hawk

when i returned home from a rather tumultuous trip, i was troubled to find a dead juvenile red-tailed hawk in our front yard.  he (i say he, although i do not know the gender.  this bird is too majestic to refer to as "it) did not appear to have been attacked and killed, more likely he had inadvertently flown into the glass of the window and broken his neck.  i never take the visitation of a potential spirit animal lightly, and despite (or maybe especially intrigued because of) the fact that he had chosen to present himself in death rather than life, i sought answers.  what i found astounded me.  a red-tailed hawk is said to: offer clear-sightedness, facilitate long distance memory, reveal messages from the universe, offer guardianship & courage, inspire a creative life purpose, *help you to realign with the original intention of your soul*.   furthermore, i discovered that a dead spirit animal, as opposed to a live one, can indicate that there is a part of yourself, in relation to these aspects, that has died or that you have lost.  although i couldn't find any documentation to support it, i also feel that the fact that this bird was not yet full-grown was indicative of the issues i've carried from my own childhood, unresolved.  to me, this was such a very clear message from the universe, and just in time for the new year.  so what did i do first?  i made a red-tailed hawk totem bracelet.  i added an opal to the sky.  opals offer comfort and enhance unconditional love, they ease transitions and offer strength and courage in times of change.  my hawk is now residing on my left wrist, forever in flight, to encourage me on my current journey of self-discovery, growth, and transition.