EAGLE ~ (includes Bald, Golden, Sea, Snake and Harpy)

[Terri Benning]

SPIRIT of the EAGLE: Illumination, Ability to See Hidden Spiritual Truths, Strength, Connection to Spirit Guides & Teachers, Courageous, Intuitive, Rising Above, Creativity, Healing, Keen Sight

LINKS:

http://web.archive.org/web/20110817021933/http://wolfs_moon.tripod....

http://lightgrid.ning.com/group/theanimals/forum/topics/eagle-medicine

http://www.crystalwind.ca/animal-totems/2760-spirit-of-bald-eagle

http://www.whats-your-sign.com/symbolic-eagle-meaning.html

http://www.pure-spirit.com/more-animal-symbolism/629-eagle-symbolism

http://www.universeofsymbolism.com/eagle-symbolism.html

http://www.spirit-animals.com/eagle/

http://www.shamanicjourney.com/article/6031/eagle-power-animal-symb...

http://www.poweranimalsunleashed.com/power_animal_025eagle.htm

http://www.animalspirits.com/index7.html

http://www.manataka.org/page236.html#EAGLE

http://www.linsdomain.com/totems/pages/eagle.htm

Bald Eagle's Wisdom Includes:

* Swiftness
* Strength
* Courage
* Wisdom
* Keen sight
* Illumination of Spirit
* Healing
* Creation
* Knowledge of magick
* Ability to see hidden spiritual truths
* Rising above the material to see the spiritual
* Ability to see the overall pattern
* Connection to spirit guides and teachers
* Great power and balance
* Dignity with grace
* Ability to see the "big picture"
* Connection with higher truths
* Intuitive and creative spirit
* Respect for the boundaries of the regions
* Grace achieved through knowledge and hard work

Eagle: divine Spirit and connection to creator

Eagle feathers are used all over the world as ceremonial instruments and are considered to be the most sacred healing tools. They are a symbol of power, healing and wisdom. Eagle represents a state of grace that is reached through inner work, understanding and passing the initiation tests that result from reclaiming our personal power. Eagle Medicine is the Power of the Great Spirit. It is the spirit of tenacity. It is the gift of clear vision with which one can truly see the things one sees. It is the patience to wait for the appropriate moment. It is to live in balance with heaven and Earth. Eagle reminds you of your connection with the Great Spirit. It tells you that the universe is giving you the opportunity to fly above your life's worldly levels, or above the shadow of past realities. Eagle teaches you to look above in order to touch Grandfather Sun with your heart, to love the Shadow as much as the Light. Eagle asks you to grant yourself permission to be free in order to reach the joy that your heart desires.

THE EAGLE:

The eagle is a sacred messenger, carrying our prayers to the Creator and returning with gifts and visions for the people. Eagle feathers aid medicine people in calling on this connection when they need to contact spirit for healing.

Eagles are majestic birds with a powerful presence. Although they can be social birds they do require isolation from human encroachment to breed in the wild. If a human strays to close or touches their nest, they are likely to abandon it. Both male and female incubate the eggs and share in the duties of raising its young.

The eagle is incredibly patient. Often seen perched in a tree maintaining the same position for hours at a time, eagle teaches those with this totem how to master the art of patience in every area of their life. Within the energy of patience "all things are possible."

Eagles are good at feeding themselves from the land and still soar to great heights in the sky. They teach us how to move through life without becoming attached to anything. They show us how to accept what comes our way and see everything as a gift from great spirit. They have excellent hearing and can hunt as much by ear as by sight. To those to whom eagle comes, the ability to hear spiritually and psychically will awaken

Eagles have sharp beaks and strong jaws. They remind us to pay attention to our speech and how it affects others. Our words as well as the tone of our voice should be examined. Eagle asks us to maintain a prayerful connection with Spirit, to keep our minds focused on what is important in life. Maintaining this attitude removes judgment from our consciousness. Without judgment we speak with encouragement and kindness towards others. Lessons associated with judgment are part of this medicine.

Eagles have excellent vision. Perched high in a tree they appear to analyze and observe everything. If Eagle has blessed you with its presence in some way, you are being given potent gifts of clarity and vision to use for the good of all people helping to bring forth the light out of the darkness. Eagle also serves as a reminder to those with this totem to communicate with Great Spirit daily so the gifts Eagle offers you can be utilized fully.

EAGLE SPIRIT: 

We earthbound humans have for countless eons been inspired by the sight of eagles soaring high in the sky.

In ancient Greece this bird was associated with Zeus, who sometimes turned himself into one in order to hurl his thunderbolts. In some Native American cultures the eagle is the most typical representation of the Thunderbird, also associated with thunder and lightning. The eagle is also associated with the sun, having sometimes been called in the Gaelic language Suil-na-Greine, Eye of the Sun.

In addition to its association with the powerful energies of the sky, Eagle holds a deeper meaning. This bird tells us that life looks different from an aerial perspective. It urges us to take a new look at the problems and challenges of our lives, and suggests that when we don't readily find solutions it may be because our vision is too limited to see answers that lie just out of sight.

In connection with this, one of the lessons of eagle wisdom is to teach us not to rely exclusively on intellectual solutions. Eagle, through its connection to the element of air, is connected to intelligence, but also to Spirit, that sense of knowing which goes far beyond intellect.

Eagle is also associated with courage, for to give up our limited perspectives, to release ourselves from thought patterns which are comfortable (even when they don't seem to be working) and fly into a larger world requires that we be brave enough to soar into an unknown realm. This message is further emphasized by the many stories, both Native American and Celtic, of shamans and druids who shapeshifted into eagles.

Mental and emotional shapeshifting is sometimes needed if we want to grow and learn. Though there are risks in allowing our beings to assume new forms the rewards are greater. Eagle urges us to recognize that the earth is not our only home; it calls to us to join it in the flight to our true home: the world of Spirit.

There are 59 species of eagle, and they are often divided into one of four categories:

SEA EAGLE: http://www.auntyflo.com/magic/sea-eagle

1. Fish & Sea Eagles – Those who live primarily upon a diet from the sea (fish, etc.). Upon the North American continent, the bald eagle is part of this category. Those who have a bald eagle as a totem need to look at the symbolic association of water. Water and fish are often symbolic of the psychic aspects of life and the creative energies. Water is also an area that separates land from the heavens. Thus a bird of the water, such as a fish or sea eagle, reflects an awakening ability or need to learn to walk between worlds.

Water is the creative source of life, and living near natural water sources may be important to the health of those who have bald eagle as a totem. Eagles hunting in the waters must be able to penetrate the waters, grasp what it requires and then rise out of them. All this reflects increased ability and need to learn to work with emotions, psychism, and all aspects of spirituality with greater control. It reflects teachings about true mediatorship being able to enter and exit the more ethereal realms at will.

SNAKE EAGLE:

 

http://www.lynnetteshelley.com/between-earth-and-sky.html

http://what-when-how.com/birds/short-toed-snake-eagle-birds/

2. Snake Eagles – These eagles often have crests of feathers upon their head. Their toes are short and strong to enable them to grasp and hold onto wiggling snakes. Those who have a snake eagle as a totem would do well to study on snakes also. Snake eagles swallow the snakes whole, reflecting the swallowing and digesting of higher wisdom — serpent knowledge.

3. Harpy or Giant Forested Eagles – Harpy eagles are the largest and most powerful. None of these are found in the US. They have huge claws that can be used for grabbing larger prey, including deer. An examination of the particular food preference of the individual harpy eagle will provide further insight.

4. Booted Eagles – Golden eagles which are found on the US continent are part of this group. In general they usually have a majestic mantle of feathers on their head and neck and their legs have a heavy covering also, so they look as if they are wearing boots.

There is always a great deal of variety within these four groups. When it comes to coloring and feather patterns, every eagle is unique and beautiful in its own way. The two most important to those upon the US continent are the bald and the golden. The bald is larger than the golden but it cannot fly as high nor is it considered as graceful. The bald eagle is often a symbol of the feminine while the golden symbolizes the masculine. The white feathers of the bald eagle especially are often treasured as they are links to Grandmother Medicine (tremendous wisdom, healing and creation).

The feathers of eagles are sacred to the Native Americans and since the eagle is protected by the US government, it is a felony for anyone to possess such who is not of Native American blood. The feathers are used in powerful healing ceremonies (cleansing the aura) and even for shapeshifting. White and black tipped feathers were often used on the masks of the Pueblo Indians to give the appearance of white and black clouds. Again we see the ancient connection to the mysteries of the sky and all of its phenomena.

Both bald and golden eagles have come to symbolize heroic nobility and divine spirit. These eagles are the messengers from heaven and are the embodiment of the spirit of the sun.

They are also symbols of the rediscovery of the inner child. There once was a belief that as old age approached, the eagle’s eye would grow dim, and the eagle would then fly so near the sun that it would become scorched. It would then seek out a pure water source and dip itself three times into the clear water and it’s youth would be destroyed. 

This reflects much from a mystical point of view. It hints of resurrection, but it also hints of alchemy. The fire of the sun and the clear water are opposite elements brought into harmony in a manner that elicits a change. It reflects several needs for those with an eagle totem:

1. There must be involvement with creativity. Three is the number for new birth and creativity.

2. A willingness to experience extremes in a controlled condition and thus facilitate the alchemical process within your life.

3. A willingness to use your passions to purify (flying into the sun) and to use your abilities even if it means being scorched a little.

4. A willingness to seek out the true emotional aspects of oneself and immerse yourself within them, and by doing so rediscover the lost child and awaken a higher sense of purity, passion, creativity, healing and spirituality.

An examination of the individual characteristics and behaviors of the eagle will reveal even more of the medicine and power attunement will bring to you. 

The feet of the eagle have four toes. Four is a traditional symbol for keeping oneself grounded and laying a solid foundation for oneself. Even with the eagle’s magnificent ability to fly, it stays connected to the earth. The talons of the eagle are meant to grasp and to hurt. This reflects the need to stay connected to grasp and utilize the things of the earth. Without and ability to grasp powerfully and utilize what it grasps, it will not survive.

The sharp beak is designed to cut, tear and crush. Eagle has strong jaw muscles. The jaw is important to digestion and speech with humans, but there is a difference with eagles. Although vocally the eagle is weak, its jaws are one of its most powerful muscles. For those with eagle totems, it will be important to know when to speak, how much, and how strongly. It will be important to remember that unless this is controlled, it will be very easy to inadvertently hurt someone with words (cutting, tearing and crushing).

For those with eagle totems, new vision will open. This vision will be far reaching to the past, within the present and to the future as well. The eyes of the eagle are set closer to the front of the head, and they have a 3-D or binocular vision, just like humans. They can see forward and sideways, and their vision is eight times greater than humans. Meditation on the number 8, especially its figure (or the symbol of infinity) will reveal much about the kind of vision that eagle can awaken.

The ears of the eagle are not visible, but it hears very well. It can hunt as much by ear as by sight. To those to whom eagle comes, the ability to hear—spiritually and physically—will also increase.
Many eagles mate for life. The male will collect the material for the nests, but the female will be the architect. These roles should be considered by anyone working with eagle medicine. The nests are always large and built high up for safety. Although the roles in the construction of the nests are separate, the task of feeding the young is shared by both, teaching the lesson of cooperative responsibility.

The mating ritual of the bald eagle is one of its most mystical and intriguing aspects. A powerful form of sky dancing occurs. The birds soar, loop and plunge into deep dives. At a certain point, they grab each other’s feet and lock talons, rolling and falling until the mating is completed. Then they separate and soar upwards to repeat the process over and over again. This reflects some of the mystical joy, danger, excitement and power of the sexual energy experienced by those with eagle medicine. It can open them to new heights and thrills.

The eagle is a true predator, and as with all predators, it helps to keep the world in balance. Predators capture the weak and the sick, helping to keep the natural world healthy by preventing the spread of disease. This healing role is one that will awaken in many forms for those working with eagle totems.
They have a powerful sense of energy conservation in their hunting. They will often perch and wait, biding their time through joyful soaring and aerial acrobatics—all the time using their great vision to let them know when to take flight and capture their prey. This sense of confident energy conservation will be necessary for those with eagle medicine to develop. They also are opportunists and they will let other birds do the hunting for them, often stealing the food from other birds or predators. Whenever eagle flies into one’s life, opportunities (even those thought long lost) always arise. Those with eagle totems must learn to see their opportunities and snatch them as they arise.

Eagles don’t always swoop down to kill. They have tremendous control over their powerful wings and they can glide slowly and silently down so that the prey does not hear them coming. They are also known to be able to stop their movement and just hover in the air for brief moments to make the strike more accurate. A new sense of timing and movement will begin to develop with those of eagle totems. You will learn to swoop, to soar, to dive, and to hover—to use the winds within your life and your own developing wings to ride them to your own benefit. 

Large eagles don’t just kill with their beaks or talons. Some can hit their prey with great force—this alone being enough to stun or kill their prey. A bald eagle can strike with twice the force of a rifle bullet.* This reflects the primal force inherent and easily awakened in those with eagle medicine.
Eagles are symbols of great power, a power that goes beyond their actual size. An average bald eagle will weigh 8-10 pounds, about two pounds less than the average house cat.

To align oneself with eagle medicine is to take on the responsibility and the power of becoming so much more than you now appear to be. From a karmic aspect, it reflects that the events will now fly faster, and the repercussions for everything you think, do or say (or fail to think, do or say)—positive and negative—will be both stronger and quicker. To accept the eagle as a totem is to accept a powerful new dimension to life, and a heightened responsibility for your spiritual growth. But only through doing so do you learn how to move between worlds, touch all life with healing, and become the mediator and the bearer of new creative force within the world.