My friend and teacher, The Vulture
One of the ways that I have developed my animal communication skills is through a deeper understanding of shamanism, and my connection with the earth and all of its living mysteries. While I was still living in Houston, TX in the Fall of 2015, I scheduled a day for self-discovery through journeying in a nearby public park. For those of you who are unfamiliar with journeying, think of it as a self-guided meditation into your inner conscious where you gain guidance from your guides. The most profound experience that day was when a wild animal friend came forward with a message.
There was a small awning with benches used as an observation location, which is where I sat as I started my reflections on my journeys that I just completed. When I looked up after writing in my journal, I saw a black vulture across the field about 100 feet away (see photo above.) He was standing on a bench, staring at me for at least 15 minutes, as if he wanted to say hello. As I peered closer, I could see that he was injured – possibly a broken wing. My initial reaction was to help him “get better” by calling a wild rescue, however I thought twice and decided to use my heart first. I connected to him intuitively to ask “Do you want help from a rescue team? You will be in a building with lots of other animals and healed through western medicine. You may or may not be brought back to this location as your home.” Then I waited as he decided. His response was, “I do not wish to leave my home. If I cannot be healed here, then I would like to leave my injury as it is. I am not in pain. I cannot fly, but I have been able to survive so far.” If I had listened to my human conditioning, I would have just called a rescue immediately rather than finding out what the vulture really wanted. I was able to investigate rather than assume what he wanted. What an honor to have a skill that is so useful!
One of my friends who was with me (to assist in holding space) asked me how we could help our new friend. So, I asked him, and his response was that he would really like some food. As we were in a remote location, my gracious friend asked if she could walk to the convenience store and buy him a fried chicken breast. When she returned, we placed the meal in the middle of the field. The vulture hobbled over to the chicken within a minute or two and chowed down for about 30 minutes. In the middle of his meal, I intuitively asked “That must feel good. Are you happy?” and he looked straight up at me and into my eyes to say “Thank you”. He then hobbled over to the awning, stopping just about 8 feet away. My friends and I sat in awe of such a magnificent creature blessing us with his presence.
He returned to finish his meal, and I asked one more question, “Would you mind coming closer to me? I would like assurance that my skills are real and tangible.” Within seconds, he flew (as best he could with a broken wing) right to me and landed less than 2 feet from me. He stared me right in the eye and stood there for about 3 minutes. He even let me take a photo of him. As someone, who at the time, was building confidence in my skills, I was so pleased that he was willing to extend his trust to me.
To me, this vulture’s presence represented two things. First was being misunderstood, as a vulture often is, as someone who identifies with both her mind and her heart in her work (my background is engineering yet my work is intuitive). Second was to accept that death and decay are not the end; rather it is the nourishment for the next beginning. A cleansing to make room for new visions, perceptions and representations. I gained a whole new appreciation for these magnificent birds, and they will forever hold a special energy within me.'
Originally published for The LightFoot Way on March 11, 2018. Written By Lanna of Sentient Beings.