Yesterday morning, I had what I believe to be a visit from a spirit from the Otherworld or Spirit World. I say this because I can’t find a rational explanation for the experience no matter how hard I try. I have to admit, I am ashamed I would even feel the need to find an explanation. The  younger me wouldn’t have questioned this for a moment.

As the story goes, I was walking my dog early in the morning down a path on the edge of a small college campus, between the soccer field and the intermural field. There were no trees in the immediate area, just fences and low bushes. There was a cool breeze and the sun was just coming up. Tag (my dog) and I were happily cruising along when suddenly there was a flash of light before me then a huge black vulture appeared soaring about 15 feet above. His enormous wings were stretched out so far he looked more like a condor than a vulture. He looked directly at me then swooped down right over my head so close I felt the wind from his feathers as he passed. I quickly turned to look back at him, but he was gone.  I mean he just vanished. How could such a large bird just disappear? There was absolutely no bird even close to that size anywhere nearby. I stood still looking around in all directions for a good 5 minutes and saw nothing. I looked at the top of the power line poles along the path and other tall things the bird might have suddenly lit upon after passing me. I looked in the distance all the way around for a vulture soaring in the air. Nothing. He vanished as quickly as he had appeared.

Now, I am a firm believer in the Otherworld/Spirit World, but it has been a long time since I have had a vision that wasn’t in a dream or during meditation. This was real time, in this world, in this dimension (or at least, I think it was!). I have always admired the vulture for the fact that even though they are raptors,  they are not predators. They don’t kill, but feed on the dead. They are fastidiously clean and take excellent care of their young way longer than most. And they can soar like no other bird I have ever watched. They seem to enjoy spiraling together in the thermals. I have often wished I could join them. Still, why would he visit me??

A little vulture culture – The Mayans revered the vulture saying the bird could re-create life from death. In Egyptian mythology, vultures were symbols of femininity and maternal protection. When the goddess Nekhebet became associated with the vulture headdress, the bird became a heraldic symbol for Upper Egypt.

(Egyptian queen with vulture headdress)

So here’s the rest of the story – Tag and I continued on our walk, still looking for signs of the vulture, but saw nothing. When I got home, I looked in my Druid Animal Oracle for a vulture to see what the vision might have meant. The book mentioned blackbirds and ravens, but no vultures.  So I searched the internet and found that if a vulture has flown across your path, the vulture is asking you to be patient. He is asking you to be thoughtful about your decisions and “choose paths that support your higher consciousness and heart.” – (this came from the website: http://www.spirit-animals.com/vulture/  More on the subject can be read there.)

Even though my experience was way more than just a random vulture passing by, I couldn’t find any information about a mystical siting of a vulture from the Otherworld, so I decided to just go with what I found.

Another website had an entire page devoted to the symbolism of the vulture throughout history in different cultures. Wow! I had no idea! Here’s the link to that website with fascinating information for those who want to know more. http://www.whats-your-sign.com/bird-meaning-vulture.html  Thank you, Avia!

So what does all this mean for me? The suggestion from the Spirit Vulture that I need to be patient and take my time making decisions fits with my current situation. With all the obsessions and insecurities I’ve had about the new cover for my book ( while neglecting my blog and not writing book 2!) and freaking out over the endless forms of marketing I apparently should be doing, I have been going nuts. I don’t have the money to do what the gurus/bestsellers suggest, but even the free marketing leaves me very little time to write. I bow down to those self-published bestseller folks for having such social media tenacity. The private, creative soul inside of me hates, hates and did I mention, hates(?) marketing!

Bottom line – I’ve been trying to do too many things at once. I need to chill, soar, be patient and thoughtful, write and do my art and things will work out.

So to end this mini-saga about my visitor. Having the Spirit Vulture pop in and out of my world was a blessing and perfect timing! Although I won’t be dining with him on road kill, I will try to embrace all that he has to teach me. I might even find a way to include him in book 2 of my series. Just thinking about him has gotten me writing again. His magic is already working!  🙂