An ordinary day stretched before me as my companion black cat walked with me through the living room, past the patio doors. The weather was fine, sunny, but not too hot; weather that, as a child, my Father would have called Indian Summer. The quiet of the house; tile floors, brick fireplace, high ceilings and my black and white photograph of the Virgin Mary gracing the mantle, gave the feel of an ancient sacred space or monastery. A sad time for me; having had one last conversation, by phone with my Father, before he died a few days later of a complication of the cancer treatment that was to save him. Many words filled my head, grieving alone, sending up thoughts to ancient ones, to guide me and create peace from the passing. A shadow moved across the floor, large and swift then disappeared.
I continued moving forward to the kitchen, thinking nothing of the shadow, stepping to the island, looking up to the window above the sink; stopped, stunned by the presence of a Vulture perched upon the window ledge. The cat made low growling sounds I’ve never heard before and stood motionless with me. Blue black feathers shimmered in the sunlight and a sideways turn of the birds head revealed yellow eyes contrasted against the red featherless skin of its head. It watched us for a moment then; with its powerful curved beak, began forcefully rapping on the window pane. My shock turned to fear as the mighty Vulture continued persistently pounding on the window. Surely it was capable of breaking the window, but why such a creature would be on my window sill trying to reach me inside, mingled my fear with curiosity. Considering my yard is very small; from window to wooden fence is just 6 feet. The Vulture body seemed out of place on such a small window ledge. Suddenly, another Vulture appeared and landed on the window ledge.
Now, the cat could not remain on the floor and jumped up to the counter top. Thinking surely, the cat’s approach would startle them to return from whence they came, but alas, they both started rapping on the window. My mind now over the shock; began to try to make sense of how and why they were there; recalling everything I knew about Vultures, which wasn’t much, begged the question, do they ever eat anything but carrion? Maybe they are being starved out of their habitat near by in the fields, maybe they are ill, maybe are after the cat? Then as quickly as they appeared, they lifted themselves from the ledge and flew away.
I had a hard time finding much about the habits of Vultures, even on the net. It was a few years later while relating the story to a new friend, he mentioned a book by, Ted Andrews; ANIMAL SPEAK. Great descriptions of many animal totems are contained within, as well as meditation and ways to discover your totem.
Quoted here from ANIMAL SPEAK, “One of the mystical secrets believed to be held by the Vulture is the ability to levitate. Levitation is the law of spirituality. Gravity is the impulse toward the material and mundane (physical). The Vulture denies the material; its ability to float, rise and soar has been seen as a symbol of movement away from the mundane. It is a symbol of the disintegration of physical holds. It is a symbol of distributing one’s energy so that gravity does not weigh and hold one down-be it the actual gravity of earth or the gravity of mundane situations and experiences. “
This is a true story of finding my Animal Totem. I really thought people would think I was making it up, but a month after my experience with the Vultures, my daughter came to house sit, while I was away at my Fathers memorial service. The Vultures returned to the window and amazed her too…she called me to tell me of their appearance. I’m sure that my Fathers passing and breaking the bounds of the earthly world and worries, brought the Vultures to let me know, he was soaring on the eternal thermals.
Peace Helene
