Especially in this holiday season, there seems to be magic in the air. Whether it's the excitement of children about Santa Claus or the various richly woven religious stories about the meanings of the season, stories and legends seems to be at the heart of this magical season.

 

I recently heard a story about a powerful symbol in American culture: the bald eagle. Now, I've also heard that the facts of this story don't exactly add up, but, being that we're in a season of magic, I'm choosing to believe in this story, as the symbolism is rich. And who couldn't use a little more magic in their life?

 

 

After a little research, I found that the eagle has the longest life-span among birds. It can live up to 70 years. But to reach that age, the eagle must make a hard decision. In its 40’s, its long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food. Its long and sharp beak becomes bent. Its time-worn and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, become stuck to its chest and make it difficult to fly.

 

So, the eagle is left with only two options: die or change.

 

The change process requires that the bird go through a very painful 150 days. The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on its nest. There the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until it plucks it out. After plucking it out, the eagle will wait for a new beak to grow back and then it will pluck out its talons. When its new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking its old-aged feathers. And after five months, the eagle takes its famous flight of rebirth and lives for 30 more years.

 

Incredible, right?

 

So, let's zoom back and ask, "how does this relate to me and my need to change?" Many times, in order to survive, we have to start a change process. We sometimes need to get rid of old memories, habits and other past traditions. Only once we are freed from past burdens can we take advantage of the present.

To teach their young to fly, the eagles nudge their young nestlings out of the nest, causing them to free-fall off the side of the cliff. If the baby eagle isn’t able to discover how to fly in the pressure of the moment, the mother eagle swoops downward and “catches” the young eagle on her extended wings. She then flies around with her young offspring to give it the sensation of flying. This process is repeated until the young eagle learns how to fly.

We were not created to stay in the safety of the nest. We must nudge ourselves out of our comfort zone. Though this constant nudging might seem stressful or even unbearable, we must use it to renew us rather than exhaust us.  An eagle can’t fly by being scared stiff. It must relax and flow with the wind. Likewise, we must relax, let it be done to us, and let the wind of the Spirit carry us.  When we abandon ourselves to Life’s nudges, we discover that instead of stressing out, we learn to fly.

When it rains, most birds head for shelter; the eagle is the only bird that, in order to avoid the rain, starts flying above the clouds.

 

No wonder we are called to spread our wings and soar with eagles! Believe in magic!

Happy Thanksgiving to us all!