A Golden Eagle at Dawn: When the Wild Breaks Through

Winter - Week 11 - On Unexpected Messengers, Sovereign Wings, and Morning Revelation

In Her Nature is a year long exploration into the healing power of the natural world. Season by season, setting out to awaken the spirit, and rekindle joy. The weekly journal of a neighborhood, its plants and birds and creatures — and how they are helping repair a heart and rebirth a soul.

There's a golden eagle sitting on my chimney pot. She might have remained there undetected if not for Finnbar's frantic barking. I stand on the deck in my pajamas, gazing up at this magnificent creature while attempting to quiet his alarm and not wake our neighbors. Perhaps I'm still dreaming?

My dog, who I'm certain has never encountered a golden eagle before, much like myself at such close quarters(!) stands guard protecting us both with impressive vigilance. He is right to be concerned. Lesser hounds could easily transition from guardian to meal if they aren’t too careful.

Awe-struck barely begins to capture the feeling in my chest. Here, in the ordinary setting of my morning routine, before coffee or coherent thought, before the day has properly announced itself, this wild majesty appears at my home.

The sudden collision of domestic and wild leaves me breathless. My mind struggles to process this extraordinary visitation. How many mornings have I stepped out onto this same deck, never imagining that one day it would place me within feet of one of nature's most revered hunters? And... there's also something almost comical about standing there in rumpled pajamas, hair untamed, while facing such perfection of form and function. Yet the incongruity only heightens the experience, like finding a masterpiece hanging unexpectedly in your hallway.

Her plumage is a tapestry of deep chocolate brown, with golden-hued feathers shimmering across her nape and crown when caught by the early morning light. Impossibly sharp talons, bright yellow against her dark feathers grip the chimney edge with casual strength. Her hooked bill, designed for tearing, curves downward with lethal precision. Yet there's something regal in her bearing, an ancient dignity that commands respect rather than fear. Against the blue sky, her massive wingspan becomes apparent even at rest, feathers occasionally ruffling in the gentle breeze.

I watch, transfixed, as she rotates her head nearly 270 degrees, surveying everything in the neighborhood from her lofty perch. Her eyes—piercing amber orbs designed to spot the smallest movements from impossible heights, pause as they meet mine. There's a moment of mutual assessment, bird and human, predator and observer, each wondering about the other's place in this shared morning. Something primordial stirs within me during this quiet exchange, a reminder of how rarely we modern humans encounter the wild on such intimate terms. The moment stretches, fragile and precious. Then, as Finnbar takes a zooming loop around the garden, she tilts her head comically upside down, tracking his movement with an almost quizzical expression, the solemn spell broken by my dog's exuberant patrol of his territory.

After such a profound encounter, curiosity about the golden eagle's symbolism became impossible to resist. What could this visitation mean? This rare, almost impossible moment that suggested purpose rather than chance? Perhaps she arrived to deliver a message to me, or to bridge worlds in some ancient, unspoken way. The gift of her presence felt both undeserved and perfectly timed. As though she appeared precisely when needed, though I hadn't known I was waiting.

Throughout human history, eagles have served as messengers of the gods, potent symbols connecting earthly and spiritual realms across countless cultures. Standing beneath her watchful gaze, the power behind such beliefs becomes immediately apparent. Her presence transcends mere biological fact, embodying something timeless and significant that resonates across centuries of human experience.

The sensation of being chosen, truly seen by this sovereign of the skies, settles like a weight and a gift simultaneously. Witnessing this magnificent creature in such proximity feels nothing short of a miracle. Perhaps these moments of unexpected communion are not random at all, but precisely timed awakenings when our hearts have grown ready to receive what has always been there.

I have refused to live locked in the orderly house of reasons and proofs.

The world I live in and believe in is wider than that. And anyway, what’s wrong with Maybe?

You wouldn’t believe what once or twice I have seen.

I’ll just tell you this: only if there are angels in your head will you ever, possibly, see one.

— Mary Oliver

Our silent standoff lasted nearly fifteen minutes before she decided to continue her morning hunt. The departure itself was worth the wait. A moment of wild choreography I'll never forget. First, a slight crouch and ruffle of feathers, her body tensing with intention. Then, with surprising grace for a creature so powerful, she launched from the chimney. Her massive wings easily unfurled against the pale morning sky in one fluid motion. Each primary feather caught the sunlight, creating a momentary pattern of light and shadow across my lawn as she banked eastward.

Most surprising was the silence. Despite her size, her departure made barely a sound. Just the faintest whoosh of displaced air, a whispered reminder of how these hunters move undetected through the world. No flapping or struggling against gravity, just an effortless claiming of the air as her domain. Three powerful wing beats carried her beyond my neighbor's pine trees, and then she was gone, leaving the chimney conspicuously empty.

The space felt different after her departure, as though temporarily consecrated by her presence. The ordinary morning resumed, but everything seemed flatter, less vibrant in comparison. Finnbar settled too, returning to his usual morning patrol, though with occasional glances skyward as if remembering.

Throughout the day, I found myself drawn to windows, pausing mid-task to scan the skies and treetops. Each dark shape sparked a moment of hope and anticipation. I checked the chimney repeatedly, half-expecting her return. Feeling an odd mixture of disappointment and affection for this simple stack of bricks that had briefly served as her perch.

Describing the encounter to others felt inadequate, words failing to capture the electricity of the moment, the sheer improbability of it. "Yes, beautiful," they would say, or "How lucky!" But these responses seemed to diminish rather than honor what had transpired. This wasn't just a pretty bird sighting but something approaching the sacred.

Most profoundly, this visit transformed my perception of home. Our neighborhood of manicured lawns, of recycling bins and delivery trucks, revealed itself ever wilder, more permeable to mystery than I had imagined. If a golden eagle can claim my chimney as a temporary throne, what other wonders might be unfolding just beyond my notice?

The boundaries between civilization and wilderness, it seems, are more illusory than we admit. We haven't fully tamed these spaces after all. They remain part of a larger, wilder world that occasionally sends its emissaries to remind us of our place in it.

Now, each morning brings a new anticipation as I step onto the deck, not just looking but listening and feeling for those rare moments when the veil between worlds thins, and something ancient and wild breaks through.

---

Your Weekly Nature Rx:

PRESCRIPTION FOR: Witnessing Wild Messengers in Everyday Spaces

DOSE: Daily moments of intentional awareness, especially during routine outdoor activities

DIRECTIONS:

• Begin each day with a brief outdoor pause, even in your own yard or balcony

• Look up regularly - scan treetops, rooflines, and the spaces between things

• Practice patient observation - remain still for at least five minutes in one spot

• Notice movement at the edges of your vision - what appears when you truly look?

• Create conditions for serendipity - vary your routine paths and timing

• Approach familiar outdoor spaces with beginner's mind - as if seeing them for the first time

REFILLS: Unlimited

SIDE EFFECTS MAY INCLUDE: Unexpected wild encounters, heightened awareness of nature's presence in urban settings, moments of wonder in ordinary places, recognition of wildlife corridors within human landscapes, deeper appreciation for the thinning boundaries between wild and domestic realms.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: The most extraordinary encounters often happen during ordinary moments. While not everyone will see a golden eagle, the practice of remaining receptive and attentive increases your chances of meaningful wild connections, whether with a hawk on a lamppost, a fox crossing the street at dusk, or even the subtle behaviors of common birds when they think no one is watching.

—> What moments of natural wonder caught your attention this week? Please share your stories and photos in the comments below. Let's experience nature's gifts together.

As always, thank you so much for reading and supporting me. 🦅

Love,

Jane