The Business of Spirit & Matter - The Eagle & The Condor

When I awoke at 4:44am, it was Easter morning of 2006 and I felt the presence of life all around me. The light from my headlamp seemed to startle me more than the herd of elk I was camped in the middle of! They raised their heads all around me and seemed as uncomfortable with my presence as I was with theirs. I guess they sensed I meant no harm to them because they moved away slowly. When I could see in the dim light, I began to prepare to go to the south rim of the Grand Canyon for Easter sunrise services.

I arrived ahead of the swarming crowds and found a rock ledge that looked over the Grand Canyon with an exquisite view of the ceremonial site below me. From this vantage point, I could see the sun as it appeared over the horizon. The voices of others filled the air with the magical sounds of the Easter hymns familiar to me. I felt blessed to be in that space. I raised my eyes above the skyline and felt recharged and reconnected through the sunlight, which filled my entire body. I observed several large birds circling high above the horizon. Their immense size indicated that these were the condors I had observed the day before.

The sun shined brightly upon them. Occasionally, when the light was just right, I would glimpse the white head of an eagle that was circling among the condors. As I focused, I realize I was really privileged to see a rare encounter of two nearly extinct species. They were flying together rhythmically; with the sounds of the voices below me and the awakening light of Easter Sunday. It was a profound experience, which guided me into a deep meditative state. As I gazed upward with eyes closed, as is my standard meditative procedure; A bright light, like the rising of the sun, shone forth, and I saw image of these two great birds dancing through the light, slowly at first then gaining momentum; they traced the image of the infinity sign onto my mind, so that it is now visible whenever I enter this state.

I began to regain awareness of the happenings around me. There were whirrs of cameras and people talking. The magic of the morning faded and I moved away from the site. The memory of that event faded from my consciousness as well, until I was preparing the contents for my book. Several months ago I was reviewing my journal when I was reminded of this experience. All-of-a-sudden I felt like a spiritual detective, because piece-by-piece, information and experiences began coming together. I started to understand that this event was no ordinary experience. I was being guided with very powerful and specific information. I immediately went to my computer after I read my journal entry.

I searched the Internet for information on the following topics: fly like the eagles and fly like the condor The results produced hundreds of web mentions regarding an ancient Incan legend that involves the 500-year cycle of life known as the pachachuti. The last cycle began in 1490, which initiated 500 years of struggle and coincided with the arrival of the Spaniards. The 5th pachachuti began in the 1990’s and it was predicted that it was a time of coming together; specifically that it was a time when the eagle of the north would fly together with the eagle of the south. It sounded very much like what I witnessed on that Easter Sunday.

I investigated further and more information revealed how the eagle represented the mental, masculine and materialistic side of humanity to the Inca. This dominated life for the past 500 years by overpowering the condor spirit, which represents the intuitive, feminine and spiritual side of humanity. The Condor represents to the Inca that which is spiritual and heart-centered while the eagle represents that which is physical and mind based.

So, this event was predicted more than 500 years ago in the form of a legend; these two birds, which represent physicality and spirituality, would come together and fly together so that these two facets of life would become balanced.
The Dalai Lama tells of a similar legend based upon his Buddhist tradition. There are several prophetic versions of this legend, which occur, in diverse cultures around the world. We can either choose to ignore their significance as I did for a time or we can begin to awaken to the message that’s around us that this is a very significant time for being on this earth.

The evolution of our Western culture dominates the planet at this time; whether one considers us at the brink of extinction is an intellectual discussion. Although there is compelling factual evidence of this possibility; we as a species choose to hide our heads in the sands of outdated belief systems. The story of the condor and its salvation from the brink of extinction gives our intellectuality a run, because that’s actually happening right now. The fact that we have simultaneously driven the eagle to the endangered species status cannot be denied either.

We now have hope of both species surviving as physically demonstrated through my vision of them flying together in unity. The fact that this vision ties into ancient predictions is a stunning analogy for our time and of the situation we find ourselves in as a species. Yet the prediction also signifies we’ve made a switch. The two are surviving now. If we keep on the same path together and move as one, there is a Way. And that’s what we’re experiencing all around us; a new WAY!
Now that I realize the significance of seeing the two symbols of life together on Easter morning, I can no longer sit back to intellectually consider it a great coincidence. Instead I am compelled to do everything in my power to reveal the enormous inherent opportunities of a balanced physicality and spirituality in the form of business/life integration.

Why else would I have been given this purpose to help business leaders to be more conscious and conscious leaders to be more business-minded? And why would I have acquired a specific set of unique experiences if not to show business leaders how to bring together the physical and spiritual aspects of life together as ONE?

When I got out of my mind, I experienced the calling of the eagle and the calling of the condor coming from one voice inside me. As you hear me now, a beckoning is coming from inside you. Actions speak louder than words! A call to Action!
We Must Do Something Now and FAST!

Okay, so we know this captivating story about the eagle and the condor; the eagle spirit representing the mental-materialistic side of life and the condor spirit representing the spiritual-heart centered side of life. And the message from the ancient legend that exists all over the world tells us we are in a time when we are going to transition to a new space.
Whether you believe these prophecies to be truth, coincidence or meaningless, the undisputable fact remains that the human condition is no longer functional. Poverty, starvation, disease, war, economic collapse; things are happening in such a way that we can no longer ignore them. Intellectual beliefs currently stand in the Way of doing something different than what we’re doing now. And that requires each one of us to get involved our own unique WAY!

Time is speeding up; if my personal life is any indication, current circumstances will only intensify if we don’t take appropriate measures. Part of my life pattern has been that until I listen, I get hit with a bigger 2×4. Although I think that’s the way many of us learn, we don’t have time to learn that way any more. We must ask ourselves now, what is my part, as part of this whole shift?

Using the condor and the eagle metaphorically and as an analogy, our very survival as a species is dependent up on the alignment of the materialistic pursuits and our spiritual power, so both may join together and fly as one.
The message of this legend is not only aligned with the times, but intuitively we sense something needs to change. How do we tap into this intuitive knowing as individuals? How do we change our thinking in such a way that it’s functional and meaningful in our world as business owners and leaders?

Although the task may seem monumental, business people have the determination to make these kinds of sweeping transformations. They require a single-minded point of concentration. And we’re masters at that already!
Becoming more sustainable requires developing intuition so our actions become functional. The key is not to delay as I have done; we must do it now, we must do it fast. I call it evolving at the speed of intuition In other words, we will evolve, both as individuals and as a species, at a rate equal to our ability to develop our skills of intuition, of inner knowing. And we need to do it FAST.