HAWK AND EAGLE, BOTH ARE SINGING
Paula Underwood
THIS IS THE WAY OF IT . . .
As they search through life
Hawk, of his nature sees Mouse
And plunges earthward
To be rewarded for this accuracy
Eagle, of her nature sees the Whole
In that Whole she sees movement
And plunges earthward
To discover Mouse
Which is the greater hunter?
Which is the Keeper of greater Wisdom?
Which has better Vision?
And to which should we carefully listen?
I tell you now that each
Holds part of the full Perception
For Hawk sees Mouse
And discovers the Whole
While Eagle watches the Whole
Discovering Mouse therein
And Life is like that
Those who see the separation
See part of the truth
Those who watch the changing patterns
See the rest
One . . . and the other . . . Unified
Give us that Wisdom
The People need to survive
So listen to Hawk
Watch her ride the wind
And plunge to find
What her vision already shows her
And listen to Eagle
Watch him touch the clouds
And search through changing patterns
To find what is necessary to Life
Hawk and Eagle
Both are Singing
And their Song marks our path
To sustenance and Wisdom
As part of the Native American training I received from my father, one of the aspects of perception that I was asked to understand was the distinction between Hawk and Eagle, between the way Hawk perceives and the way Eagle perceives. In this tradition, you gain the appreciation by what is considered to be direct experience.
When hunting, Hawk sees Mouse . . . and dives directly for it.
When hunting, Eagle sees the whole pattern . . . sees movement in the general pattern . . .
and dives for the movement, learning only later that it is Mouse.
What we are talking about here is Specificity and Wholeness. Western science deals from the specific to generalities about the whole. Indigenous science begins with an apprehension of the Whole, only very carefully and on close inspection reaching tentative conclusions about any Specificity.