Somewhere along the way, I encoded an image of a Holy Spirit as an eagle that swoops down to embed its talons or claws into the back of my head and drag me where I would not otherwise go.
I have thought it was in Nikos Kazantzakis’ manifesto, The Saviors of God. Not finding it there, I think the next possibility is his, The Last Temptation of Christ.
Since I would like to reference the image, I wonder if any readers here have also come across the image and know its source. There is also a touch of possibility it is in Kazantzakis’ Odyssey: A Modern Sequel or the work of Carlos Castaneda.
As I think about the image, it is a helpful corollary to a passive sign of safety brought by a dove returning to Noah with an olive branch in its beak. It also adds another dimension to a dove streaming down from a third-story heaven with an announcement of risk-inducing belovedness.
The claws of an eagle directing traffic are closely akin to a “Word” set loose in a creation setting, calling into being—earthling from earth. This is an intentional G*D at work in the world to discover any mechanism of further creation, such as partners.
The eagle is not a partnership image. It is directional in intent, even self-referential. G*D holds a non-verbal conversation with us to reinforce the need to save all those who have gone before and can no longer struggle to redeem their broken context. There are also overtones of necessity rather than fuzzy belovedness. The unborn need preparations made for them to flourish, and that, too, is our work.
Hints appreciated about the source of the image.