I Am the Eagle

Communicating with Sacred Animals By Leslie Cirinesi (Jan, 2018)

I think we can probably all agree that the Eagle is one of the most majestic creatures on Earth. I find them incredibly beautiful and I cannot think of a better symbol than the Bald Eagle to represent the United States. Did you know that Benjamin Franklin pushed very hard for the Turkey to be the symbol for the nation? He was outvoted, thank goodness. Believe me, I have nothing against the Turkey, but let’s be realistic about this, the Turkey does not have the stature of a Bald Eagle.

I have spent time in Alaska gazing at a nest of Bald Eagles as well as many days in Yellowstone where I sat watching the Bald Eagles. They would dive from 100 feet up in the air, down to the lake level, reach in with its talons to catch fish and then have to fly away carrying its own body weight (or more). It’s a humbling experience to be in the presence of such power and beauty.

A few years ago, I spent quite a bit of time at the Detroit Zoo talking to the two male Bald Eagles that lived there. Both had been in accidents that rendered them unable to fly. One of the Eagles named Flash, flew into an electrical line that severed most of his wing off. Every time I sit and look at them, I am amazed at how magnificent they look and what proud creatures they are. Every single time I watch them, I can hear a song playing in my head. It is a song written by John Denver called, “The Eagle and the Hawk”. It is not a long song at all, but a very poignant song about how man and nature sometimes collide, and that the eagle holds hope for our future of mankind.

The Eagle and the Hawk

I am the eagle, I live in high country, | In rocky cathedrals that reach to the sky. | I am the hawk, and there’s blood on my feathers, | but time is still turning, they soon will be dry. | And all those who see me, and all who believe in me | share in the freedom I feel when I fly. | Come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountaintops. | Sail o’er the canyons and up to the stars. | And reach for the heavens and hope for the future | and all that we can be, and not what we are.

I just find that song so beautiful and true to what I believe. We, as man, have hurt these beautiful birds of prey. Fortunately, that is changing and we are trying desperately to make up for that mistake. We need to hope for the future and not stop at what we are now, but what we really can be.

A few years back, I had a nice conversation with Lindy, one of the Bald Eagles at the Detroit Zoo. I asked him what his impression was about being the official symbol of the United States of America. I was surprised to hear how extremely humble he was about it. He wasn’t really aware that his kind represented an entire nation and he wasn’t really sure why the Eagle had been chosen. He thought that many animals could have been the symbol. I told him that my opinion is that Bald Eagles represent beauty, strength, courage and freedom. As a nation, these are traits that we want to emulate.

I spent about four hours that day with Lindy and Flash. We talked about the many different adventures that they had experienced. They were curious about my life as a human, so I explained many aspects of it to them. They asked as many questions about my life as I did about their lives. Eventually the conversation turned to their life at the Detroit Zoo. I asked them if they were happy to have been rescued and with the space that they were given. They both agreed that they could not survive in the wild without being able to fly, but that they also missed the wild. Since neither could fly, they are actually in an open area with no caging and they were free to hop around the enclosure. They told me that they were grateful that they are fed rabbits (frozen ones) rather than pellets or seeds, as they are raptors and raptors need to eat meat.

I asked Lindy if he would please show me what it was like when he could still fly. I basically asked him to show me a video in my mind of a flight that he had taken. He was happy to show me many memories of many flights and he took me on one particularly beautiful flight in Washington State. I could see his flight over the water and high above the land. It felt very magical soaring over the Earth; it was like no other feeling that I had ever felt while he glided so silently over the treetops. It was as if I was flying along with him and experiencing all that he did on that flight. Sadly, since then, Lindy has passed away. I will always be grateful for the memory that he shared with me and the day that he allowed me to “soar with the Eagles”. ✦

Leslie Cirinesi is a Reiki Master/Teacher and Animal Communicator located in Clarkston, MI. She volunteers at the Detroit Zoo and with many animal rescues. She is available to communicate with your animals by using a photo and does phone consultations all over the world. Leslie@AETherapy.com | www.AdvancedEnergyTherapy.com | www.ISpeakToAnimals.com | fb: Advanced-Energy-Therapy-and-wwwispeaktoanimalscom

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