I've mentioned having often seen hawks and eagles where I am living at the moment, and this week at the Farmer's Market, there was a table with a hawk, a barred owl, and a raven (to look at, not to touch, and certainly not to buy!) I've gotten rather close to our local hawk in the neighborhood, but at the market, I was only maybe four feet away. These birds (particularly the hawk and the owl) are so spectacular. I'm not sure exactly why at this late stage of my life, I seem to have developed a "thing" about them.
Actually, when I was at Pendle Hill back in 1990 (see my February 12 post), I blindly chose "eagle" from a pack of medicine cards to be my animal totem, and subsequently formed a small eagle from raku clay. After firing, it frankly ended up looking more like a chicken, but the concept of eagle inspired me to "soar" around the country. I watched for bald eagles during that car trip, and over the years, saw more of them in Duluth than I ever have elsewhere. On September 21, 2023, I wrote about the extraordinary experience of having a merlin hover in flight outside my window, and now finding that I have a companion hawk has cemented my interest for good. I have a large intimidating picture of the face of a British red kite (similar to a hawk) next to my bed.
It's interesting that I would be fond of these large raptors (the word comes from the Latin word, to snatch), whose place in the food chain is so dominant, and who, indeed, snatch smaller animals out of the water and land, for food. Clearly, I don't feel the same about people who are rapacious (same root), and steal from or kill weaker people, animals or nature. I suppose it is at least in part because such human behavior seems to me to be a choice, not a necessity. And, it is interesting that the word rapture also comes from the same root, as in being spiritually "taken" or ascendant. Bringing the circle around, I'd say there is a kind of rapture for me in seeing these raptors, whether in flight, on trees, or being shown to the public on a makeshift perch atop a folding table. I honor the sharpness of their vision, and the fact that nothing escapes them. I honor their magnificence and wish to be just as magnificent.
