Hawk: Messenger

The red-tailed hawk frequents the skies over my land, soaring high on the thermals, cutting a graceful arc through the air. This fall one of these frequent fliers came to ground, landing on a bench in my front yard, only ten feet from where I was standing. I stood quietly for a long time, appreciating the sight of this magnificent bird.

In both Celtic and Native traditions, Hawk is known as the messenger. In the Arthurian tradition, the Merlin (a kind of hawk) was the head Druid and respected as the Messenger of the Gods.

While many birds are regarded as messengers between the worlds of spirit and matter, Hawk is considered to be more dedicated to this role. It symbolizes clear-sightedness and a long memory. It's also believed that if you hear a hawk cry during a journey, it's wise to be alert to the possibility of situations that need boldness and decisiveness so that you won't be thrown off balance.

Hawk's cry may also be telling us to open our awareness, for in a deeper sense this bird symbolizes the messages that are always available to us, if we pay attention. In this sense Hawk teaches us the lesson of receptivity.

So often we ask for something, either aloud, through repeating or writing affirmations, or through our thoughts. Then we wait and wait, and nothing seems to have happened. Not only haven't we received what we asked for, but we don't even seem to have even received a clue about how to get it.

This is the message of Hawk medicine: The answer is always given. Hawk, while soaring high in the sky, is always alert to the slightest movement on the ground below. When we cultivate that kind of awareness, we are adjusting our vibrations to receive the messages that we want to hear. In this state, we find synchronicity operating. We may be looking for a new place to live and see an article describing the ideal location. We're trying to solve a problem on the job and happen to surf onto a web page that offers a perfect solution.

Not all of our answers come from the outside world. Hawk also stands for inner vision, drawing on our own intuition and psychic awareness. When we trust ourselves, are receptive to answers whatever their source, we soar with Hawk.

Hawk is available in power stones and jewelry.