The Eagle and the Sun

An eagle soars above the sun - photograph by Jasmic

Used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic licence

Eagle Medicine is the power of the Great Spirit. It is the gift of clear vision with which one can truly see the things one sees. It has the spirit of tenacity and courage. It is the patience to wait for just the right moment. It is to live in balance with heaven and earth. The 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, and beyond the shadow of the past. 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.

Lift yourself into the wings of all birds that fly

You can see through their golden eyes,

You can touch the wind that sweeps through their velvet feathers,

You can know the joy of going way up high above the world and all its cares.

You can stay as long as you want in the sky, past the night, through sunrise,

And when you feel like coming down again, your questions will have answers

And your worries will be gone.

~Richard Bach (There's no such place as far away)

Owls in mythology

Owls are symbols of wisdom, learning and preceptive insight, but also because they hunt at night, they are associated with secrecy and darkness.

Owl Woman's Vision by Carole Estrup.
(copyright Carole Estrup, picture used with the permission of the artist).

To see more of this amazing artist's beautiful, inspirational paintings, visit http://www.caroleestrup.com/

Owls as Totem animals
Owls are one of the native american totem animals and represent clairvoyance and insight. The Great Horned Owl is often referred to as Night Eagle. The owl is at home in the night and has great awareness of all that is around it at all times. It is a predator with sharp accurate vision and is symbolic of great intuition. It is the totem of those that can see into the spirit world. It has the courage to follow its instincts. Owl's medicine includes seeing behind masks, silent and swift movement, keen sight, messenger of secrets and omens, shape-shifting, the link between the dark, unseen world and the world of light.

The Celtic Goddess Arianrhod
Arianrhod was an important Welsh goddess, the mother aspect of the Celtic goddess. She was a star goddess, whose castle Caer Arianrhod lay in the Aurora Borealis. She was a goddess of beauty, the Moon, fertility and reincarnation.

In Celtic Myth the Goddess has three major aspects: the maiden, the mother and the crone. These three represent the three stages in life of a woman. Blodeuwedd is the flower maiden, Arianrhod represents the mother and The Morrigu at last is the crone.

Arianrhod was said to be able to shapeshift into a large Owl, and through its eyes be able to see into the dark depths of the human soul. The Owl symbolizes death and renewal, wisdom, moon magic, and initiations. She is said to move with strength and purpose through the night, her wings of comfort and healing spread to give solace to those who seek her.

The Greek Goddess Athena
In Ancient Greek mythology the Owl was a creature sacred to the Athena, Goddess of wisdom. Athena had an owl companion, which was said to reveal unseen truths. Athena was also a celebrated artisan and patron of craftsmen. Athena was said to have the power of shape shifting and would appear to mortals in the form of an owl.