I’ll just start out with saying that never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would write a post about the meaning of the vulture totem. I honestly had not given much thought that there would even be a totem for what most would consider a disgusting bird. What I have discovered over the years of writing this blog is that my instincts often take me to places that I would have never considered on my own. Out of the blue an animal will keep coming to me and that is why today we are going to learn about the vulture totem meaning. Those buzzards (as some call them) have literally flown into my vision so many times that I finally got the message that I was to research and write about them. Sometimes my radar is slow but a persistent spirit will just keep coming to me until I finally get the message.

As I began to reflect about this bird and to study it, I realized that this is not the first time that he has come to me. A few years back, I was seeing them daily and even had a committee (group) of them in my backyard one day. Let me tell you that up close and personal these are big birds! I would see them in flight which is called a kettle of vultures and I would see them as a wake (group feeding). At the time, I thought they were interesting and wondered why they kept making themselves seen to me but I did not get the hint that the vulture spirit was there for a reason. Now, that I have taken notice, I know why they were with me before.

Those of you who follow this blog may remember that about this time last year I made a journey to a place that the Indians of my heritage considered a sacred place. It was there that my spiritual name of Two Feathers was revealed to me. My husband and I have just returned from a second visit to this special place. I wasn’t feeling that anything necessarily new would be revealed on this trip. I did expect to be energized by the stones but other than that I had no other expectations.

On that first visit I saw buzzards or vultures a lot, I mean seriously I saw them everywhere! I even laughed because one day there was a kettle of them circling over a cemetery. I understand why I was seeing them on that first trip now. I had gone through a bit of a purification and a new vision had been revealed to me. The vulture totem symbolizes both. It is about death and rebirth which is in a way what was going on with me on that first trip. I was letting some old stuff die away so that I could open up to a birthing of the new me.

Fast forward to the second visit which just occurred. You guessed it, those buzzards were with me again. I noticed them in flight a few times but it wasn’t until I was on top of what the locals call a hill (I would call it a small mountain!) that the proverbial light bulb turned on in my brain. I was standing in the sun and just letting myself absorb the energy and good spirits of the place. I said a little prayer of gratitude for being allowed to stand on that ground and then I noticed a large shadow sweep over me. I looked up and there was a kettle of about 7 (a sacred number) vultures circling over me. It just took my breath away! I wasn’t frightened but suddenly felt very peaceful, almost refreshed and I knew right then that there was meaning in me seeing these misunderstood birds.

There is a significance of me standing in the sun as I found out. Vultures do a ritual every morning that entails spreading their wings and standing in the sun. The scientific reason is to let the sun dry any dew off of their feathers and to kill any bacteria that might be on their heads from feeding the day before. Those of us who understand the spiritual acts of critters can see that it is most probably more than that with these birds. Vultures are a symbol of heaven and earth, spirit and matter, good and evil. This act of spreading their wings to the sun is a form of worship and connection, I believe. 

nature, bird, wildlife

I am going to have to go into much further detail of this totem at a latter posting because it is really fascinating and involves a lot of teachings. I’ll give the brief version for now. If vulture is working with you it is a time of purification, a time of death and rebirth and a time of new vision. Your sight becomes clear and your sense of smell will be heightened (something does not smell just right) and you might even experience some digestive changes. Basically, when the vulture comes as a totem it is a sign that a higher purpose is at work and any suffering that you might have been experiencing was temporary but necessary for this new birth to come to fruition. I promise I will continue with the study of this totem, soon!

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