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The Legend of Condor and Eagle: A Modern Retelling
Published 3 months ago • 8 min read
March 3, 2024
Art by Lauren Raine, Roses & Wildflowers Journal, Spring 2024
Dear Reader,
Today I offer you a tale with a smattering of life cultivation concepts. I invite you to read with your heart and take a moment to reflect at the end. What meaning does it hold for you?
Years ago, I read The Legend of Condor and Eagle: A Modern Retelling in a writing circle. It was a beautiful and humbling experience to hear how it impacted people in ways I hadn't intended. It touched their own life stories. Their perceptions highlighted their own struggles and patterns. I was grateful I'd written a hopeful ending.
What we hear, see, and experience offers us clues into our own reference system and of course our own patterns.
I wrote this story during my last year of teacher training in 2018. It has sat on my computer quietly waiting for final editing and a place to be in the world. I was pleased it was selected for publication in a journal last month because I think humanity could use some inspiration and hope. We CAN create an uplifted and harmonious world with self-awareness, perseverance in alignment with Dao, and the loving guidance of our True Selves.
You'll find the story below along with some photos I took this week. During a morning walk at Kye Bay, I was graced with four eagles, soaring, fighting, and sitting above us. Nicely auspicious since I planned to send this story today. They conveyed such a sense of freedom and joy that I hope you feel that in the Qifield.
If you prefer to listen to story, on Monday I'll read this piece. In a short teaching afterward, I'll pull out some key Ren Xue concepts including identification and some questions about what you persevere with in life and how. You'll find the recording in Wisdom for an Awakening World - an online community of like-hearted life cultivators.
In What's Coming Up at the end of the email you'll find some information on Yuan Tze's upcoming 9-day online retreat. For folks on Pacific time, it'll be easy to follow-along in real time but there will also be recordings of lectures and practice sessions available.
You'll also find descriptions of the upcoming and recent online video classes which are all free in Wisdom for an Awakening World.
With gratitude for your courage and life cultivation efforts, Stephanie
I'm Stephanie Ross, a senior Ren Xue Yuan Qigong teacher, poet, and writer living on Vancouver Island, Canada. You can learn more about me and life cultivation or read some of my poems and articles on mywebsite.
The Legend of Condor and Eagle: A Modern Retelling
A long time ago, in a land quite near here, there lived a bird - a beautiful bird with massive black wings. She wore a ring around her neck, a white beak and white flight feathers to help her soar. Her name was Condor.
Condor loved to circle above mountain peaks and feel the air lift her body higher and higher. She adored views of rich mountain meadows, luscious green hills and bright blues of the river. When she finished soaring over the trees, she would swoop down and carefully clean up scraps left on Earth. She would kiss Earth, circle the trees, and begin her journey upward again.
Often, she ventured out further to soar playfully with her friend, Eagle. He too loved the luscious greens and the bright blues beneath their playground. Eagle was smaller than she. His majestic white head and yellow beak were brightly visible as they circled the skies together. With his sharp vision, he observed all the tiny details on Earth below.
Eagles at Kye Bay, BC 2024
One day, Eagle began collecting the things his keen eyes spotted. He began stacking them in a pile.
“What are you doing, Eagle?” Condor asked jovially.
“I’m collecting things in case I need them later,” replied Eagle.
Feeling very intelligent, he decided to give this new pastime a name. He named it “building”.
Eagle got very busy with building. His towers grew taller than trees and stretched over the horizon. Eagle didn’t notice when he could no longer see green amidst his creations, but he always found a piece out of place in his collection.
Condor missed soaring with her now busy friend. Eagle didn’t notice when their time together slipped away. He spent most of his day building. When he found sleep didn’t come, he used that time for building too.
As time passed, he needed to trudge further to find things. He especially liked the shiny objects beyond the hills. He grew tired of flying so far and decided to save his weary wings. He began building everywhere that something caught his eye.
Eagle flew very little now. He didn’t notice when the towers in his homeland tipped over, blocking the river and flooding the meadow.
He didn’t notice when brown debris drifted in and the water around him darkened and lost its shimmer. He didn’t notice the sadness moving steadily inward. The sadness of missing luscious greens and bright blues. The sadness that longed for the feeling of soaring in the wind and the joy of being with his friend Condor.
But Condor noticed. She missed her friend and worried about his building habit that left him so melancholy. She cried out to warn him of the mournful changes spreading steadily along his trail. When he didn’t respond, her great wings carried her across the land until she found him.
She began to circle slowly. In wide arcs, day after day, she moved with grace and strength.
Eagle didn’t notice her.
Earth told her to be patient as she watched him build and build and build.
His majesty had faded. His once sharp eyes were dull. His body felt heavy.
Bald Eagle: Terra Nove Rural Park, BC 2013
After a long time, Eagle slowly became aware of how much effort was needed to beat each wing. He landed atop his tallest pile to rest. He had a vague idea that he’d forgotten something.
Something important.
He could almost remember the feeling of lightness that had come from soaring with Condor, but he couldn’t remember the image of his old friend. His feeling faded and he fell asleep on his objects.
Condor circled. And watched. And waited.
Earth shook and thundered trying to get Eagle’s attention.
Wind roared and screamed in the night, but still Eagle didn’t wake.
One night, the piles began to sway. Eagle awoke frightened but was unable to escape. His wings were stuck around him, dirty and wasted from lack of use. While Earth tremored and his tower toppled, fear, memory and remorse ripped into his bones.
Plunging sideways in the dark, his life flashed through his mind: scene by sad scene. He called out to Condor—truly and sincerely missing her—wanting to say good-bye before tumbling to his death.
Condor heard her friend and swooped in to catch him. She wrapped Eagle in her great wings and as they torpedoed upward, he relaxed.
In this state of calm, he remembered the joy of soaring. He remembered the luscious greens and bright blues and how he had loved the tall trees. In that moment, nestled deep within Condor’s embrace, something beautiful happened.
Eagle and Condor merged.
They became one bird with a thousand colours. Vibrant and vivid.
Shimmering as they circled the trees, they burst into the sunlit sky at dawn.
Together they saw both the tiniest details and the expansive horizon. Together, they could see further than ever before. This new bird could see through all the debris covering Earth.
They could see past the collections of junk and into Earth’s beauty. They knew what to do. They swooped down and began to eat one pile at a time. They chewed while they sat. They chewed while they soared. Their great beak even chewed while they slept.
Over time, Earth shone brighter and brighter. Her water flowed freely and shimmered with colours never before seen by birds. Iridescent hues sparkled in the sun and rolling hills took on new shapes. Trees delighted in this sparkling landscape.
Earth and bird learned to live together in joy and harmony. Earth decided to name her new friend.
She named her “You”.
You blossomed in this new way of living and other creatures began to notice. They too slowly relaxed and remembered. Soaring in spirit and imagination united with conscious intelligence, they built a new life of collective oneness anchored in love’s embrace.
~ My inspiration for this story came from an ancient South American prophecy that speaks of a 500-year period in which humanity splits in two: the eagle represents the mind, technology and the masculine; the condor represents the heart, intuition and the feminine. After that time, right about now, there would be potential for them to fly together and create an uplifted human consciousness. If we choose to unite in wholeness, we can create a new harmonious and healthy era for all.
First published in Roses & Wildflowers Journal, Issue 1, February 29, 2024 Spring 2024 Number One Volume One ISSN 2333-0627
What's Happening in Wisdom for an Awakening World
In Wisdom for an Awakening World, I'm going to continue choosing a few skills and explore some of these questions: What are they? How do we apply them to life? What do they look like in action? How do they move us closer to our True Self?
Sessions in this series so far:
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Creativity. This references the Teachers' Training Level 5 manual.
Part 3: Experiencing Beauty. This is more of a personal account of my 11+ year journey exploring beauty as it pertains to life cultivation.
Part 4: Perseverance and Identification (March 4). This is a story-based talk with a few Ren Xue concepts from
I am no longer doing these sessions live but will continue to make them available Mondays at noon Pacific. You can find them by searching #bucketsofskills within the Facebook group. They're usually about 30 minutes.
If you feel this information is helpful to people you know, please invite them to Wisdom for an Awakening World and this newsletter. You'll find previous issues at this link too.
Free Verse from the Heart is an 8-week online generative poetry circle.
Next course: May
This generative writing circle focuses on exploring where your poetic voice comes from, connecting deep within, using a variety prompts to spark your writing, sharing with each other, and providing feedback.
Support yourself and enhance your life-cultivation with a private, confidential, session catered to your needs. Draw upon Stephanie's decade+ of experience and the richness of a comprehensive life-cultivation system to uplift your wellbeing and wisdom.
Life cultivation inspiration, wisdom poems, stories, events, resources and more. Sign up to receive the latest info directly to your inbox so you can enhance your wisdom guided life with greater health and true wellbeing while you journey inward towards your True Self.
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