Animal Medicine...the mighty Eagle
Eagle....Fly high, Touch Great Spirit. Share your medicine, touch me, honor me, So that I may know you too. - poem from the Medicine Cards
Those who know me or even just seen photos of me, know that I love birds and especially the eagle. I have had a long time connection with the eagle, so much so, that I decided to have a permanent reminder of him on my right arm. I'm so used to it being there that I sometimes forget he's there. When I look down and see him...I feel the instant connection.
This photo was taken by my husband while we were in Washington state. We were so close to him, watching him fly....it was amazing!
When I first started out on this journey of reconnecting with my spirit, animals were a huge part of it for me. I would have visions of them, I started to hear them and I felt this enormous connection to them. I wanted to know more of what they had to tell me, so I read books, googled their spiritual meanings and just listened and intuitively heard their messages. Many years later, I am still in awe of their beauty and the messages that they have to offer us. We share this planet with an amazing number of animals and sometimes, just like the eagle on my arm, we forget that they are here with us experiencing this world at the same time we are. They are meeting challenges and obstacles each day just like us. I love to work with them and use their messages in order to enhance my life. For me, its just another way of mindfully living. When I see a hawk fly over head or a squirrel run up a tree...or even a spider spinning it's web...I ask...how is what they are doing related to me right now? So, if this is something you have wanted to know more about or maybe you didn't know you wanted to know about but are interested, I will start writing about the messages of animals and how we can learn from them to help us connect more in this life. So fittingly, I decided to start with the Eagle.
For me, eagle gives me that feeling of soaring high, rising above and being free. I feel it's strength, it's wisdom, it's nobility and grace. It's spiritual meaning is said to be connected to Great Spirit and the Divine. That it has the ability to live in the realm of spirit and yet remain connected and balanced within the realm of Earth.
Some of it's physical characteristics represent teachings as well. Eagles beak is connected to his jaw and the strongest part of his body. We are reminded to pay attention to our speech and how it affects others. What we say and tone of our voice should be examined. The lesson here is to control what we say, how much and when.
The vision they posses helps us learn to take a step back and view the bigger picture. We need to view the past and the present objectively, whilst looking towards the future. We need to open our minds and hearts to see past old, restricting beliefs that are holding us back. Eagle teaches us to courageously face our fear of the unknown, so we are then able to fly as high as our heart’s joy can take us.
The eagle is an incredibly patient being, often perching in a tree, holding the same position for hours on end. Those with this power animal are shown how to master the art of patience in every area of their life. For within the energy of patience all things are possible.
If Eagle is your power animal, you feel the need to have an involvement with creation, a willingness to experience extremes, a willingness to use your abilities, a willingness to seek out your true emotions. You must become much more than you ever imagined would be possible. Eagle symbolises a state of being that is reached through inner work, understanding and passing the initiation tests that come about from reclaiming our personal power.
Eagle is the gift of clear vision with which one can truly see, to live in balance with heaven and Earth. Eagle shows you how to look above so you are able to touch Grandfather Sun with your heart, to love the Shadow as much as the Light. You are being asked to give yourself permission to be free in order to reach the joy that your heart longs for.
To walk in harmony on this earth is to walk with the animals, appreciating them, honoring them in gratitude for their beauty and wisdom. When you call upon the power of an animal, you are asking to be drawn into complete harmony with the strength of that creature's essence. Gaining understanding from these wonderful creatures of the animal kingdom is a healing process and is sacred.
I hope you enjoyed reading a little bit about animal medicine and the Eagle. I took reference from the Medicine Cards and also from shamanicjourney.com So next time you notice an animal on your path see if it has a message for you! You never know what the universe may be trying to tell you. I'd love to hear about any animal encounters you have had recently or in the past.
Until next time....much love and big hugs!
Trista
