A few years ago, when we lived in the wild frontier of Raton, New Mexico, Aaron had a rare day off, so we hopped in the car and drove away, not really having a solid destination. We decided to drive to Cimarron because there was an old unexplored book store there screaming for our attention. Before leaving town, we stopped into a few stores in Raton, never having taken the time to adequately investigate those either. We were brand new in town. In one of the stores I bought a beautiful set of Native American totem medicine cards just for fun. It was a cloudy day, a rarity for New Mexico, and we set off for Cimarron while I played with my new divination tool.
At the time, over the past week Aaron had twice been graced by a face-to-face encounter with a grey fox, so I pulled the fox card and read him the medicine which we found to be insightful. We were quiet then, contemplating what we had learned, enjoying the softly grey day while hurtling down the desolate highway with nobody but the antelope and buffalo for company. I shuffled the cards two or three times, fanned them out, cleared my head and asked my higher guidance to help me pick a card. What medicine could I really use right now? What do I need at this exact moment in time? Closing my eyes, I found that quiet inner space and picked one, smiling as I turned it over. I picked the number one card- the Eagle- which signifies great spiritual connection to the All.
At the time there were so many changes in my life. We had just moved across country from Minneapolis to an extremely remote little mountain town in New Mexico. I had left a twenty- year career in veterinary medicine and had just started a Master’s program in psychology. I felt a little shaky on my feet, to say the least. When I picked the Eagle card, I immediately wondered, “Am I really worthy of such a pick…”. Self doubt can be the constant companion of great change. I was definitely susceptible.
Deep in thought, I was pulled away from the card’s attention by Aaron furiously patting my leg while he drove. Without saying a word, eyes wide, he gestured up. Above our car, following us, watching us, soared an enormous bald eagle. My heart beating out of my chest, unable to speak, my body filled with chills and covered in goose-bumps, I silently showed my card to Aaron, without taking my eyes off the eagle. He nodded, having already seen it. The timing of it all was other-worldly.
We watched the eagle in silence, until he soared off out of eyesight, the magic fading. Breaking the awesome silence, he said, “I wish I could replay for you how that eagle manifested. I mean, it was like it came out of nowhere. A hole opened up in the clouds just big enough for him to squeeze through and he just appeared. This feels so unreal.” In my head was the voice of my friend Susan, who had recently traveled this road with us. We were talking about the prevalence of Bald Eagles in Minnesota. “It’s too bad, but you rarely, if ever, see them here. Especially out on the range like this.” I remained speechless for quite some time, thinking to myself that moments like this are what it’s all about. They’re what tell us we’re living tapped into the Universal current… the place of human divinity and spontaneous manifestation. They’re what I live for. Then my higher consciousness chimed in with the words, “You’re on the right path. And you are worthy.” And after such a gift as this, I had to believe it.
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