For the Love of VULTURES

Poetry by The Irrational Sage

The Vulture gets a bad name and I’d like to change that. This bird has become a sort of messenger, or spirit guide for me, showing up frequently and inviting me to explore greater depths through their messages. Instead of fearing them as something negative or as bad omens, I think they deserve more appreciation for the role they play in our lives and it’s time to look at the positive associations and messages they bring…which is, actually one of Beauty!

The Vulture has a powerful presence and many fear what they don’t understand because they believe its reputation with association of the reaper, but there is more to the story.

Animals are one of our greatest teachers and the messages they bring us are often over looked, unless you stop to commune and bring awareness to what is being said, or shown, which may not always be instantly evident.

The Vulture represents the material manifestation of the metaphysical Reaper, not predator, not hunter, just cleaner-upper, escort, purifier, guide.

They bring a promise that there is a doorway to the heavens and they have the key to open it. Scavenger comes with negative connotation, but to me, signifies resourcefulness. Think of going on a “scavenger” hunt, it’s an opportunity to collect and gather from what is readily available, an opportunity to look for “abundance” that hides in plain sight, be it under a tree, or leaf, or a place that requires picking something up and looking beneath…honing in.

When I look back on my life and really dig deep, I can see how messages from animals were ever-present in times of intense challenge, change and/or during certain experiences as an usher, or rites of passage, that was not given by society. I know you have had them walking beside you too, even if you haven’t noticed.

The Vulture bears a profound responsibility and with it comes purity, accompanied by great sight…and height.

When you start to notice a certain animal showing up more in your life, ask yourself what are the traits, energy, behaviors of this animal that I'm embodying, need to embody or relinquish?

I have learned a lot and am moved by the messages shown to me. If the Vulture is visiting you, be it in real life, dreams, or images, there is nothing to fear, but take note, because I can assure you what he’s trying to convey is worth visiting.

The Vulture is symbol of purification, renewal, rejuvenation, sometimes also called:
The Reaper
The Golden Purifier
The Groundskeeper
The Judge
The Knower
The Watcher
The Gatekeeper
The Recycler
The Mortician

According to Wikipedia, “Outside of the oceans, vultures are the only known obligate scavengers.”

The Vulture also corresponds with the scales of Libra or Ma’at because it is not predator, nor, prey. Therefore, it is the ultimate signifier of walking the middle path, in cosmic balance, integrated between heaven and earth, light and dark.

For it to partake in such a gruesome act by consumption of rotting flesh, it has a sweet gentle quality about it that is easy to see if you spend any time observing them.

If you’ve ever watched a Vulture soar across the sky, you know they are magnificent creatures with a vast wingspan. I enjoy watching them circle overhead, as they often do, where I live surrounded by open fields.

Sometimes they line up on the fence posts around my property gathered in groups, but there is one that always comes to the same post by a tree in my yard that has become his “spot” - - - it’s the human version of a comfy old worn in recliner. Ah, my friend, that post is yours, and has your name on it, as long as I’m guardian of this land.

The Vulture (with a capital V) carries a sort of shamanic soulful medicine that’s potency stays with you, seeps into your veins with a palpable tone . A connector between worlds, walking in quiet courage for being misunderstood, the Vulture invites both death and birth to the table for awakening what is dormant, giving room for re-birth, and letting go what is no more….let what must go, go…let what must fly, fly.

As the mainstream world demonizes nature, it is our responsibility, on the other side, to help what is without voice and bring understanding to what is feared.

So, what is the Vulture trying to tell you? Let’s unpack the possible messages:

Value of Loss:
The Vulture reminds us that there is value in loss. Just as it is nourished by remains, so too, are we nourished by what is lost, even after it is gone, it always “remains” a part of us, or with us, because it was part of our story. 

Additionally, value in loss brings to the forefront of awareness the preciousness of life, an unfortunate, yet necessary reminder what we all need to remember to value in our day-to-day lives.

Transformation and Beauty:
The Vulture may be telling you that you should not judge a book by its cover.

The raw featherless face of this magnificent being reveals an expression as if all masks have been removed, unafraid to show what the world deems as ugly, he knows himself and has nothing to hide. He soars to great heights with ease in perfect balance with the Cosmos…Yin-Yang made manifest when the Vulture was born of the nest.

Those repulsed by the outer appearance may lack the ability to understand that things aren’t always as they look.   The vulture may be showing you that it is in your imperfection, your true authenticity, where your true beauty and peace reside when you learn to be unaffected by what others think. When you turn away from the noise, you can soar.

Society has a standard for beauty that is not only unrealistic but very uniform, plastic, symmetrical, a strict focus on looking a certain way without celebrating what really makes us beautiful on the inside….and the unique creative expression of that made manifest outwardly.  True beauty just is…it doesn’t have to try so hard when it’s authentic…yet not everyone can see it because they must see it in themselves first, instead of striving to meet the expectations of what the world tries to dictate.

Focus on being authentic and expressing yourself from that place. A vulture soaring through the air with its wings spread wide is a sight to behold.

In nourishing its vessel, the Vulture cleans up the roads and earth, thus, transforming the environment and making it beautiful as well, again and again…play and purpose intertwined.

Purification and Patience:
The Vulture can eat a nything. You may think of the Vulture as ghastly and unclean, yet in actuality they are very clean.

While it is true they eliminate on their feet and legs, it supposedly serves as a cooling function due to their acidic intestinal environment that destroys bad bacteria and disease, so eliminating on itself is cleansing. Apparently, they also will barf on their meal (carcass) for the same reasons and this is a great defense mechanism for preventing disease.

This self-cleansing mechanism is dually aligned with both cleaning and nourishing itself with waste.

This is actually quite a resourceful trait that can be a message for things in your own life.

Vulture Journal Prompts: What treasure can you find in trash or recycle? What dirty work are you avoiding? How can you make your environment more beautiful? What is holding you back that needs to die? What foods does your body no longer want to consume? What are you consuming (food, information, etc.) that is affecting your emotions, mind and clarity? What are you having trouble digesting? What are you hyperconscious of? Where in your life is there a sense of nausea? 

Another aspect of purification is that the Vulture loves water and bathing. Since water is about emotions, what emotions need cleansing, grieving or letting go of?

Waiting patiently for prey, this bird utilizes resources efficiently, trusting that he’s always taken care of, so he doesn’t force anything and can soar for hours without flapping his wings. The Vulture reminds you to examine where in your life can you invite in more trust in the Divine flow AND more efficiency how you move through the day?

“Heightened” Spiritual Gifts:

If the Vulture is a frequent visitor, I can assure you some of your spiritual gifts may become enhanced.

Smell: The Vulture must have acute smell as it needs to be able to locate prey from long distances away, and while its vision is exceptional, its nose is its greatest asset for pinpointing carrion. A heightened sense of smell means you can smell when something is off, dead, fishy, danger…and it can also help you intuit the opposite, when something is sweet, with good intentions, or safe.

Sight: The Vulture has vision eight times greater than a human. Acute vision and smell are both things that are unseen yet integral to transformation.  If your spiritual vision is awakening and you begin to “see” more clearly, then this may be what the Vulture is telling you.

Spiritual vision can encompass a knowing of a future event, foresight, precognitive dreams, a greater recognition of patterns and/or other real-time visible events, such as seeing auras, entities, or energies.

A symbol of death, this can also be a representative of something that is in the dark, meaning unconscious. What are you unable to see that may be hiding in the unconsciousness and is ready to be addressed?

Intuition: The Vulture doesn’t really sing or have much a voice, only a hiss, so it must be able to communicate its needs effectively in other ways.

I believe this means that there is a great telepathic and intuitive ability giving way to unspoken communication, as well as a keen sense of awareness through body language. If this is the message from The Vulture to you then it may be reminding you that it’s the movement you make or action you take that is significant, beyond just words.  It also may be asking you to meditate or spend more quiet time cultivating your intuition.

Listening: As the Vulture quietly surveys the land below, it invites you to take up a higher role in your life, leadership (time to SOAR). When was the last time you sat back and observed, listened…. really listened? 

Warning | Protection | Alertness

People “circle” when they smell death or success, they will say I told you so when you fail but when you succeed, they want a piece of you. The Vulture may be telling you to stay alert, protect yourself from other’s “ill” intentions.

The warning may also be for you, something in your life needs to die, maybe it’s a job, a habit or a mindset, it doesn’t mean someone you know is passing, though it might.  Perk up your awareness and welcome the cycles of nature with curiosity.

Service

The Vulture cleans up messes it didn’t create and knows when 'it's time” for things to end…and begin. The finisher of unfinished business, the message to clean up, tidy up, finish up a mess you made may be the symbolism coming through for you.

When was the last time you got your hands dirty…did the dirty work? What are you avoiding? There is a Divine order and balance to all things and that means knowing when it’s time to roll up your sleeves?

This reminded me of the gift of cleaning up the poop of my animals for which I am guardian (not owner) as an act of Divine service that brings me back into humility, because everyone poops, and if we don't clean it up or we let our system (energetically, physically, spiritually, mentally) get clogged up, unable to flow, then life will begin to stink!

When we purify and “clean up the mess” in our lives from our environment, bad choices in diet, consumption of information, then we make room for greater health and give ourselves a lightness so that we can take flight towards something better.

Entrance and Departures

In Tibet, and some other cultures, a sky burial takes place where the body of the deceased is taken up the mountain and left to be consumed by Vultures.  I like this, myself, considering we spend our whole lives in boxes, I can’t understand why we also want to be buried in one.

Vultures, though often unnoticed and unassuming, soar in grand fashion over our heads.  What hasn’t been able to take flight in your life or has reached a dead end in that you are letting hang around? What needs to die and how will you put it to rest? When your time comes are you going to end up in a box or bring your creative pursuits to a unique goodbye?

Mythology

The Vulture also plays an important role in our mythology.

In ancient Egypt, killing a Vulture was punishable by death. They believed the Vulture was a symbol of purity and was considered good luck, especially before a battle.

The Goddess Nekhbet was signified with the head of a Vulture and known as the protector of the Pharoah in both life and death, outstretched wings signifying a shield for the journey to the afterlife.

Sometimes Nekhbet was depicted with one wing up, one wing down representing a positive and negative, electromagnetic synergy connecting centrally through her from wing-to-wing, she carries a light in her talon for lighting up the underworld, the unconscious. A traveler between realms, messenger above and below, the Vulture moves with ease in the liminal spaces, floating gracefully then devouring death, fully integrated in light and by night.

The Vulture holds significant symbolism across many mythologies and cultures, it is more often regarded as a positive omen than negative, a bringer of transformation, wisdom, purification, strength and protection.

The Vulture Beautifies:

·     It cleans up and, thus, clears the roads, the path

·     It soars above the clouds inviting in a sense of freedom and independence

·     It does a service and duty, knowing its place in the cosmos

·     It doesn’t harm, but is wise in utilizing resources

·     It is the great balancer, showing us both dark and light, death and rebirth

·     It paints a magnificent picture with its vast wings soaring in the sky, a vast regal presence to admire

·     It’s ability to purify and cleanse helps itself and the environment

·     It is wise, a reminder that beauty is always there if you open your eyes to see. A harmonious peace-keeper, The Vulture should be appreciated and honored for all that it brings.

While our spirits may hold immortality, we are mortals in this physical vessel. The Vulture asks us to look deeper within and rise above the chatter of the world that is mostly distraction. Get quiet and listen, clean up your messes and find freedom in being authentically you, for this is the paradoxical path of beauty, if you can see it beyond the outer appearance.

Mystical Masters of the air and Mother Earth’s sanitation crew, Vultures deserve greater reverence and attention than they are given by a dismissive hurried society.

The next time you see them circling, thank them for all they do and ask if they have a message for you?

THE VULTURE

Sacred servant
but seen as profane
hideously beautiful
a winged saint
the original death doula
freed and unchained
peace painter of the sky
an unrestrained guide
Majestic in flight
Earth’s janitor
with a holy plight
purity is worn
on outstretched wings
for the Divine balancer
…of everything
a messenger to begin
a positive omen is at hand:
use your resources wisely
open your eyes widely
let your actions be the token
for it need not be spoken
when the door opens
the Vulture is gatekeeper
holds the key for the reaper
the beauty is yours to see
the transformation waits
for the fee of humility
initiation complete

Here's a 2 minute video compilation of some of the interactions I’ve been able to capture with Vultures the past few months. I hope you find it gives you a few moments of magical mystery and a curious calming connection to the beauty and wisdom of The Vulture.

With gratitude and awe for The Vulture, who understands what it’s like to be misunderstood, thank you for being a guide and helper to us all. ~ Angela

(P.S. their wings glisten a silvery shade if you catch a glimpse at the right time on a sunny day)

NOTE: VIDEO and COVER PHOTO (also the last photo shown) by Angela Morris, all other photos from Pixabay

By: Angela: Morris
All Rights Reserved