I just returned from my annual private spiritual retreat on Lake George in the Adirondacks. Most of what I receive during these retreats is too personal to share, but I am often given images from nature that speak to spiritual realities. This week, two such images were represented by impressive birds.
The first was a seagull. He was perched on a rock a few yards out from Slim Point, the southern boundary of Silver Bay. Nothing unusual about a seagull on a rock. But clouds were gathering quickly. The wind was gusty and chilly. The water was choppy and little waves were breaking on the very rock where the gull was standing just inches above the surface of the lake. And yet, through all of this stormy flux, he remained statuesque. Occasionally, he cocked his head in one direction or another, but seemed completely unfazed by the churning conditions around him. He was a symbol of strength– what Henri Nouwen once called a “non-anxious presence” that brings calm in the midst of frantic busyness, angst, and dis-ease. This, I believe, is one of the principal ways that spiritual leaders lead.
The second image was a pair of bald eagles. Early one morning, I spotted them flying high overhead. It wasn’t until they swooped down close to the water and circled the bay that I recognized their distinctive white heads and huge wingspans. I was captivated with the grandeur of their flight – the kind that Isaiah 40:31 compares to soaring spirituality.
After a few moments, they disappeared into the trees. I 
surmised that they had perched themselves on branches above the edge of the water, so I walked in the direction of where I had seen them leave my sight. Eventually, I spotted them above me – their golden talons, huge cloaks of feathers, impressive beaks and penetrating eyes. As I marveled at them, one flew away, the other remained, and I remained with her (or him?) for about an hour. I even called up and the eagle looked down at me – more with dispassionate curiosity than concern – not the least bit perturbed or threatened. It was another symbol of strength – the peace of knowing one’s place in creation.
Of course, there were other images as well – chief among them the splash of peak fall colors (examples of which are found below), but the most lasting were of these birds perching steadfastly down near the surface of the water and in branches high above.
©2015 by J. Mark Lawson
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