The Eagles and the Condors: Dream messages for the community
It all began early in 2007 when I had a series of sleeping dreams about condors and eagles, 4 in total. The first dream is especially poignant because it holds a personal message as well as a global call to action. Here’s the dream:
I am a passenger in a car when I notice several condors flying overhead. They are moving to the right, but our road veers to the left. I am excited, but feel disappointed when I can no longer see them.
We park the car and get out. Suddenly, the sky is filled with what I assume are condors. They are flying toward us. I am overjoyed, but as they draw closer and start to perch in trees I realize they are not condors. I think maybe they are thunderbirds because they are so large, but then I realize they are eagles.
The eagles are an iridescent bluish black with white heads. Several feathers drop to the ground and land on the muddy earth. I walk around collecting them. Many feathers are bent and broken. I find two huge feathers that are in perfect condition and I am elated to have them.
When exploring the possible meaning of the imagery I discovered an archetype and ancient metaphor I knew nothing about prior to having the dream. The most interesting parallel entails the 50 or so eagles resting in the trees. This image is reminiscent of mythology from the Yakut of Turukhansk (Siberia).
The eagle is…considered to be the creator of the first shaman and bears the name of the Supreme Being, or Ai Toyan, the Creator of Light. Ai Toyan’s children are represented as bird-spirits perching in the branches of the World Tree…Sometimes the Supreme Being is represented in the form of an eagle, and in the branches of the Tree are the souls of future shamans. (Shamanism by Mircea Eliade, pg 69).
Perhaps my dream eagles are bird-spirits perched in the World Tree. Or more aptly, dreamers drawn together through communities such as The DreamTribe. Considering the Yakut mythology, the return of my dream eagles to the World Tree may signify a returning or awakening of the Western mind to its indigenous, shamanic roots.
However, there may also be a warning in this imagery. After all, feathers are dropping to the ground and some are broken. The question to ask is: are these feathers gifts? Or are the eagles molting, a natural but traumatic process that happens only once in every eagle’s life?
Or are the broken feathers indicative of the imbalance between the Condor and the Eagle?
The Condor and the Eagle: An Ancient Prophecy for Modern Times
In order to fully appreciate my dream series it is helpful to know the ancient Incan (some say Amazonian) prophecy about the Condor and the Eagle:
Long ago it was said that humankind diverged into two paths. One group walked the way of the condor, following their hearts and intuition, all along retaining a deep connection to the earth. The other group took the path of the eagle, following their rational mind and material reality, turning toward the way of science.
It was also said that for 500 years the people of the eagle would nearly decimate the people of the condor. And indeed, that has happened.
But the prophecy also foretold of a time when the condor and the eagle could choose to fly together again, creating something new and remarkable by merging their two worlds. (Sources are many. Here are two: Alberto Villoldo, John Perkins)
That time is now.
But how will we understand our individual roles in the evolutionary process?
And how will we know if the transformation works?
Quite possibly, our dreams will guide us.
Merging the North and Science (Eagle) with the South and Intuition (Condor)
So I share my dream with you. It may be a call for Westerners to remember our indigenous minds and integrate them into our scientific way of thinking.
Or it may be a call to reconvene as spirit-beings and perch as one in the world tree.
Regardless, this is a sacred time, a time to gather through groups like The DreamTribe and remember who we are and where we come from.
Indeed, there are infinite ways we can perch as spirit-beings in the World Tree and begin to fly with the Condor. All we have to do is dream it into being.
Wow! Reading this gave me goosebumps! Yes, yes, yes, time for people of all hoops to come together and remember our indigenous minds.
Can’t wait to see what other eagle & condor dreams come forward from our DreamTribe community.
I’ve had three dreams about a bald eagle in the last year and a half. In the first, a dead eagle was thrown on my lawn. In the second, a phoenix attacked an eagle, but the eagle survived. In the third, the eagle became my ally, perching on my shoulder.
That last dream was quite recent and I felt uplifted by the eagle’s presence. These dreams definitely have implications about my personal life, but I’ve always known they speak to a larger drama. I’ve been thinking about writing about these dreams for this site…
Thanks for sharing these powerful dreams, Amy.
Strange , I read this and also got goose bumps, didnt know why, and I got to the end of the page only to read it gave someone else goosebumps ! I wonder why and how these words can do this ?
Love this article, Amy. I agree with Atava…this feels very important and resonant. I also have had a series of condor dreams over the years (starting in 2006!) which led me to researching that same prophecy. Lots of bird (and fish) dreams at this time, too.
@ great series, Katrina! reminds me of the evolutionary progression in my wave dreams.
The first two dreams have to do with the song El Condor Pasa. In the first dream I was in a dream class/meeting in a woman’s apartment and the song comes on and we all take note of it. Later Bill and Hillary Clinton arrive and more members. We are asked if we knew our specific callings from our dreams and are separated into two groups. One woman asks if pollution counts and she is affirmed and moved into a group. I am uncertain where I belong (my dream was about transforming into different elements) but am later told by my mentor that ‘it’s not important to know the meaning of your dreams right now.’ This reminds me of the quote you cited:
Long ago it was said that humankind diverged into two paths. One group walked the way of the condor, following their hearts and intuition, all along retaining a deep connection to the earth. The other group took the path of the eagle, following their rational mind and material reality, turning toward the way of science.
The second dream in 2007, I am with friends listening to Simon and Garfunkel and El Condor Pasa comes on and we sing together. I tell a friend it’s from Peru and he nods showing me a Peruvian instrument like a windpipe that he plays (had another dream about this same instrument and learned they were whistling water jars used for shamanic practices to create vibrations and altered states of consciousness).
http://home.eckerd.edu/~ransombc/enigmaofwhistlingwaterjars.htm
Last year, I was at a dream retreat/gathering and I am showing people around. There was a condor/vulture’s head swimming and interacting with other fish in a fish tank. Later the bird’s head was saved by my sister. The grounds of the retreat also had a large circular stone..now that I think of it it looked a lot like Ryan’s stone in his article…
Your dream is so potent, Amy and I feel a strong connection and the mystery of it all unfolding…I am thrilled we are sharing. Thank you.
Wow, so many Eagle and Condor dreams. I’ve often wondered if other people have been having them. I learned about the prophecy in about 2004 from a woman who dreamed of a Condor and Eagle. I didn’t think much of it until 2007 when I experienced the 4 sleeping dreams and 2 waking life experiences with condors.
Anyway, thanks for sharing! Linda and Katrina – your dreams are potent, too. Perhaps the three of us should talk and share!
BTW, my dream series is similar to both of yours in terms of the progression. In my fourth dream I look in the mirror and notice I have black and white striped hair, then I look outside and see an eagle in a tree. I realize at that moment that I am the eagle! Another progression from separation to integration.
@Philshroom and @Atava: Goose bumps are a good sign, perhaps that we’ve all connected to something bigger than our individual selves.
Amy, Your dreams and the descriptive imagery is very powerful. It’s clear you have an analytic mind too. I was also paying attention to the car and the journey. Do you know who was driving? Have you thought about right turn and left turn? There may be more to mine in these powerful dreams.
I just had a dream of the condor this am:
I was walking down a city downtown type street with tall buildings on all 4 corners as I approached the intersection, I peered through the friends I was walking with and pointed at a very large condor which had’ decended and hovered over the street with wings and head shaped as how we sometimes depict Jesus! towards us! We all stopped and looked but I was very excited knowing he was there for me. (I say he but I felt a Grand Mothering demeanor) ‘Her’ feathers were somewhat curled and floaty as she hovered towards me.
She came, saw that I was watching her then she swooped by low so that I could see her back! I saw a tail feather loosed which had shown it’s underside to me, (giving itself) . So I called out to her to swoop by once more and she did, she looked me in the eye as she went by. At this point, we were in a simular ‘turn’ in which I had in my last condor dream of two dead at my feet along with a jaguar with its back opened up exposing the spine, but the area was a dirt road leading through an open ‘farm’ land with a barn off to the right yonder and trees on the left.
I stepped up owning the moment as it was certainly mine, reached out my hand to gently caress her back as not to miss the loose tail feather but instead had a firm grip on another. She turned to look at me, givingly, we both pulled and she flew off. I fell to the dirt amazed with the bounty of perfect feathers and scurried to pick them all up admiring each of them with love and appreciation.
Do you have anything to say about this one? I would love to hear any input you could offer.
@Velva, I’ve noticed that my mom is in several of my eagle dreams. In this one she is driving. To me this signifies, amongst other things, that these dreams are referring to my matrilineal ancestry. However, this only becomes evident after reviewing 20 years of my dreams.
@Kathleen. Wow! Thank you for sharing your Condor dream. I feel honored to have read it. If it were my dream (IIWMD) I’d contemplate what it means to be at a cross-roads in my life and how Jesus, “the great mother” or “grand mother” and the condor might help me make it through. Also, considering the Condor/Eagle prophecy, this dream might be about a cultural crossroads and “my” role (IIWMD) in helping the community through a time of transition.
When it comes to Big Dreams like the one you shared, Active Dreaming is far more powerful (in my humble opinion) than psychoanalyzing and exploring symbols. It can be far more rewarding, too. If you are not familiar with this type of dream exploration I suggest reading Robert Moss’ book “Active Dreaming.”
BTW, next week I’m writing an article for the DreamTribe about a Condor dream I had and the actions I’ve taken to deepen my relationship with Condor (and Eagle).
Thanks again for sharing.
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This is an interesting community I have not found before. I live in Arkansas, & it was the early morning of 4/10/11 when I had this dream.
A few nights ago I had a dream with a few vultures, then an eagle & finally a condor. We were at an indoor/outdoor school of some sort. Each sighting was larger than life & very awe-inspiring, as they migrated in strong wind overhead to what I felt was north. But I got really excited in the dream each time looking up at the large bird, others I told didn’t seem to understand the significance. The condor was the most exciting, & I insisted in the dream it was at least 20 feet. A few others did notice it was bigger. We got in a van when I looked up at it, I wasn’t driving. It turned & swooped a bit, I think to the right, like a right angle. Later in the dream there were other elements relating to the school & children, principal, etc., but the large birds were the main event.
This reminded me of a previous dream a few years back of a huge condor with long white tail feathers like a kite. I was also in a van then too, & very inspired by seeing the condor which veered suddenly to avoid colliding with us – but no one else in the van seemed to see this happen. It too was 20 – 25 feet. The feeling from the present dream & the prior one was such that I also found the prophecy, & I remember wondering how many folks are having these dreams now. I am grateful you each shared yours.
I have been having recurrent dreams of eagles. I don’t remember much, except the first one. In that one, the eagle was dead on a city sidewalk. I was walking past and stepped onto the street so I wouldn’t step on it. I remember it bothered me, but my daughter and I were trying to leave the city quickly (there was some kind of danger, but I don’t know what), so I didn’t stop.
Since then, the others haven’t been as ominous, but all have been too vague to remember. I also see them constantly in imagery (street signs, trucks driving past, magazine covers, unrelated internet searches, etc) and have frequent audio references too. For example, I will be flipping the channel on TV or the radio and they are quoting scripture that refers to eagle’s wings, or it is a spot on conservation and the subject is eagles….
It’s become uncanny…. so I started searching the internet for messages from eagles and found this site.
Ironically, Lucy, I’m from Arkansas too. I don’t know when they started, but it’s not been longer than a few months.
anoche soñe q ibamos por un camino con mi esposo,y de pronto vi hacia el lado derecho por la ventana del auto un condor q se h abia caido de un arbol,por q la rrama del arbol se habia partido y se encontraba al lado del condor, ami me impresiono mucho el condor por q estaba como herido o maltratado ,y yo le dije a mi esposo q se detuviera un momento q era un condor,pero el no hizo caso y siguio el camino.por favor denme una luzsobre este sueño q me impresiono mucho yo se q su interpretacion es uy espiritual.gracias