Between Sun and Moon
Nothing in Davis' studies as a sociologist and explorer could have prepared him for this. In all his years, very few of the tribes he had ever come across would allow him so much as a rite to view one of their sacred traditions yet alone participate in one of them. Perhaps it was speciesism, as the carnivorous wolves were not trusted amongst the species who did not partake in the feast of flesh and bone, perhaps it was just more mundane xenophobia but every time Davis wanted to take part in some ceremony or ritual, he was always the "outsider" come to ruin an ancient way of life. So it was most unexpected when the chief accepted him to the rite of "baptism by the Sun", a change of heart by the leader of this otter tribe somewhere in the deep jungles of Bolivia brought about by his refusal to leave as the other outsiders had done.
Davis had spent thirteen years in the jungles of Bolivia, stopping once a year for Cochabamba before returning to his post in the outside ring of the village, slowly but surely becoming a fixture in the village life of the secluded and untrusting tribe of otters. And it was this persistence by the wolf, not a stranger to the searing heat summer and sometimes brutal cold of the winter.which won Chief Ollantay's heart. And now he would experience something no outsider had ever felt- an initiation which would make him a warrior, a "child of the sun", a trusted brother in whom the tribe's secrets and safety were assured. But in order to do that he would first have to go to "El Lago Entre Sol y Luna"- translated from the Spanish, the lake between sun and moon.
As occult as the traditions and history and rituals of this tribe was the lake which was only talked about by the elder tribesmen- its existence was not even supposed to be known to any outsider but Davis had dropped eaves enough to hear about this. And after years of asking and aiding the village in every conceivable way, Ollantay relented and with a burro trained to navigate those harsh Bolivian mountain passes and strong warriors to fight off any wild animals, a party set off with Davis on the path to this lake.
The lake was truly a remarkable sight both for its natural beauty and its otherworldly transcendence; though Davis had traveled the whole of the South American continent the wolf had never met a place so peaceful and serene. It was without a doubt the most beautiful and wonderful acreage on the continent, a fitting place for a ceremony marking membership into the tribe. The lake was perfectly circular and Ollantay's tribe revered the circle as sacred as evidenced in their ancestors building the village in that shape. There was a stone peninsula, a construction of the tribe many years ago before Ollantay and on that peninsula a lowered platform filled with another circular pool, much smaller than the lake and able to accommodate one individual, the one undergoing the solar baptism. On opposite sides of this blue circle of fresh water were two islands, lush with vegetation and two unique statues- untold centuries ago, the tribe had constructed on one island, a granite representation of the sun and its lunar counterpart, an equally-impressive granite crescent of perfect masonry. These statues gave the lake its name.
When he reached the lake, Davis' clothes were exchanged for a simple white robe as were Chief Ollantay's, leading him to believe the otters had adapted the Catholic rite of baptism from missionaries to serve their own sun worship. As Davis began his slow pace down to the pool, he dipped his feet and the water was as cold as if it had come from the Bering Sea and he would have suffered exposure and hypothermia but for his fur coat. But Ollantay who had done this several times before showed no ill effects from the cold.
"See now, o great golden King of the noontime sky as we present this one, not a member of our tribe but still our adopted brother for you to warm with your heat and revitalize with your light. He must do what needs to be done in no ordinary way. Brothers, prepare the initiation." Upon hearing this, two of the otters well-built and muscular and far more strong than Davis began to remove a part of both the sun and moon to reveal mirrors blindingly bright. The focus of these mirrors was the pool in which both the otter and the wolf were undergoing the rite of "solar baptism."Within seconds, the ice-cold water became warmer and warmer until it reached a similar heat to that of a steam bath, all thanks to the reflected light of the sun. The cold of the lake which had caused his blood vessels to constrict was now gone and the warmth of the pool now truly was magical. This was indeed a "baptism of the sun". This was a fine place to put aside his preconceived notions and ask the penetrating questions of how this must have been to an early member of the tribe. He wished to speak but the otter motioned with his paws for him to keep quiet until further notice. Later he was dunked underneath the water and could feel the warmth as the heat overcame his entire body, if only for a moment.
And that's when he heard the entire gathering- the warriors and Ollantay sing "O, si a si a ohh a si, que el sol?" It was nothing more than a simple Spanish chant of a few monosyllabic words but this was the chant that gave the Sun its power, at least according to the elders during the baptisms. This was becoming a warrior for the sun, this was becoming a trusted man within the tribe, this was the rite of passage for the otters. And the setting could not have been more beautiful than this picturesque plot of land, which was more like a place of mind than anything else. The baptism soon ended as the two stepped forth and were once again cold as they put on their traditional tribal tunics and goatskin leggings for the journey back. To think that this primitive tribe many of the outside world knew nothing about still practiced sun worship- it was just too much for the wolf to believe. But then he thought back to his earlier travels.
He was reminded of an ancient tribe of wolves living far in the northlands of Canada whom he had studied while still in college. As he thought back, he remembered how even though the rest of the civilized species viewed howling as primitive, this nation continued to do so, even on the coldest midwinter nights. In light of that memory, perhaps praying to the sun at high noon was not really all that weird at all. Viewing these celestial bodies indicated the superstition that ran deep in people whether they lived under the auroras of the cold north or a canopy of stars. Davis could not help but marvel at their hijacking of a missionary practice from years ago, but their unwillingness to adapt completely. Their rituals, all rituals practiced would allow us the opportunity to escape the world's problems for a few moments of grace and relax from the hectic schedules we plunge headlong into for too-short times of utter transcendence.
And as he looked back and saw the mirrors becoming sealed again, Davis once again marveled at the lake between sun and moon once more. It was a fine place with two granite sculptures shining, facing towards one another and that's when it hit him- he was now a child of the sun.