Let me tell you a bit of an old Welsh story.
When mythic hero Lleu Llaw Gyffes was betrayed and attacked by his unhappy wife and her lover, he instantly transformed into a wounded eagle and flew far away to a tree where he perched in great pain and sorrow for a long, lonely time.
No one could find him, least of all his wizard uncle Gwydion who had raised him tenderly from infancy and loved him deeply. Gwydion searched high and low and at last by following the daily perambulations of a gigantic, mythic pig called Hen Wen (Old White), he found his nephew in eagle-shape.
At the very top of a tree deep in the forest perched the poor, miserable eagle, his wounds festering and his wings clamped against his weakened body. Gwydion knew that the hurt was even deeper than the physical devastation; this was a harm done to the spirit of the man.
And so he began to sing.
He sang an incantation so sweet and hopeful that the eagle hopped down to a lower branch to hear him better.
He sang and wove his loving magic yet more so that the eagle hopped still lower.
He never flagged in singing until the eagle stood perched on the lowest branch, listening with rapt attention to the beauty and promise of Gwydion’s magical song.
At that, Gwydion held up his arm and the eagle hopped down to perch there in perfect trust. That was the moment that Gwydion could begin his healing work in earnest, and soon Lleu was restored to his former strength and vigor.
I think of that story often and it gives me hope.
It reminds me to be patient with my students and with myself. With anyone, really, who is learning or healing.
Sometimes, if there has been a hurt – and there has often been a hurt – we must woo a learner into the position where he or she can receive the teaching and claim their strength. We must be gentle and patient, staying steady and constant, holding out the promise of learning.
The same goes for ourselves. We learn in stages. We open to a little bit of learning and then rest. Eventually, perhaps, we open to more. We hop closer and closer to the source of possibility, to the center of what we seek.
But all the while, the magical part of ourselves – that steady, loving presence – sings of the promise and beauty of learning, of healing, of moving forwards in some way.
We have each played the role of wounded eagle and enchanted protector. Sometimes we have played both roles simultaneously when we seek to grow.
To that magical protector I say:
thank you for song, for your invitation, for your faith and magic and skill.
To that wounded eagle I say:
trust the promise of the words and melody that feel like growth and wholeness. There is help for you. Your own strength awaits you. Come closer to what you truly desire.
Miracles of healing and learning happen every day. They may not involve eagles and legendary magicians but they are no less spectacular for all of that.
Anytime we grow or heal the world changes for the better. Everything and everyone is touched by this everyday magic.
Here’s to teachers and learners everywhere – and that includes YOU, reader!
Many thanks to Alexas_Fotos for this stunnng photograph of an eagle, sourced on Unsplash
