My Hawk Story ~ My Friend

Another animal guide and friend in my life is the hawk.

It began with a rescue of sorts. Driving along the florida highway, of my hometown, i noticed wings flapping on the side of the road, a struggling hawk. I pulled over to see what was going on and saw that he was tangled in vines and very scared. Rather than try to grab him and chance being bitten i was planning on calling for help but first i spoke to him. I told him everything would be okay and to try and relax, he stopped flapping and just looked at me...at that moment our spirits connected and i felt as though i could free him with just the thought. I envisioned him free and flying again and within minutes he flew away as if he's never been tangled.

Well after this i began noticing hawk in my life more and more... perched in a tree watching me, circling over head and then Autumn came.... I asked my dad if he would be hunting deer that year... now i do not like him or anyone hunting, but if they were going to do it then i wanted to help in honoring the animal by praying with it, giving an offering and using its hide. He said he would not be hunting that year, which was a great joy to me for the animals that would be spared but i was disappointed that i would not be making this special something i had in mind... a native american style meditation rattle. Winter came and deer hunting season was over.... Driving into town one day the hawk came to me, he swooped as close to my windshield as he could and flew up. i was stunned at his forwardness but took it as a "hello", then he did it again and flew over to the side of the highway. I pulled over now feeling that he wanted me for some reason. As i got out of the car i saw him 10 paces or so away and i walked toward him. He stood in the grass which was not how i normally saw him, so it was odd. I knelt down and said "i am here, what is it you want ?", he looked at me and then down at his feet. i didn't understand. he looked at me again, then down at his feet again and then flew away. I stood up and stepped forward to the spot he had been thinking maybe he left me a feather...instead to my amazement it was a deer hide ! perfectly folded and frozen in the cold ! I gave many thanks to him as he flew overhead.

this was not hunting season, so i am assuming poachers had done this although i do not know why they took the time to skin the deer and fold his hide to lay on the highway side ??? strange. Also with the hide frozen and the fact that hawks are not scavengers anyways, he had no feeding interest in this hide. This was truly a gift !

So i took the hide home and kept it frozen in my deep freeze until summer. When summer came i began working the hide, before long i had made my rattle, which i still have over 10 years later now :) after it was done i had only to paint it's symbols... the hawk flew overhead as i contemplated this. i knew i would put the hawk on one side to honor him and his gift but what to put on the other side ??? This was before my love of owls, i met the owl later that year...so i didn't know what to put on the other side. i asked the hawk who was still watching me overhead and within minutes i had my answer. a buzzing, humming sound came to my ear. I stayed still not knowing what it was and then from the corner of my eye saw it was a hummingbird ! i didn't think to add her in the rattle at that point but then she flew over and hovered over my rattle, looked at me and flew away. I thought it an odd choice beside the hawk but the magic little hummingbird wove in her visit was undeniable. So it was, the strong, far seeing and wise predator the hawk was to be yin and yang with the small, gentle, flower loving hummingbird :)

So, my rattle and it's story was born !

Also after all of this i was gifted with hawk feathers. Driving along i noticed a wing in the grass, flapping in the wind as if to get my attention. when i pulled over to see, it was a young hawk.... after asking permission and giving an offering, i kept a few of his feathers which i still have :)

the hawk is a good and loyal friend still to this day, over ten years from when first we met. When i need a friend i can usually just look up and there he is circling, watching :) even for my daughters now...we were walking the other day and hailey said "mom i want to see a hawk today"...so i said maybe he heard her and would come... a moment later he was over our heads circling, tilting this way and that in the wind. And when i first moved here i was so homesick and prayed for comfort , two hawks began circling over head as i prayed and i knew i was not alone. Recently i had to paddle my boat into a little lagoon off the lake we live on, to reach the willow i wanted a branch from for a wand i was making my friend. As we rounded the bend a hawk flew right in front of us, so close and then up into a tree above us, watching the whole time until we left :) like i said, very loyal. The owl is loyal too, but she is more... mysterious i guess. The first time i saw her was as i wrote in my blog, almost nose to nose...after that i saw her right before i had children and knew thats what it was for, then she came to me again in south florida right before we unexpectedly had to move up here. Those two times she was about 5 feet from me though, but still it is amazing to have seen one at all in the wild as they are great at hiding...but three times, plus in my dreams where i see her most often and have even shape-shifted into her in my dreaming ! i love her dearly and the hawk as well. They have been and will always be very dear friends in my journey. Blessed Be !

Blessings and light !
Davina