing in Nun (primordial
waters) in order to keep from being extinguished,
Atum kept his eyes shut and remained enclosed in a
lotus until weary of his own impersonality he rose by
an effort of will. He rose in splendor as Ra (sun) or
Atum-Re. He then bore his children, Su and Tefnut. At
the same time, Re creates the first universe
different from the "present one and men are
produced from his tears." He governs his
universe from a palace in Heliopolis. Images: Tomb of Auser, Time, May 29, 1995; Giza Pyramid
The
mythology of the Indian subcontinent was never
displaced by other religious movements like
Christianity or Islam. There are two major groupings
in Indian cosmogony: Vedic of Aryan India was shaped
between 7,000 - 4000 BCE. The oldest of the written
Vedas is the RG VEDA (hymn) in Sanscrit dating
from 1500 BCE to 1200 BCE. In the RG VEDA
there is a Sky Father - Dyaus Pitar (in Greek - Zeus,
in Latin - Jupiter). In the second grouping of
Brahmin cosmogony there are unnumbered worlds,
unnumbered periods of creation, immortal Gods
destined to be absorbed into the universe at the end
of the cosmic cycle when Lord Shiva dances.
When we read
the Zuni myth of creation, we are not learning about
the beginning in terms of past, present, and future
but of that which is unmanifest or hidden, --not in
conscious awareness. In the Zuni perspective, an
event which occurred in the past as "in the
beginning" does not become manifest until it is
spoken. Thus, the Zuni story of creation occurs as it
is being told; in the telling, creation becomes
manifest or apparent, it enters conscious awareness.
Similarly, an event which occurs in the present but
in another place is considered to be unmanifest (hidden)
until it is learned of.
Bibliography