I was thinking about the upcoming July 4 holiday here in the US, when I pulled this card. Once, again, a serendipity comes through in the cards. The EAGLE is our oracle card for July. It is the national symbol for the USA, and holds a significant place in the cultures of many other nations. I remember hearing as a schoolgirl that there was a debate among our founders that led to the eagle being chosen over the turkey as the US symbol. The majesty of the eagle caught the aspirational nature of the new nation’s leaders over the practicality and abundance of the turkey.

The Eagle card was drawn from The Druid Animal Oracle-Working With the sacred Animals of the Druid Tradition by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm. The illustration is by Bill Worthington. The keywords are intelligence, renewal, courage. Our authors suggest that “Eagle helps us see our lives in a wider context, enabling us to make decisions and chart goals with clarity and objectivity”.

To fly high gives perspective and allows us to see the big picture. If the gifts of this power to fly are enjoyed with humility, then insight joins oversight. According to our authors, in Welch tradition, Druids shapeshifted into eagles to guard Snowdon and, in Scottish tradition, they appeared at Loch Lomand at Beltane to offer predictions for the year to come. Note that in the picture, the Eagle is looking down on a healthy harvest, mountains and lakes offer renewal and gives off an air of power and agency.

As the oldest and most prominent of birds, the eagle was often linked to the salmon, the oldest and wisest of animals. A well-known Celtic tale of the eagle and the salmon takes us to the merging of high-mindedness and in-depth understanding. Many other stories and legends are crafted to help us learn to balance our gifts, resources, and powers to achieve the greatest good.

As we reflect and meditate with Eagle this month:

May we soar to places that help us see the big picture for our lives.

May we have the courage to protect those things we treasure.

May we find the balance of gravitas and lightness that make our lives rich and joyful this summer and throughout the year.