Last week I had a ball celebrating entering the 40’s decade. Along with the mini celebrations with family and friends, I also had a business promotion celebration. For me, the turning of a decade represents a huge milestone in life. It gives me a time to appreciate where I’ve been in the past 10 years and to reflect on where I want to go in the next 10 years.
The soul searching time is especially appropriate turning forty with the mid-life crisis stigma it brings. Author Matthew Kelly has some interesting concepts around celebrating. According to Kelly, “A soul searching question is’what are you celebrating’ because you can be certain that we are becoming whatever it is that we are celebrating.”
I had never thought about it this way, we become what we celebrate. And I believe that this is what happened to me. Throughout the year I’ve been reflecting on what really matters to me now that I’m starting a new decade. Overwhelming what matters most to me is God, my marriage, my children and family, my friends, my work, my community.
Ironically a couple of the tribute/appreciation gifts that I’ve developed were used to celebrate me. My intention when creating these products was to let my loved ones know how much they matter in my life and the lives around them. Then when I received these gifts doing the same to me, I know that in those lives I’ve made a difference. Priceless!
I would love to hear from you who or what do you celebrate? Share your comments below.
Kelly says it beautifully, “I believe the best way to celebrate life is to live our own lives to the fullest – to embrace life with arms wide open, to lay our lives enthusiastically at the service of humanity, to love deeply the people who cross our paths and above all, to embrace God.”
Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.
One of the most precious stories happened recently with my two-year-old son Garrett. We were playing at the park with a favorite neighborhood family one evening. This other family’s mom was talking to another couple in the neighborhood so wasn’t at the park yet. Her two children were missing her, especially her two-year-old daughter, Milan. When their son asked where their mom is, their dad, Rich, joked and said “She’s on the moon.”
After this conversation Garrett begins to wander off, like he often does. This time I see him walking toward home and reaching his hand up. I catch up to him right before the road and ask where he is going. He is saying with tears in his eyes “Milan’s mom is on the moon.” His hands extend up toward the moon. I was in awe at his response and go along with it. “Are you looking for her?” “Yeah,” he cries, “Milan misses her.” So I bring him back to both John and Rich to share this innocent and literal story.
I say, “Garrett can you tell them who you were looking for.” He responds. “Milan’s mom on the moon.” He cries and both the guys like me are shocked by his response. He wholeheartedly believes that she was on the moon and was willing to go there. At least make the first few steps to attempt it.
This story happened the night before Neil Armstrong died. When most of us think of the moon, we think of this legend, the first man who reached the moon in 1969 and uttered one of our history’s most famous proclamations “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
The leader of our nation then, John F. Kennedy’s commitment to send a man to the moon in the 1960’s and his (and the rest of the crew) fulfilling it with the Apollo 11 spacecraft is an excellent example of great vision and faith.
This is what a couple leaders of our country have to say now about him according to this press release.
“When he and his fellow crew members lifted off aboard Apollo 11 in 1969, they carried with them the aspirations of an entire nation. They set out to show the world that the American spirit can see beyond what seems unimaginable — that with enough drive and ingenuity, anything is possible,” Obama said.
Obama’s Republican opponent Mitt Romney echoed those sentiments, calling Armstrong an American hero whose passion for space, science and discovery will inspire him for the rest of his life. “With courage unmeasured and unbounded love for his country, he walked where man had never walked before. The moon will miss its first son of earth,” Romney said.
His exploration and living out this American spirit and aspiration is in the history books forever. Few of us will be remembered in America’s history books for living out our destiny, but we will all be remembered for living out our destiny to the circle of people in which we are to influence and inspire – our family, our friends, co-workers, clients, community members etc… In fact tonight as just our family was at the same park and Garrett looked up at the moon, I said to my oldest son Gavin maybe Garrett will be an astronaut.
Just like this feat finally conquered in 1969, it all starts with an incredible vision of one. One who is not afraid to believe in and voice his aspirations. After giving voice to the vision then the small steps, which no man has ever gone before, can follow. It takes ingenuity and drive, along with the childlike faith like my son to really believe. Garrett wholeheartedly believed his friends’ mother was on the moon and took the steps to prove his faith.
When we follow our aspirations, God will help us create a path where no man has gone before. Why follow the path others have taken, when God has created a unique one for you. Like the moon’s light, He’ll guide you with enough light when you can’t see the future ahead. You’ll see how a step you to take today that will be a giant step forever marked in your destiny. Those future generations who will be honoring your legacy will be inspired by how you shine with your bold moves and your dreams leading the way.
Go ahead, take a step. Reach up for the moon and release your aspirations.
Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.
I would have never thought that I would be interested in finding out what is the spiritual significance of a bat. Here’s how it happened.
My mastermind group, which we call ourselves WIG for both – Wildly Important Goals and Women Inspirational Group, was meeting at the beautiful arboretum a week ago. It was our mid-year retreat to check-in on our dreams and challenges in achieving those dreams. Each of us takes turns reporting in on our lives and our desires for our businesses.
After our lunch, we decided to switch places and find a new place to sit that was more private and in the sun. So we found the perfect table that was set off from the crowds. A couple of us were working on adjusting the table and getting the umbrella set up. As we were rolling out the umbrella, something flew right past me. Then one of my friends screeched, “bat!”
Our initial reaction was a little freaked out by it, so we chose to find a different table to meet. Laughing about what happened, someone suggested looking up the significance of seeing a bat. We couldn’t believe what we were reading, as it fit perfectly with where we were all at individually and where we were at as a group.
It was fascinating to see how these insights applied to us. The purpose of our group is to help each journey to the inner depths of ourselves and the work that we share with the world as a result. The report said that bats, “are very nurturing, exhibiting verbal communication, touching, and sensitivity to members of their group.” That is what we do for and with each other, we are nurturing group interested in the well-being of each other. At the same time we use our intuition to ask each other challenging questions, breaking through the illusion to get to the heart of the matter.
All of us are rebirthing our own dreams in a new way. Also, for the first time we realized that as I group we might have a bigger dream of how we could all use our expertise to help other heart-based women entrepreneurs like ourselves to help them Dream IT, Manifest IT, Illuminate IT and Present IT.
One of the greatest gifts of our group is that we hold each other accountable for our dreams. What is fascinating about having the bat as a symbol representing our group, it says that “we’ll be put to the test as it demands 100% commitment to spiritual growth.” This means that we all need to wholeheartedly commit to our self improvement and to the group’s development as a whole. As with anything that requires great commitment, it will be worth it according to this report. “Working with the demanding bat will reap some of the most profound rewards you could ever dream of.”
Earlier this summer when I was at my parent’s home on the lake when we were sitting out on their deck late a night, we saw many bats swooping by. I wasn’t too fond of seeing them then. Now that I can see a deeper, spiritual significance, I have a different response to seeing a bat. I welcome one in my life.
I encourage you to look at your life to use the symbol of the bat to see what you might need to commit 100% spiritual growth to.
Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.
I was one of the millions whose life has been transformed because of Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s life and work. This is my tribute to him, an influential teacher and legend in my life. My heart breaks knowing that his life on Earth is over and my heart rejoices for all the ways he left his mark on Earth, now and for generations to come.
I’ll never forget the day I met Stephen Covey in person. I was at a FranklinCovey conference as I recently became a certified instructor to train The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People at my organization. Hearing him speak was amazing, but meeting him was unforgettable. This picture of us is more than a decade ago. While we only had a few moments to connect, I remember it fondly. He was very interested in who I was and in my dreams. I shared how I wanted to start my own business around spirituality in the workplace. Not only did his inscription on the book he signed shared his encouragement for my dream, but his loving presence to me, a HUGE fan, left a inscription on my heart.
At the close of The Seven Habits 3-day training, we would show an inspirational video that encouraged us to live, learn, love and leave a legacy.
This is how I believe Dr. Covey has lived his life and a great way for us to do the same!
Live
In his books, he documented many ways for us to live to the best of our ability. His work with the Seven Habits has become coined as one of the most influential management books of our time. Reading his book right out of college, I started to live my life according to these principles. I realized that I’m accountable for my life (Habit One: Be Proactive). I was encouraged to dream and visualize what I wanted my life to be, or Begin with the End in Mind which is Habit Two. Looking at my life from the perspective of roles and making sure that I make time for the “big rocks” in my life is the essence of Habit Three: Put First Things First. These are the first three foundational habits in which the others build on these.
Learn
I admired his insatiable desire to learn and grow. This is what makes both a good teacher and student. He decided early on that “his greatest contribution and life’s work would be as a teacher.” This is evident in his life’s work. For the nearly two decades that I’ve been familiar with his work, I’ve been excited to learn from him. First it was with the Seven Habits. Then his Eight Habit came out similar to the time when I published my first book. Both books, while quite different in approach, are about inspiring others to find their voice. His work around Highly Effective Families and bringing the Seven Habits into schools are where my heart lies now that I have my own family.
Love
Covey’s love for life and his family is what I admire most. Obviously only able to view his life from his written work, I felt the love he has for what really does matter most. In the press release announcing his passing, it says that. “To Stephen, more important than his professional work was his work with his family. Stephen was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and spent a considerable amount of time with his immediate and extended family, getting together for vacations, games, celebrations, birthdays, and events of all kinds, and having one-on-one time with each of his children and grandchildren, which he loved doing. Stephen truly believed that the greatest work we do is within the four walls of our own homes and was a model of a loving and committed husband and father to the end.”
Leave a legacy
The emphasis on leaving a legacy in the Seven Habits ignited the importance of doing so around the country. Despite the legendary legacy his professional work will leave, he still shares how his family is his greatest contribution.
“Stephen was one of the world’s great human beings. His impact is incalculable and his influence will continue to inspire generations to come,” according to Bob Whitman, chairman and CEO of Franklin Covey. He said regarding this family “Stephen frequently referred to them as his greatest joy, inspiration, and most significant contribution and legacy to the world.”
He taught us the exercise of what would our obituaries say about us, what/who would we be with during our final hours. By doing this we would know what really matters. He died with his family, the greatest legacy of his life, by his side.
Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.
It surprised me that the ant analogy was one of the most profound things I connected with in the book that I’m reading called 9 Things You Simply Must Do to Succeed in Love and Life.
What I loved about the ant analogy is that it’s something that we can all apply to every day with so many of the big dreams in our lives.
The author, Dr. Henry Cloud, shared how when he was overwhelmed with this dissertation, he didn’t know where to start. Actually finishing it is the one thing that impedes many students from completing their PhD. He took his concern to prayer and was eventually led to this bible verse from Proverbs 6:6-8.
Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provision in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
He believed that it was his turn to learn something from the ants if he was to make this dream, something that seems so overwhelming, a reality. He actually bought an ant farm. At first he shared how it didn’t seem like the ants did anything. Soon he saw how their steadfastness paid off. The ants, one at a time, taking one grain of sand at a time, made an entire ant city filled with a complex network of tunnels.
Had any of the ants thought, how can one ant taking one grain of sand at a time, make a difference? If it did, the task would have been too daunting. Instead each ant worked hard, doing its part in making their amazing city.
The same analogy we can use for our dreams, these daunting tasks that divinely inspire and drive us. If we only focus on the end goal, the outcome will seem impossible and we’ll never move forward. However, if we focus on the one step, the next piece of grain of sand for us to pick up, it seems something that is possible.
This is becoming a reality for me with a dream I’m pursuing around a book. I’m working on the manuscript and it’s incredibly daunting. As I work on it, it gets bigger and bigger, more complicated and more complicated.
Yet I’m taking the ant approach with it. What is the next thing I need to do? As I do that, the next grain is revealed to me. It is shared from the book God Calling Journal that this is how God reveals his visions for our lives, one step at a time. Doing so requires us to rely on faith and doesn’t overwhelm us.
So the next time you see an ant, see the incredible life lessons it can teach you along the way to making your dreams a reality.
Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.
This is something that we do often and often realize the wrong results from it. It happened to me this morning in a very obvious way and I’m sure it continues to happen in ways I don’t even realize.
The Situation
I’m driving this morning to take my son and a few of his buddies to golf lessons. It’s a new golf course about 20 minutes away. I generally know the area where it’s located, but am excited to use my new Garmin to take me there.
Before we leave, I program the address that I find on the return envelope and off we go. It starts taking me on some major freeways and then on some back roads. When we arrive at our destination, I realize that we are at a community center and not a golf course. I pull over in a parking lot to look at everything that I brought with me.
Soon I realize that there was no mailing list or address included for the actual golf course, just the mailing address for the parks/recreation center for this city. And this department is located at the community center it brought me to.
I call the golf course and explain the mix-up asking to direct me to the right place. I’m in the right city, just need to find the course. He starts talking about roads I don’t know about and he doesn’t know the roads I’m talking about. Soon I hang up in frustration. Next, I call my husband at work to direct me, but he’s not available. So I go to my backup. I turn off the GPS and tap into my intuitive GPS. Eventually I get us there, unfortunately a little late and a little frustrated.
The way home I discovered a much simpler, easier and more efficient route.
Lessons Learned
A way for me to let go of this frustrating experience was to turn this experience into a fascinating lesson learned. What can I/we learn from this, I kept asking. The answer came with the idea of unintentional programming.
It wasn’t the GPS’s fault and it’s not that I’m against using one. I had programmed in the information and it took me directly to where I had asked it to go. It was my fault for not taking the time to make sure that what I was programming into it is really where I wanted to go.
I had assumed that I received information for the program that the only addresses listed on the information was the one that I needed. I assumed it was the same place I needed to go. I trusted in the system – the GPS – to get me there even though it was taking me a different way.
This is good and we want to be able to trust in new ways to get us to our destinations in life. IF we first take the time to make sure that the end result is really the end result we want.
The Example
Let’s take another example of losing weight with this analogy. Say I want to lose 40 pounds. I can see the end result of me looking and feeling better after I’ve lost the weight. So I program into the GPS, the universe, that I want to lose 40 pounds. The GPS will respond to that and focus on) I want (it hasn’t happened yet); 2) lose (the negative); 3) 40 pounds (a number). I have good intentions on what I’m programming into it and I see the result, but if I let it lead me to where I want to go, it will focus on the three aspects I explained and could never get me to my end result.
Instead, if I take more time to really think about the end result and what that looks, feels, smells and sounds like. Then I might program something different into the GPS, the universe, that could take me a different place. I program in that “I am healthy, feeling and looking my best. I am eating great, exercising and doing everything I need to be my ideal weight.” The GPS will respond to that and focus on) I am (as if it is happening); 2) healthy, eating great, exercising (positive attributes); 3) ideal weight (not a specific number but end result).
Again, the GPS will bring us what we program into it; this example would bring us a different result. Different directions, turns and options will come to us than the one originally programmed.
Golden Nugget
So the next time I use the GPS, I am going to be more intentional. I’m not going to take for granted that just because it’s a technological advancement that it will bring me to the exact place I want to go. When I set my intention, tap into my intuition and clarify my destination, this will ensure the alignment I need to effortlessly arrive to the next part of my journey.
You could say this is part two to the eagle reflection I shared earlier called Flapping of Wings.
A friend sent me a devotion today by Mary Southerland that was focused around eagles. The eagle this year continues to be an amazing teacher and guide in my life. I went on a special trip with my mom a few weeks ago and at one point there were three eagles soaring above us (two of them pictured). This devotion speaks so much to me and I hope you’ll relate as well. It even talked about how the important change of rebirth an eagle must make in its’ 40’s, which I’ll be turning in Sept. May this give you the faith and rebirth you need to soar to the greatest heights of your life!
Devotion Insights
Below is part of the devotion mentioned earlier from Crosswalk. titled Time for a Change?
Isaiah 40:28-31 (NIV) Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
When it comes to change, we have a decision to make – just like the eagle. The eagle has the longest life-span among birds. It can live up to 70 years, but to reach this age, the eagle has to make a hard decision. In its’ 40s, the eagle’s long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey, which serves as food. Its long and sharp beak becomes bent and its old and heavy wings, covered with feathers that have grown thick over the years, become stuck to its chest, making it difficult to fly.
The eagle is then left with only two options: die or go through a painful process of change, which lasts 150 days. The difficult process requires the eagle to fly to a mountain top and sit on its nest. There the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until the beak falls off. The eagle will then wait for a new beak to grow back and use the new beak to pluck out its talons. When the new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking out all of the old feathers. After five months, the eagle takes a famous flight of rebirth and lives 30 more years.
Change is sometimes needed to survive. God may be asking you to step out in faith and make a change in your life. He has already been where He is asking you to go and prepared every step of the way for you. You don’t have to be afraid of the unknown. It is unknown only to you. God is well aware of where you are and of every step He is asking you to take. He may be asking you to get rid of old memories, eliminate destructive habits and forsake lifeless traditions. He is waiting for you to take one step. Faith in God does not come all at once. Faith is a step-by-step process that begins with one small step and increases as we go.
My Reflections
Yesterday, I took a step of faith in regards to paying for this transformational author program and entering a writing contest for my next book. I know that this book is a symbol of the rebirth I’m going through with my work and focus in life. After the small step of faith that I took later that night I had an author who I’ve been wanting to talk to for months, emailed me offering her support with my new book. I was in awe that it happened right after I took the first step showing my commitment to this rebirth. One small step in faith allows God to bring us to the next level we need, and so it goes step after faithful step.
Your thoughts
Share with us the rebirth you are preparing for and what steps of faith you’ve taken or are planning to take.
Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.
With tears streaming down my face, I watched a young father from our church carry In His Hands the casket of his baby daughter. I held tight my two sons that were with me with at the funeral, feeling the immense sorrow that they must be feeling as parents who would never get to raise or know their newest child like their other two daughters.
The father led the processional as his baby girl lay in his arms inside the hand-made casket. Close behind him was his wife with their two daughters on both sides of her holding hands. Seeing them come together as a family like this; their love, strength, sorrow, joy and courage emanated throughout the entire church.
I personally was overwhelmed with emotions, for the deep sadness of losing a child and for their deep faith for all of them to be able to stand before the church now without completely losing it.
As they proceeded down the aisle in the opening song, the image of In His Hands came to me. Not only was the father carrying his daughter In His Hands, to let their baby girl go to now eternally be In His Hands. God would now be taking care of this soul forever.
The priest presiding over the mass, said how it’s not about the amount of time we spend on this Earth, it’s about the amount of love our mission serves. Only God knows what this little’s baby’s mission is and it seems unfair to all of us that she didn’t get more than ½ hour on this Earth to live it out.
From what I’ve heard about this couple of this experience, some of this little’s girl’s mission is already ripping at people’s heart and values. You see at some point during her pregnancy, they discovered that their little girl was severely disabled and not expected to live. This couple chose life, to give birth to this girl no matter what she looked like or how long she lived.
Having given birth myself three times, I couldn’t imagine going through one of the most painful experiences of your life not to be overjoyed with your new living, breathing child that you could love for a lifetime. They were overjoyed as well, just not able to physically enjoy raising their daughter.
The pictures at the funeral glowed with love. There is a gorgeous picture of the family all admiring the baby girl as she’s still inside her mother’s womb, with an angelic love surrounding them. Then there are those precious moments when they are holding her right after she is born, filled with warm embraces, loving kisses and hands folded and held together. Before I saw the father carrying the casket, I saw the pictures of him making the casket for her. It was created with such love, like the love I could imagine that Jesus put into the making of all he did as a carpenter. Again, tears.
We are all blessed to have both Earthly fathers and a heavenly father. Both are loving fathers whose privilege it is to hold us children In His Hands. While our Earthly fathers may no longer be with us physically or the father’s children may not be with us physically, we can ALL the time be In His Hands, of our heavenly father.
I think of how many times as a mother, I just need to put whatever it is that I’m dealing with In His Hands. When I don’t know what to do or how to handle something, I pray and ask for the loving and heavenly guidance of my Father. Then I think sadly of how too many times I don’t do this. I keep holding on to it tight In My Hands, thinking that I can handle it and know best.
This was really hitting home to me as my youngest son, 2 ½ years old, was really struggling in mass. Even as we were in another room, I just couldn’t calm him and he kept wanting to yell and run away from me. I didn’t know what else to do so we went outside. I shared my frustration and then prayed and let it go. Soon I felt compelled to hold Garrett In My Hands. I gave him the biggest hug and just held him for minutes. He calmed down and so did I.
Like my son and I, we’ll often struggle, try to fight or do anything to get away from being embraced by those who love us. Yet when we finally reach desperation and let go to let God pick us up with his peaceful embrace we are comforted like never before. Garrett was a HANDFUL, but I was reminded how truly blessed I am that I can still hold his hand.
Whether our children are living with us, are living away from us or are in heaven, this family has inspired me and hopefully you that we will to always put our most precious gift, In His Hands. We can then trust that He’ll guide us in the best way to care for our children, as we’ve allowed God to be closest to them. We can trust that if their time is to go before us in heaven, we know that God is already holding them tight.
I pray that you and I, like this family has done so incredibly, to give it all to Him and rest peacefully In His Hands.
Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.
Soon after arriving at the beautiful Johnson Lake Home (our retreat center) on Lake George in the northern woods of Minnesota, I felt drawn to go down to the lake. The stillness of the lake was breath-taking along with the reflection of the clouds and trees in the water. We were in awe that the lake was even opened as it’s normally still frozen in March.
My best friend Julie and I were continuing our conversation when we saw a bald eagle fly to a towering pine tree by the lake’s shore. Soon it was flying again, soaring above the water only to come near to our shoreline this time to a different tree. The lone eagle found a mate and together they and we experienced magic; a divinely-inspired occurrence with nature and these majestic birds.
Dancing in Harmony
The eagles were dancing in the sky with one another as they soared in harmony right above the lake. We were fully present watching them, sitting still with awe. Back and forth they danced and soared. Then they started flying toward our direction. Sitting on the dock these two eagles soared no more than 10-20 feet above us still in perfect harmony. These eagles were so close to us that we actually heard the flapping of their wings. I can still feel that breathtaking moment when they soared above us; chills filled my entire body as I knew that this was a holy encounter. Psalm 18:10 says “He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.”
Julie and I looked at each other in amazement and she said that in all the years that she’s been coming here as a young girl she’s never experienced anything like this. The two of us, along with my other best friend Sara, have created and called ourselves WINGS for nearly 15 years. We are about helping each other soar in our lives through growing spiritually.
I knew that God had graced us with the presence of these two eagles, dancing and soaring in harmony. Sitting there more that night, we also saw two ducks, two swans and then the next day we saw two geese. We were graced again with the beauty of God’s nature during a walk. Just like the eagle’s the day before, two geese flew above us close enough to hear the flapping of their wings and we could hear their honking of course. I’ve read how geese are known for their teamwork and encouragement, just the same as what our WINGS group symbolizes.
This lake home is special for Julie’s family, one of the most cherished places for her mother who passed away a few years ago. I felt her Julie’s mother Patty’s presence this whole weekend; her spirit, faithfulness and encouragement to keep on living our dreams.
The Deeper Message
Driving home we encountered more bald eagles (pictured) and I felt like they had a deeper message for us. I soon found out what that was. When I was sharing this experience with a friend, she shared with me a passage about the significance of eagles from her book Animal Speak: The Spiritual and Magical Power of Creatures Great and Small by Ted Andrews. Until this one and a couple of other recent interesting animal experiences, I hadn’t thought much about messages that animals might be sharing with us.
As soon as she shared more, I felt the chills again like that moment. Here is a little of what it says that really speaks to me. “The bald eagle is a long-time symbol of spiritual power and illumination; eagles inspire people of all societies. Their energy is healing and aids in creation. Eagles teach a balance of being of the Earth but not in it. Both the bald eagle and the golden eagle have come to symbolize heroic nobility and divine spirit. These eagles are the messengers from heaven and are the embodiment of the spirit of the sun.
Then get this what is says about the eagle’s dancing in the sky. “The mating ritual of the bald eagle is one of its most mystical and intriguing aspects. A powerful form of sky dancing occurs. The birds soar, loop and plunge into deep dives.”
New vision will open. Eagles often perch and wait using their great vision to let them know when to take flight and see their opportunities. It’s about a willingness to use your passions to purify (flying into the sun) and to use your abilities even if it means being scorched a little.
According to the book, to align with the power of the eagle is to take on the responsibility and the power of becoming so much more than you now appear to be. From a karmic aspect, it reflects that the events will now fly faster, and the repercussions for everything you think, do or say (or fail to think, do or say) – positive and negative – will be both stronger and quicker. To accept this is to accept a powerful new dimension to life, and a heightened responsibility for your spiritual growth. But only through doing so do you learn how to move between worlds, touch all life with healing and become the mediator and the bearer of new creative force within the world.
“You will learn to swoop, to soar, to dive, and to hover – to use the winds within your life and your own developing wings to ride them to your own benefit.”
The Push
Once again with this new insight of the significance of eagles, I am in awe and somewhat overwhelmed as it speaks so clearly to where I am right now in life. How can you and I take on more of the divine essence of the eagle? Sometimes we need “a BIG push” to do that.
The book The Push, is my other previous experience with Eagles. Written by David McNally and published by Simple Truths, is more about what the Eagle is telling us. I’m blessed to have a story published in it as well about how to find God’s purpose for our lives. If you haven’t yet, take a look at this inspirational movie and this book for more encouragement for your life for taking flight with God’s insights and soaring to new heights that you ever imagined flying!
Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.
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