This Week at Liberty

As a little 4-year-old girl, I used to spend the night with my grandmother for whom I was named. She had a window in the bedroom that welcomed the dawn sun through the organdy curtains. The ruffle above the rod was the focus of my attention on those early mornings as I lay in bed waiting for the rest of the house to wake up. Admittedly, I was an outdoors girl. The creek and the trees were my companions, but I had never seen an eagle in real life. Somehow as I lazed in the dawn light at Maggie’s house the ruffle on those curtains transformed into an adult eagle. I used to watch the illusion with great interest. To this day, I don’t know where that came from, but my conclusion after all of these years of doing what I am doing, leads me to believe in the Native American’s understanding of special connections between humans and animals in their natural worlds.

This connection between Native Americans and Native Wildlife is the focus of our attention at our event coming up on Sunday, November 16^th. We will celebrate these connections and how it has both shaped and sustained cultures. The event will be held at Liberty Wildlife’s campus, 2600 E. Elwood Street in Phoenix, on November 16^th between 9:00 and 4:30.

The festivities will begin with the blessing of the eagles, a rare opportunity to see a live eagle up-close and to be smudged in its presence. Shortly after the blessing, Native dancers, singers, and drummers will begin their performances, while Native artists display and sell their jewelry, beadwork, carvings, baskets and much more. Live eagles, hawks, owls, falcons and other wildlife will be on exhibit for the public to view. The raptor free flight show will have hawks flying above the crowd! Attendees will enjoy Native foods while they shop. Maybe you can make this an opportunity to whittle away at your Holiday shopping list with unique and meaningful gifts.

Join us on November 16^th and explore your connection to a spirit animal. You will see any number of hawks, owls, reptiles, mammals and vultures. Maybe one resonates with you in a powerful way. Maybe, the Condor that ruled the skies and captured the imagination of the Native people for 50,000 years causing them to leave evidence of this connection through early cave paintings. The importance of the Condor has been chronicled in oral legends, traditions, ceremonies, dances as well as rock paintings. To the Diné people, Condor is a powerful spirit helper and is an intimate part of the culture. You can see a couple of these majestic birds very closely along our education trail.

Eagles, my spirit animal, represents power and a sense of freedom and fearlessness. My eagles are considered medicine birds with supernatural powers playing a major role in the Native American religious ceremonies. They are considered by some as the guardian of the earth and a symbol of divine protection. The bird’s sharp vision helps it detect threats to the planet and its inhabitants. Eagle represents strength and courage.

When I think about it… this all makes sense to me. My purpose here at Liberty Wildlife is to help injured, orphaned, and ill wildlife regain its place of importance in the natural world. Do you think it is possible that the dawn appearing eagle in the organdy curtain was guiding me to follow my path to Liberty Wildlife? I do!

Join us on Sunday, November 16^th and see if you can connect to your spirit animals and delve into the connections between the animal world and the world of people. You may not have to look very far.

…Come curious, leave inspired.