When I was 17 I had a vision. An honest to god vision. No hallucinogenic drugs were used in the making of this vision. My professor, yes, I had a professor in high school, his name was Dr Hartley and he changed my life, Dr Hartley excused me from class and sent me to something called the Earth Kinship Conference. It was held at the University of North Florida, lovingly called the University of No Fun, and it brought together environmental activist from around the state, which included several Native Americans from the Seminole réservations down south. Each morning the conference would begin with a ceremony performed by Bobby Billy, one of the Seminole tribe members. We all stood around the fire, which was maintained by the fire keeper through out the conference, and held hands while Bobby Billy walked around to each of us, smudging us with sage and saying a prayer. One morning, as I was standing there waiting for my turn, my eyes were closed and suddenly I saw blue sky. As vivid as if my eyes were open. And I saw a hawk soaring over us. I was so confused at first, how could his be happening? My eyes were closed. I then opened them halfway and could see the ground in front of me as the blue sky began to fade. It was so quick and fleeting but I have never forgotten this moment. The only meaning that I could tie to this vision was that the hawk must be my totem animal. This was before I knew anything about my tribe, and that we were the bird clan. I didn’t find this out until several years later. Check out that story here. But when I did, it made so much since.
So on the first day I started this ten days of details, and I finally managed to strap on my son and my camera and go for a walk in the valley, I felt my heart soar to be outside and snapping photos again. And then I looked up and saw this hawk soaring over me. It was like seeing that vision all over again. And it reminded me of all the magic that this life has to offer if you just step outside and look up.
Magic 118/365, A Hawk in the Eye, San Ramon, Costa Rica, April 2018
Ten days of Details: Day 10
