I'm flying and running over great vistas of outback, being chased by a shadow.
It's partially feels like play, since I know I will always be able to beat the shadow, though it always tries to scare me and get a grip on me, so I flee and enjoy the chasing process as I leap down massive cliffs, and whiz flying over great planes, and dash through forests on the ridges of great mountain tops.
I leap at the earth, time is increasing as I fall, the shadow is beyond the veil pursuing me, causing my flight systems to fail. I can't master my own mind in absolute ways, so it has a grip on me. I barely make it to a hidden valley, with great pointy crags shooting up like Bryce Canyon - a great eagle soars gently overhead - it is a great sorcerer.
As I pass the eagle sorcerer with the shadow close behind about to seize me, I strike the ground and transform into a great coiled serpent. The shadow lands as a killer bobcat, moving up on me about to strike, I garner all my serpent powers and uncoil in a serpent dance.
S s s s s s s s s s s s s.
I paralyze the shadow bobcat with my dance and strike for the kill.
I killed my shadow with fear...
victory was mine...
We both live to chase another day.
As the Sun is the light of the spirit, so shadow is the negative
‘double’ of the body, or the image of its evil and base side. Among primitive
peoples, the notion that the shadow is the àlter ego or soul is firmly established;
it is also reflected in the folklore and literature of some advanced cultures (35). As
Frazer has noted, the primitive often regards his shadow, or his reflection in water or in a mirror, as his soul or as a vital part of himself (21). ‘Shadow’ is the term
given by Jung to the primitive and instinctive side of the individual.
If all symbols are really functions and signs of things
imbued with energy, then the serpent or snake is, by analogy, symbolic of energy
itself—of force pure and simple; hence its ambivalence and multivalencies. Another reason for its great variety of symbolic meaning derives from the consideration that these meanings may relate either to the serpent as a whole or to any of
its major characteristics—for example, to its sinuous movements, its common
association with the tree and its formal analogy with the roots and branches of the
tree, the way it sheds its skin, its threatening tongue, the undulating pattern of its
body, its hiss, its resemblance to a ligament, its method of attacking its victims by coiling itself round them, and so on. Still another explanation lies in its varying
habitat: there are snakes which inhabit woods, others which thrive in the desert,
aquatic serpents and those that lurk in lakes and ponds, wells and springs. In India, snake cults or cults of the spirit of the snake are connected with the
symbolism of the waters of the sea. Snakes are guardians of the springs of life and
of immortality, and also of those superior riches of the spirit that are symbolized
by hidden treasure (17). As regards the West, Bayley has suggested that the
snake, since its sinuous shape is similar to that of waves, may be a symbol of the
wisdom of the deeps (4) and of the great mysteries. Yet, in their multiplicity and
as creatures of the desert, snakes are forces of destruction, afflicting all those who
have succeeded in crossing the Red Sea and leaving Egypt (57); in this sense, they
are connected with the ‘temptations’ facing those who have overcome the limitations of matter and have entered into the realm of the ‘dryness’ of the spirit. This
explains why Blavatsky can say that, physically, the snake symbolizes the seduction of strength by matter (as Jason by Medea, Hercules by Omphale, Adam
by Eve), thereby providing us with a palpable illustration of the workings of the
process of involution; and of how the inferior can lurk within the superior, or the
previous within the subsequent (9). This is borne out by Diel, for whom the
snake is symbolic not of personal sin but of the principle of evil inherent in all
worldly things. The same idea is incorporated into the Nordic myth about the
serpent of Midgard (15). There is a clear connexion between the snake and the
feminine principle. Eliade observes that Gresmann (Mytische Reste in der
Paradieserzahlung, in Archiv f. Rel. X, 345) regarded Eve as an archaic Phoenician
goddess of the underworld who is personified in the serpent (although a better
interpretation would be to identify it with the allegorical figure of Lilith, the
enemy and temptress of Eve). In support of this, Eliade points to the numerous
Mediterranean deities who are represented carrying a snake in one or both of their
hands (for example, the Greek Artemis, Hecate, Persephone), and he relates these
to the finely sculpted Cretan priestesses in gold or ivory, and to mythic figures
with snakes for hair (Medusa the Gorgon, or the Erinyes). He goes on to mention
that in Central Europe there is a belief that hairs pulled out from the head of a
woman under the influence of the moon will be turned into snakes (17). The
serpent (or snake) was very common in Egypt; the hieroglyph which corresponds phonetically to the letter Z is a representation of the movement of the
snake. Like the sign of the slug, or horned snake (phonetically equivalent to F),
this hieroglyph refers to primigenial and cosmic forces. Generally speaking, the
names of the goddesses are determined by signs representing the snake—which is
tantamount to saying that it is because of Woman that the spirit has fallen into
matter and evil. The snake is also used, as are other reptiles, to refer to the
primordial—the most primitive strata of life. In the Book of the Dead (XVII), the
reptiles are the first to acclaim Ra when he appears above the surface of the waters of Nou (or Nu or Nun). The demonic implications of the serpent are
exemplified in Tuat, whose evil spirits are portrayed as snakes; however, these—
like the vanquished dragon—may also take on a beneficent form as forces which
have been mastered, controlled, sublimated and utilized for the superior purposes
of the psyche and the development of mankind, and in this sense they correspond
to the goddesses Nekhebit and Uadjit (or Buto). They also become an Uraeus—
the same thing happens in the symbolism of the Kundalini—constituting the
most precious ornament of the royal diadem (19).
As we have said, it is the basic characteristics of the snake which have
determined its symbolic significances. To quote Teillard’s definition of the snake,
it is: ‘An animal endowed with magnetic force. Because it sheds its skin, it
symbolizes resurrection. Because of its sinuous movement’ (and also because its
coils are capable of strangling) ‘it signifies strength. Because of its viciousness, it
represents the evil side of nature’ (56). Its ability to shed its skin greatly impressed ancient writers: Philo of Alexandria believed that when the snake shakes
off its skin it likewise shakes off its old age, that it can both kill and cure and that
it is therefore the symbol and attribute of the aggressive powers, positive and
negative, which rule the world. (This is a Gnostic and Manichean idea of Persian
provenance.) He decided finally that it is the ‘most spiritual of animals’. Jung has
pointed out that the Gnostics related it to the spinal cord and the spinal marrow,
an excellent image of the way the unconscious expresses itself suddenly and
unexpectedly with its peremptory and terrible incursions (31). He adds that,
psychologically, the snake is a symptom of anguish expressive of abnormal stirrings
in the unconscious, that is, of a reactivation of its destructive potentiality. This is
directly comparable to the significance of the serpent of Midgard in Norse mythology. In the Völuspa it is proclaimed that the deluge will commence when the
serpent awakens to destroy the universe (31). For Zimmer, the serpent is the
lifeforce which determines birth and rebirth and hence it is connected with the
Wheel of Life. The legend of Buddha tells how the serpent wound itself round his
body seven times (as in the effigies of the Mithraic Cronos), but, since it could
not crush him, it turned into a youth bowing low before Gautama (60).
The connexion of the snake with the wheel is expressed in graphic form in the
Gnostic symbol of the Ouroboros, or serpent biting its own tail; half of this
mythic being is dark and the other half light (as in the Chinese Yang-Yin symbol),
which clearly illustrates the essential ambivalence of the snake in that it pertains
to both aspects of the cycle (the active and the passive, the affirmative and the
negative, the constructive and the destructive). Wirth comments that the ‘ancient
serpent is the prop of the world, providing it with both materials and energy, unfolding as reason and imagination, and also as a force of the darkness’ (59). The
snake was an important symbol for the Gnostics, and especially for the so-called
Naassene sect (from naas—snake). Hippolytus, criticizing this doctrine, asserted that the snake was said to live in all objects and in all beings. This brings us
to the Yoga concept of the Kundalini or the snake as an image of inner strength.
Kundalini is represented symbolically as a snake coiled up upon itself in the form
of a ring (kundala) (29), in that subtle part of the organism corresponding to the
lower extremity of the spinal column; this, at any rate, is the case with the
ordinary man. But, as a result of exercises directed towards his spiritualization—
Hatha Yoga, for instance—the snake uncoils and stretches up through wheels
(chakras) corresponding to the various plexuses of the body until it reaches the
area of the forehead corresponding to the third eye of Shiva. It is then, according
to Hindu belief, that man recovers his sense of the eternal (28). The symbolism
here probably relates to an ascending force, rising up, that is, from the area
governed by the sexual organ up to the realm of thought—an interpretation which
it is also possible to justify by simple reference to the symbolism of level, taking
the heart as central. In other words, the symbol denotes ‘sublimation of the
personality’ (Avalon, The Serpent Power). Jung has noted that the custom of
representing transformation and renovation of figures of snakes constitutes a
well-documented archetype; and he suggests that the Egyptian Uraeus is the
visible expression of the Kundalini on a higher plane (32). There are also various
rites which accord with this concept of progressive elevation. The progress through
the six chakras—there is in fact a seventh, but it is unnamed and (like the central
point of certain mandala-like patterns) is not represented visually—may be regarded as analogous to climbing up the terraces of the ziggurat or mounting the
steps pertaining to the seven metals in the Mithraic ritual (11). Apart from the
circular (and cosmic) position it tends to take up, and the quality of completeness
which this implies, the snake is frequently related to other symbols. The most
common of these is the tree, which, being unitary, may be said to correspond to
the masculine principle, in which case the ophidian would represent the feminine.
The tree and the serpent are, in mythology, prefigurations of Adam and Eve.
Furthermore, by analogy, we also have here a situation of symbolic Entanglement—the snake curled round the tree (or round the staff of Aesculapius)—and
a symbolic image of moral dualism. Diel, who tends to favour this kind of interpretation, suggests that the snake coiled round the staff or club of the god of
medicine recalls the basic, Biblical symbol of the Tree of Life encircled by the
snake and signifying the principle of evil; the pattern here points to the close
relationship between life and corruption as the source of all evil. Diel goes on to suggest that it is this subversion of the spirit that brings about the death of the
soul, and that this is what medicine must, in the first place, set out to combat (15).
Now, the opposite to the encircling (or triumphant) snake is the crucified
snake, as it is to be found among the figures included in Abraham le Juif (Paris,
Bibl. Nat. Ms. Fr. 14765, of the 16th century) (32). This figure of the reptile
nailed to a cross—or the chthonian and feminine principle vanquished by the
spirit—is also represented mythically by the victory of eagle over serpent. Heinrich
Zimmer recalls that, in the Iliad, an eagle appears to the Greeks, carrying a
wounded snake in its claws. The seer Calchas saw this as an omen portending the
triumph of the Greeks (the masculine and patriarchal order of the Aryans subduing the predominantly feminine and matriarchal principle of Asia) (60). Since all
struggle is a form of ‘conjunction’ and therefore of love, it is hardly surprising that
man should have created a synthesis of opposing powers—heaven and earth—in
the image of the ‘plumed serpent’, the most notable symbol of pre-Columbian
America. This serpent has feathers on its head, in its tail and sometimes on its
body. Quetzalcoatl is another androgynous symbol of this kind (41). The symmetrical placing of two serpents, as in the caduceus of Mercury, is indicative of an
equilibrium of forces, of the counterbalancing of the cowed serpent (or sublimated power) by the untamed serpent, so representing good balanced by evil,
health by sickness. As Jung has shrewdly observed, this much-used image is an
adumbration of homoeopathy—a cure effected by what caused the ailment. The
serpent therefore becomes the source of the healing of the wound caused by the
serpent. This is why it could serve as a symbol of St. John the Evangelist (32) and
appear in association with a chalice.
The different forms which the serpent may take are not numerous. The seaserpent seems simply to emphasize the integration of the symbolism of the
unconscious with that of the abyss (9). If it has more than one head, this merely
serves to add to the basic symbolism, the extra significance corresponding to the
particular number of heads it is given. The dragon or the serpent with seven heads
occurs often in legends, myths and folktales simply because seven represents
multiplication of unity and locates the reptile among the essential orders of the
cosmos. The seven-headed serpent partakes of the symbolism of the seven Directions of Space, the seven days of the week, and the seven planetary gods, and
has a bearing upon the seven sins (9). The three-headed serpent refers to the three
principles of the active, the passive and the neutral. In alchemy, the winged
serpent represents the volatile principle, and the wingless the fixed principle. The
crucified serpent denotes the fixation of the volatile and also sublimation (as in
the Prometheus myth). Alchemists also saw in the serpent an illustration of ‘the feminine in Man’ or his ‘humid essence’, relating the reptile to Mercury (57) as
the androgynous god who—like Shiva—was doubtless endowed with a tendency
towards both good and evil (an aspect also portrayed by the Gnostics in their
twin serpents called Agathodaemon and Kakodaemon) (9). There are also serpents of unusual aspect—the snake with a sheep’s head, for instance, in reliefs on
certain Gallo-Roman sepulchres. In view of the favourable symbolic sense of the
sheep (connected with Aries, spring, initiation and fire), this adaptation implies a
degree of spiritualization (16). Finally, according to Schneider, the sacrificed
serpent is the symbolic equivalent of the swan’s neck and of the swan itself (and
it is by the swan that the hero is wafted heavenwards, plucking away upon his
harp) (50). That is to say, the sacrifice of the serpent (as a life-force) makes it
possible to accept death gratefully (like the swan) and to soar up to higher
regions. Father Heras has suggested that the snake is symbolic of fertility and
destruction and that it is in this sense that it appears on the menhir of Kernuz
(Finistère). It appears in opposition to the arrow in the effigy of the horned god
of Cerdeña (with another head on top alluding to the symbolism of the Gemini).
To see a serpent in your dream, signifies the balance of good and evil.
To see a winged serpent in your dream, denotes wisdom. You have overcome the negativity in your life.
Seeing a serpent in your dream means high intellectual power, deception, and the balance of good and evil. Seeing a winged serpent in your dream indicates wisdom and that you've overcome negative ways.
To see a bobcat in your dream, suggests that you need to pay close attention to what you see and hear in your daily life.
Dreaming of a bobcat, suggests that you need to pay close attention to what you see and hear in your daily life.
Foremost, the Bobcat animal totem is a sign of patience. Bobcats are superior hunters, and they incorporate stealth, strategy and wield a great deal of patience in their hunting excursions.
In this way, the Bobcat sends us a clear message that in order for us to get what we want, we must be willing to plan, adapt, and above all, have the patience to see our ideals manifest.
When dealing with social settings (friends, family, work) the Bobcat reminds us to be fully aware. We must be mindful to extend our respect, love and consideration with others.
As the Bobcat is primarily a solitary creature, we may take its presence as a sign for us to step back from the company of certain people in our lives. Or, the Bobcat may be trying to tell us that we need some time to ourselves. Alone time is time for us to reflect, and regain our energy. The Bobcat intrinsically knows this, and may be trying to tell you to take a break away from the public eye.
Bobcat animal totems encourage us to be more playful in our lives and more flexible. As they are very opportunistic themselves, the Bobcat asks us to reach out for more opportunities, break out of our molds & routines.
The Bobcat animal totem is also about creation, and developing our abilities into a higher level of value. Additionally, the Bobcat is also about the unseen and silent aspects of our inner selves.
This deals with our connection with creation as the Bobcat will ask us to deeply consider the innermost parts of ourselves that we don't normally recognize. The Bobcat encourages us to delve deep into our hearts and minds and shed light on our potential.
Additionally, when Bobcat appears to us, we need to consider some passions that we have been keeping a secret. Now is the time to unleash our hidden desires - unlock our inner secret wisdom & talents.
As you can see, Bobcat has much to share with us, but we must be willing and open to receiving these messages.
The Bobcat is a very advanced teacher. Those with the Bobcat animal totem are usually young with old souls. Often these people are mistaken for having "chips on their shoulders," or thought to be "bearing grudges." This often isn't the case.
Bobcat serves as a teacher to these younger people because they have so much to philosophically sort out. These people do this on a higher level of intellect, and often cannot find outside support to help them with their learning process. As a result, these old souls tend to feel a little resentful at having to learn some tough lessons on their own, and usually feel isolated.
For a little more information about this amazing animal, check out my Animal Tracks Page and discover what it means when you encounter the footprints of the Bobcat upon your life journey.
When identified, and sought out for communication, the Bobcat facilitates learning, growth, understanding, and a more playful attitude with these chosen few who retain the Bobcat as their animal totem.
Bobcat teaches that there is a time for solitude, learning to be alone but not lonely and a time for social balance. He shows how to keep confidences of those around you with a balance of inner and outer perceptions. Bobcat aids in tapping into the curiosity of the unseen world of secrecy, invisibility and hidden meanings for understanding spiritual mysteries of the path that is being traveled. Bobcat will offer protection and expertise of this path and lend its knowledge in maneuvering your developing natural internal power. Bobcat teaches the ability of being able to turn on/off creative forces in life. Always look for what is hidden on all levels and trust your senses for bobcat medicine is a powerful one with lessons on many levels.
To dream that you are going on strike, suggests that you are feeling under-appreciated. Perhaps you feel that you are being forced to do something that you don't really want to.
For a young woman to dream of leaping over an obstruction, denotes that she will gain her desires after much struggling and opposition.
The corporeal image of a given process, or of becoming, or of the
passage of time. In Hindu doctrine, the dance of Shiva in his rôle as Natarâjâ (the
King of the Cosmic Dance, symbolizing the union of space and time within
evolution) clearly has this meaning (6). There is a universal belief that, in so far as
it is a rhythmic art-form, it is a symbol of the act of creation (56). This is why the
dance is one of the most ancient forms of magic. Every dance is a pantomime of
metamorphosis (and so calls for a mask to facilitate and conceal the transformation), which seeks to change the dancer into a god, a demon or some other chosen
form of existence. Its function is, in consequence, cosmogonic. The dance is the
incarnation of eternal energy: this is the meaning of the circle of flames surrounding the ‘dancing Shiva’ (60). Dances performed by people with linked arms
symbolize cosmic matrimony, or the union of heaven and earth—the chain-symbol—and in this way they facilitate the union of man and wife (51).
To dream that you are dancing, signifies freedom from any constraints and restrictions. Your life is in balance and in harmony. Dancing also represents frivolity, happiness, gracefulness, sensuality and sexual desires. You need to incorporate these qualities in your waking life.
To dream that you are dancing with a partner, signifies intimacy and a union of the masculine and feminine aspects of yourself. If you are leading, then it indicates that you are in control of your personal life. It could also mean that you are being overly aggressive and assertive.
To dream that you are attending or going to a dance, indicates a celebration and your attempts to achieve happiness. Consider the phrase the "dance of life" which suggests creation, ecstasy, and going with what life has to offer you.
To see children dancing in your dream, indicates a happy home life.
To see ritualistic dancing in your dream, denotes your need to get in touch with the spirit within.
To dream of seeing a crowd of merry children dancing, signifies to the married, loving, obedient and intelligent children and a cheerful and comfortable home. To young people, it denotes easy tasks and many pleasures.
To see older people dancing, denotes a brighter outlook for business.
To dream of dancing yourself, some unexpected good fortune will come to you.
Dreaming that you are dancing means freedom from constraints and harmony/balance with yourself. You are working in cooperation with yourself. It also represents frivolity, happiness, gracefulness, sensuality and sexual desires. Alternatively, it may signify intimacy and a union of the masculine and feminine aspects of yourself. Dreaming that you are attending or going to a dance indicates a celebration and your attempts to achieve happiness. Consider the phrase the "dance of life" which suggests creation, ecstasy, and going with what life has to offer you. Seeing children dancing in your dream means that you will have a comfortable home, and healthy, well-behaved children in the future. Seeing ritualistic dancing in your dream indicates your need to get in touch with the spirit within..
A symbol of height, of the spirit as the sun, and of the spiritual
principle in general. In the Egyptian hieroglyphic system, the letter A is represented by the figure of an eagle, standing for the warmth of life, the Origin, the
day. The eagle is a bird living in the full light of the sun and it is therefore
considered to be luminous in its essence, and to share in the Elements of air and
fire. Its opposite is the owl, the bird of darkness and death. Since it is identified
with the sun and with the idea of male activity which fertilizes female nature, the
eagle also symbolizes the father (19). It is further characterized by its daring
flight, its speed, its close association with thunder and fire. It signifies, therefore,
the ‘rhythm’ of heroic nobility. From the Far East to Northern Europe, the eagle
is the bird associated with the gods of power and war. It is the equivalent in the air
of the lion on earth; hence it is sometimes depicted with a lion’s head (cf. the
excavations at Tello). According to Vedic tradition, it is also important as a messenger, being the bearer of the soma from Indra. In Sarmatian art, the eagle is the
emblem of the thunderbolt and of warlike endeavour. In all Oriental art it is often shown fighting; either as the bird Imdugud, who ties the terrestrial and the celestial deer together by their tails, or as Garuda attacking the serpent. In pre-Columbian
America, the eagle had a similar symbolism, signifying the struggle between the
spiritual and celestial principle and the lower world. This symbolism occurs also
in Romanesque art. In ancient Syria, in an identification rite, the eagle with human
arms symbolized sun-worship. It also conducted souls to immortality. Similarly,
in Christianity, the eagle plays the rôle of a messenger from heaven. Theodoret
compared the eagle to the spirit of prophecy; in general, it has also been identified
(or, more exactly, the eagle’s flight, because of its swiftness, rather than the bird
itself) with prayer rising to the Lord, and grace descending upon mortal man.
According to St. Jerome, the eagle is the emblem of the Ascension and of prayer
(50). Among the Greeks it acquired a particular meaning, more allegorical than
properly symbolic in nature, in connexion with the rape of Ganymede. More
generally speaking, it was believed to fly higher than any other bird, and hence was regarded as the most apt expression of divine majesty. The connexion between the eagle and the thunderbolt, already mentioned above, is confirmed in
Macedonian coinage and in the Roman signum. The ability to fly and fulminate,
to rise so as to dominate and destroy baser forces, is doubtless the essential
characteristic of all eagle-symbolism. As Jupiter’s bird it is the theriomorphic
storm, the ‘storm bird’ of remotest antiquity, deriving from Mesopotamia and
thence spreading throughout Asia Minor (35). On Roman coins it occurs as the
emblem of imperial power and of the legions. Its fundamental significance does
not vary in alchemy, it merely acquires a new set of terms applicable to the
alchemic mystique: it becomes the symbol of volatilization. An eagle devouring a
lion is the symbol of the volatilization of the fixed by the volatile (i.e. according
to alchemical equations: wings=spirit; flight=Imagination, or the victory of spiritualizing and sublimating activity over involutive, materializing tendencies). Like
other animals, when in the sign of the Gemini, the eagle undergoes total or partial
duplication. Thus arises the two-headed eagle (related to the Janus symbol)
which is usually depicted in two colours of great mystical significance: red and
white. In many emblems, symbols and allegories, the eagle is depicted carrying a
victim. This is always an allusion to the sacrifice of lower beings, forces, instincts
and to the victory of the higher powers (i.e. father principle, logos) (50). Dante
even calls the eagle the bird of God (4). Jung, ignoring the multiple significance of
its symbolism, defines it simply as ‘height’, with all the consequences that flow
from a specific location in space. On the other hand the constellation of the Eagle
is placed just above the man carrying the pitcher of Aquarius, who follows the
bird’s movement so closely that he seems to be drawn after it by unseen bonds.
From this it has been inferred that Aquarius is to be identified with Ganymede,
and also with ‘the fact that even the gods themselves need the water of the
Uranian forces of life’ (40).
Seeing an eagle in your dream, symbolizes nobility, pride, fierceness, freedom, superiority, courage, and powerful intellectual ability. Eagles also indicate self-renewal. You will struggle fiercely and courageously to realize your highest ambitions and greatest desires. Seeing an eagle chained down in your dream, represents a desperate situation where you are feeling restricted and confined. You are unable to express yourself and be who you really want to be. Consider also what the eagle is chained down to for additional clues as to what might be holding you back. Seeing a nest of young eagles in your dream means your advancement up to the top of the social ladder. Dreaming that you killed an eagle means your ruthlessness. You will let nothing stand in your way of ambitions and obtaining your goals, even if it means hurting those around you. If someone else kills an eagle, then it indicates that your fame, fortune and power will be ruthlessly taken from you. Dreaming that you eat the flesh of an eagle, shows that your strong and powerful character will lead you to great wealth and influence.
Birds are generally associated with freedom and abandon. In old dream interpretation books, birds are considered lucky omens. Doves and eagles are generally spiritual symbols. Your dream depends on its details, but if the birds in your dream were flying free, it may be symbolic of spiritual, psychological, or physical freedom. It can also represent high expectations. An eagle is a powerful bird and the unconscious message may be prosperity, success, and liberation from tedium. The eagle is also a bird of prey and some negative connotations can be made. If the eagle is on the attack or the dream is frightening, reflect on your own aggressive and predatory thoughts and tendencies.
Symbolic Eagle Meaning
I've been seeing eagles and moles in my meditations lately. When creatures persist in my awareness, I know it's time to write a page on them. Plus, I've gotten several requests from readers of this site wanting to know more about symbolic eagle meaning, so here are a few thoughts.
I've had the luxury of observing Golden Eagles in the wild. Like our nature-inclined forebears, the sheer size of these creatures is mind-numbing.
Size does matter to the Native mind. It is the mammoth size of the eagle that, in part, wins its title as the King of the Birds in myth and lore. In spite of its enormous size, the eagle still takes flight, seemingly effortlessly. This is the first of many symbolic cues from the eagle about perception (not judging a book by its cover) and, not allowing the illusion of limitation to ground us in our flight.
What else matters when considering symbolic eagle meaning? Here are a few attributes and keywords associated with Eagle Medicine:
Opportunity
Protection
Guardianship
Masculinity
Dominance
Control
Freedom
Community
Command
Action
Authority
Skill
Focus
Determination
Vision
Power
Liberation
Inspiration
Ruler
Judgment
Native wisdom also honors the eagle for their opportunistic ways. It's not that they're skilled hunters (they are), but the go about gaining their needs in ways that are most efficient. This is a lesson for conserving resources. Work smarter, not harder.
Some Native American (plains tribes) refers to the eagle as an earthly incarnation of the great Thunderbird spirit. Legend further states that lightning bolts shoot from the eyes of the bald eagle, and with the beating of its expansive wings, rain is conjured from the skies. That's easy to envision.
Coming from the mindset that all energy is interconnected, an average wingspan of 5-7 feet (in golden's and bald's) could understandably cause some massive energetic ripples in the cosmos. Even prompt rain. I love how eagles as rain bringers segways into the cleansing theme of water.
And, we see from the Native mind that eagle feathers are tribal tools resonating patterns of healing within ritual. Do a little research into Native wisdom, and you will find the eagle is invoked for revitalization, creation and healing purposes. I like to think this deals with the eagle's connection with water.
In this vein of thought, we can contemplate the healing messages the eagle may offer us in our daily life. When the eagle soars into our psychic vision, it may be a sign of getting prepared for symbolic cleansing rains. What needs cleaning in our lives?
Of course, as rulers of the sky, eagle meaning is connected with the air element, which symbolizes communication and thought. All bird totems speak to us about higher thinking, dreams, and mental liberation. As king of the birds, the eagle's message of mental acuity is super-dominant.
Visually, everything about the eagle's appearance is sharp. Streamlined, sleek, chiseled. This prompts our deeper minds to hone our thoughts and skills. The eagle commands us to tailor our intelligence and talents in a form that best suits our needs. We all have inner abilities, but when the eagle shows up - it's a clear sign it's time to use these abilities in a laser-like fashion to bring about focused change in our lives.
To revisit the Thunderbird association, eagles are said to bring down lightning with the storms. This makes me think of flashes of insight, surges of power - electrifying vision.
I also like to look into the eyes of the eagle. There I see the lightning. I see the sun itself living in those all-seeing bright yellow orbs.
Do these observations this strike a chord with you? If so, take flight with the eagle meaning by experimenting with these visualizations:
contemplate the power cased in the heart of the eagle.
Synchronize your own heart beat with that of the eagle's - visualize each pulse as a flash of lighting - an impulse of divine thought.
Picture the power of the gods clapping like thunder with each flap of their wings. With each crack of thunder consider barriers and blockages in your life being shattered.
Then see the great 7 foot wingspan of the eagle growing even longer in your vision in order to swipe away the rubble - making all trace of limitation disappear.
Look into the eyes of the eagle, and see the dawning sun shine clarity upon the dawning of your own awareness. These eyes are like a light into your own contemplative vision - let them illuminate your from the inside out.
These kind of powerful connections can liberate on so many levels.
But, you don't have to take my word for it. Consider our ancestors perspectives on the eagle meaning for more inspiration.
Alchemy symbolic eagle meaning:
A representation of prime matter, the start of an alchemical operation. The eagle spreads its wings over the step into creation and fans the fire, encouraging growth of new matter.
Aztec and Mayan meaning of eagle:
The eagle carries the veil of night and dark over our existence and awareness. It's affiliated with the dawning sun, and is a magnificent celestial power, able to shine light into our world.
Celtic animal symbolism of eagle:
Associated with the symbolism of water, and the intuitive oracle water serves as. Perhaps because our Celtic kin observed their magnificent ability to see into waters with miraculous clarity. Like scrying. I like to think the Celts skimmed across the waters of their existence invoked the eagle for assistance in "diving in" for treasures of wisdom.
Christian eagle meaning:
Associated with the Christ himself. Because the eagle seems to easily ascend the skies, looking into the sun with unblinking focus, we relate symbolism of Christ's unblinking faith in the Way, the Truth, and the Light. We also see themes of renewal (baptism) as the eagle plunges the soul of man into the sea, and lifts them out renewed and cleansed.
Greek meaning:
Another reference as a solar animal, the eagle is symbolic of authority, rulership and virility. It's depicted with thunderbolts in each talon. In my mind, this seems like a phallic reference would bolster sexual energy as well as warrior status (energy, thrust, courage, bravery, fearlessness). I get a confirmation of this by Zeus's strong affiliation with the eagle in myth.
I could go on forever about the symbolic meaning of the eagle. It's an inspiring creature, so it's only natural that every human eye that has witnessed it would be enraptured by its regal presence.
The eagle imparts spectacular wisdom. Take purposeful, meditative time to connect with the eagle, and discover what kind of glorious insight it can share with you.
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The eagle personifies the divine power. It can rise high in the sky, higher than any other living being, and because of this comes close to the Great Spirit. Rising to such heights, it can observe life in its entirety. The eagle teaches the importance of recognizing the whole pattern of life with its bright and dark sides. This means we should regard both positive and negative events as experiences that can serve a higher purpose and help to develop the self. The power of the eagle, therefore, requires trust in divine leadership and only by examining his strength of soul can a person acquire the power of the eagle. Eagles' feathers have been used by shamans since ancient times to heal the aura of the sick. The message of the eagle is: Defeat your fears and see beyond your horizon, become one with the element of air and fly!
Creation, mental-spiritual-emotional swiftness, healing, dignity, strength, courage, wisdom, healing and insights, awareness of surrounding, aids in seeing hidden spiritual truths and higher balances, illumination of spirit, stronger and quicker in actions, responsibility, shows how to connect with intuition and higher spiritual truths. Are you willing to soar to new heights at this time? Are you ready to be involved with your creation and manifestations? Eagle teaches that you can achieve balance and intuit the winds of change while remaining connected and grounded.
Like the giant and the magician, he is a personification of the
Terrible Father, of the ‘evil demiurge’ of the Gnostics, prefigured in Saturn (31)
To dream of a sorcerer, foretells your ambitions will undergo strange disappointments and change.
Seeing or dreaming that you are a sorcerer, represents your talents, inner strengths, and creative ability. Your mind is squarely set on achieving your goals.
To dream that you are flying, signifies a sense of freedom where you had initially felt restricted and limited.
To dream that you are flying with black wings, signifies bitter disappointments.
To dream of flying high through a space, denotes marital calamities.
To fly low, almost to the ground, indicates sickness and uneasy states from which the dreamer will recover.
To fly over muddy water, warns you to keep close with your private affairs, as enemies are watching to enthrall you.
To fly over broken places, signifies ill luck and gloomy surroundings. If you notice green trees and vegetation below you in flying, you will suffer temporary embarrassment, but will have a flood of prosperity upon you.
To dream of seeing the sun while flying, signifies useless worries, as your affairs will succeed despite your fears of evil.
To dream of flying through the firmament passing the moon and other planets; foretells famine, wars, and troubles of all kinds.
To dream that you fly with black wings, portends bitter disappointments. To fall while flying, signifies your downfall. If you wake while falling, you will succeed in reinstating yourself.
For a young man to dream that he is flying with white wings above green foliage, foretells advancement in business, and he will also be successful in love. If he dreams this often it is a sign of increasing prosperity and the fulfilment of desires. If the trees appear barren or dead, there will be obstacles to combat in obtaining desires. He will get along, but his work will bring small results.
For a woman to dream of flying from one city to another, and alighting on church spires, foretells she will have much to contend against in the way of false persuasions and declarations of love. She will be threatened with a disastrous season of ill health, and the death of some one near to her may follow.
For a young woman to dream that she is shot at while flying, denotes enemies will endeavor to restrain her advancement into higher spheres of usefulness and prosperity.
Dreaming that you are flying means a sense of freedom where you had initially felt restricted and limited. Dreaming that you are flying with black wings means bitter disappointments.
Dreams of flying are common and most people can recall having flown in a dream or two. There are many ideas as to what this means. Some people believe that flying in our dreams can be an actual out of body experience, that we go to places on this physical plane as well as into the inner planes (mostly the Astral). We have a desire to be free and above all difficulties! The details of your dream will give you clues as to what it symbolizes, if your dream was a spiritual experience or ego based; enjoy it, flying is great!
You first start dreaming of flying when you are 3 to 5 years old. It is a very common dream, though less prevalent in adults. More than one third of the dreaming population has dreamed of flying one time or the other.
* Flying dreams are known to have a positive relationship with relief from tension and nightmares.
* Lucid dreamers tend to have twice as much of flying dreams.
* An intense emotional condition can also trigger off a flying dream
* The dreams are not exclusive to the post flying machines era. They have occurred in ancient times too, as records in dream books
of Babylonian and Egyptian civilizations reveal.
* People with an imaginative personality and creative thinkers have more flying dreams
* Those who fly planes have these dreams, though they rather fly like Superman in their dreams, not in aeroplanes.
What triggers off a flying dream? The reasons offered for these dreams are
* Psychological - The dreamer has had an intense emotional experience
* Physiological - There is a change in the breathing pattern of the dreamer
* Physical - There is an actual physical movement of the bed.
* Precognitive - In preparation of a flying trip
* Consciousness - Awareness of movement around you
To see a killer in your dream, suggests that an essential aspect of your emotions have been cut off. You feel that you are losing your identity and your individuality. Alternatively, this dream may represent purification and the healing process. You are standing up for yourself and putting a dramatic end to something.
Seeing a killer in your dream, suggests that an essential aspect of your emotions have been cut off. You feel that you are losing your identity and your individuality. Alternatively, this dream may represent purification and the healing process. You are standing up for yourself and putting a dramatic end to something.