I go back to the ledge in front of the cave, and notice that I have almost run out of wood to keep my fire lit. I walk down the slope and find a fall of dry branches and gather an armful. (I know that there will always be enough wood there for me.) As I tend the fire, I notice that the there is enough room on the walls of the overhang to paint figures, and I think to myself that perhaps sometime I will do that. The cave ledge faces out to the west, but the sun is still high as I gaze out over the desert. I am working up the courage to walk down that tunnel and face Tortoise again.
As I stare out at the bright sky, I notice a bird off in the distance, very high up, circling. I think it might be Hawk, but as I watch, the bird spirals closer and I see that it is Eagle. He continues to spiral in, getting larger and larger as he approaches. Finally he lands at the edge of the ledge, and he is the biggest Eagle I have ever seen! His head comes up to my chest! I offer Eagle a piece of meat that I find sitting next to the fire pit, and he gladly accepts the tidbit.
With his head in profile against the bright blue of the sky, he stares at me with one eye and invites me to fly with him. At first this confuses me; how does he expect me to do that? But then I remember what Tortoise taught me; and rising, I hold out my arms and stretch out my beautiful wings. I walked behind Eagle and spread my wings over his, and sank into his body. (I'm afraid there's really no better way to explain it. My spirit enter Eagle, and he accepted me as a passenger.)
With a powerful surge of his wings, Eagle launched us from the ledge and soared out into the sky. As we flew west, I tried to look down to see the world passing by below us, but Eagle kept his head raised and stared at the clouds. We entered the clouds and passed though an area filled with shadows. Finally the clouds cleared and we flew out over an immense forest, dominated by a tree so tall that clouds floated through it's branches.
Eagle landed on a large dead branch near the very top of the tree. I left Eagle and Shifted to Winged Man again, sitting on the branch with my back to the trunk of the Tree. I noticed that all of the branches were dead and stripped of bark. I was filled with sorrow for this magnificent, ancient tree. Then I noticed that with my back to the trunk, I could only see half of the tree. When I turned around, I noticed that the other half of the tree seem to disappear in a gray mist. Gently, I reached my arms around the trunk, and felt bark, and twigs, and leaves. The tree wasn't dead after all!
With that knowledge, the gray mist dissolved and life began to seep back into the dead half of the tree. The whole tree blossomed with new leaves. I looked down through the now green branches and saw all manner of nests with baby birds being fed by their parents. I saw squirrels and other animals leaping gladly from branch to branch...the tree throbbed with new life.
Eagle hopped up to the very top of the tree, which was leveled off to form a small platform. I climbed up to join him, and together we looked down upon the whole of the world spread out below us. The sight took my breath away. I joined with Eagle again, and he dove off of the tree, diving down, down, down towards the forest below us. I asked Eagle to take me to Wild Woman before he returned me to the cave, and he entered the forest and swooped in among the trees.
(Wild Woman is my primal friend. I met her about a year ago during another meditation. She is the Wild, primal aspect of myself, and lives inside of me. She dwells in the woods, crossed with trails, and a stream with a small waterfall. I've tried to establish a good relationship with her, but she requires a lot of attention. I have been feeling guilty because I haven't spent much time with her lately. She is big, hairy, and pre-verbal. She speaks with gestures and growls. Picture a female Sasquatch. That is my friend.)
Eagle lands in a large Pine tree in the woods. At the base of the tree, Wild Woman is sitting on a fallen log with her head in her hands. I leave Eagle and Shift to Winged Man. I hold Wild Woman's hand and she stands and looks at me. Without a thought, I shift into Wolf, and we begin to howl. Heads thrown back, we throw howl after howl up through the trees, until we begin to smile again.
I shift back to Winged Man, and I lead Wild Woman through the woods to the stream. We jump in the water and swim and splash about. I find a bar of soap on the bank of the stream, and I begin to wash Wild Woman from head to toe. I rub the soap into her fur and work it into a deep sudsy lather, scratching and rubbing and massaging every inch of her. I stand her under the waterfall to rinse off the suds, and we leave the stream. I knew that Eagle was still waiting for me, so I walked with Wild Woman back to the fallen log. When we returned to the Pine, I gave Wild Woman a big hug, and climbed the tree to rejoin Eagle. Eagle flew away, and we left the forest behind us.
We traveled over the face of the Earth, over streams, mountains, plains, and finally desert. Eagle landed once again on the ledge, and I assumed the form of Winged Man. Silently I thanked Eagle, and offered him another piece of meat waiting for him by the fire. I tried to reach out and pet his head, and he bit my hand. I apologized for trying to treat him as a pet, and thanked him again for his guidance on my journey. He finished his meal, and flew away into the setting sun. The vision ended.
Again, I did not get what I expected, but I got even more! I was just hoping to enter the cave and talk to Tortoise, and I end up with flying lessons from Eagle! Whew! By this point, however, I am convinced that I should continue my studies, and I'm filled with the awareness that my journeys are an important part of my life. I decide to begin the habit of weekly journeys, to become more familiar with the landscape of the Spirit World. So the following week, I take up my drum, and travel again...
In my studies, I learned of the importance of introducing yourself to the Spirits. It is they who will decide to accept or reject your entrance to the Otherworld. They will either help you or hurt you, tell you truth or lie, depending on how determined and experienced you are. Sometimes you may have spirits to guide you, and some may come to teach you lessons through cruel tricks. So introducing yourself properly is essential to navigate through the depths of the Otherworld. When introduced, you are tested and judged to determine your strengths and weaknesses. (Hence the "Cave of Sorrows" exercise, hidden fears can be exploited.) You want to make sure the helping spirits can recognize you and find you at need. I decided that my next journey should be my introduction.
~Flame RavenHawk