“The most beautiful stories always start with wreckage.”
—Jack London
If you’ve never seen footage of a pair of courting eagles doing their death-defying dance, it’s one of the more spectacular mating rites in the animal kingdom. The eagles fly straight towards one-another, whirl around, and then they suddenly lock talons and plummet towards the ground, falling together, until at the last moment, they separate and fly back up. Who knows how the eagles communicate the right moment to pull away? Who knows what each eagle is looking for in the other—only they can say. But whatever conclusion they come to, it’s for keeps, because eagles mate for life. And for them, it only takes a few moments to know what the other is made of: ‘I trust that you can meet me in the middle. I trust that if and when we fall, we will support one another the entire way. I trust that when it’s time to let go of what we used to be, neither of us takes it personally.’ Commitment. Collaboration. Consistency. These elements of partnership seem to be just as important to eagles as they are to most people.
Today, you may be mentally or physically exiting a partnership that has run its course. And despite the fact that you recognize clearly that this arrangement is no longer for you, sometimes leaving peaceably is not always a luxury afforded us when confronted with another person’s pride. The challenge today will be to recognize that while you still may be feeling on guard, you’ve been given divine clarity about a situation, which is a gift that can’t be returned or exchanged. Internally, you’ve gotten the measurements right at long last which you are prepared to defend to the death. As for the person or people you are excusing from your life—can you recognize them for the fact that they are here, just like you are here, to help one another on your souls’ journey? Rest assured that because your cosmic contract is now at an end, you’ve made room for something more suited to who you are now and who you are poised to become. Take heart. This won’t be the last time you recognize yourself in another’s gaze.
Recommended stone: Ammonite - a fossil with a soothing spiral shape that reminds us of the ever-expanding arms of the cosmos with room enough for everyone and every change along the way.