The Eagle is Ever-Vigilant - An Indian Perspective on Awareness

By Ralph P. Brown

It is said that character is how you live your life when no one is looking. I believe that when most people look in the mirror they want to see a good person looking back at them. I think also that people live with the intent of improving themselves because they want to be the best they can be.

We each have a sort of moral compass built in -- our conscious -- and we are often taught or pick up spiritual ideas and values that will help us evolve - values such as common courtesy, kindness, respect, honesty, and so on. As we grow and mature, these ideas morph. We refine and redefine them...we learn more about these values and become more familiar with them.

But what about the idea that is not familiar to us? What if we find a new slant on an idea and want to incorporate it into our lives? It can be easy to lose sight of this new idea or new thought we are trying to learn because we tend to "forget" as we go from day to day and return to old habits and thoughts. Life can get in the way and distract us. If we don't keep our new idea in the forefront of our thinking, we can lose it.

An example of this behavior might go something like: You decide you want to be more honest and honorable in all areas of your life. As you pick the kids up from school and are rushing to get them to baseball practice, you come to a stop sign. With no one around and with all you have yet to get done today, you think about running the stop sign. Possibly even the kids will say, "No one is looking... GO!"

You stop and explain that you can't break the law, but you are busy and soon you are breaking the speed limit - not much but still,, Maybe you have done this so many times that you don't even see how this is wrong. You just want to get the kids to their game because life is busy and you have much to do. Then you remember your commitment to incorporate "honest and honorable" into your life and slow down. You may say to yourself, "I got carried away and forgot what I wanted to remember being honest and honorable."

How do we keep from falling asleep on our ideas? How do we remember the new characteristics we want to incorporate into our lives?

The eagle has an interesting feature built into his talons that keeps him from falling or being blown off a branch while he is asleep. There are two tendons that have ratchet-like teeth that can be locked into position when he sleeps. The talon stays closed when these tendons are locked.

Our mechanism for "holding on" is our awareness. It is a matter of being ever vigilant. Being vigilant with our behavior and also as we learn more about the values and virtues we wish to make a part of our being. As we grow, these ideas also grow and we find a deeper understanding and more ways to apply these values in our lives.

Hold on to your awareness like the eagle holds on to a branch when he sleeps!

In Spirit,
Ralph

Ralph P. Brown (also known as Tawennihake) is a Mohawk Indian of the Akwesasne tribe. He currently resides in Nebraska, creating his art and delivering his message from Earth Lodge Studios. Ralph a self-taught artist who uses a stipple style to create the pointillistic impressions of his cultural and spiritual ideas. He draws inspiration from his native culture, nature and his unique perspective on the world and his spirituality. Visit his web site at http://www.mirroredwindows.com for additional insight, stories, lessons and visual creations related to many Native American stories. Brown is the author of two soon-to-be-released books from Amazon: "Awakening the Eagle: A Guide to the Medicine Wheel" and "13 Virtues to a New Life: A Journey Around the Medicine Wheel."