Vision Quest - VII Spiritual Warrior

Soaring Eagle

Description:
A warrior sits upon his horse holding a skull of a mountain sheep. There are tall mountains behind the warrior, and an eagle is flying in the sky above the warrior. The warrior looks tired, but determined. He has had a long journey. His spirit guide, the eagle, is with him on his journey. If he had not made the journey, he would not now have his reward, the skull of the mountain sheep.

Significant Details:
The high mountains are a gateway to the spirit realm, and that is where the mountain sheep was found.
The horse is painted with the warriors spiritual designs, and has two eagle feathers dangling around his neck.
The warrior carries a shield for protection, and has five eagle feathers in his hair, signifying his status and his spiritual journey.
The skull signifies his arduous journey up the mountains, and his reward for his spiritual journey. It also shows the power of creation and destruction, the very foundation of magic and growth.
This journey required much determination on behalf of the warrior, and he has showed his determination to continue his spiritual journey. He is well seated upon his horse; his foundation in the spiritual is secure and unimpeded.
The eagle is his spiritual guide and teacher.

My Interpretation:
Let your intuition guide you into taking a stand. Calm persuasion in a disagreement will lead you to victory. Use courage, will-power and inner strength to overcome difficulties. You are seeking your spiritual path, your own “truth”.
 

jaj

The Spiritual Warrior and his horse are surrounded by their auras, which meld into one another, suggesting ultimate harmony as the ideal and the goal.

The mountains and valleys in the background suggest the peaks and valleys of spiritual experience. One may have a mountaintop spiritual experience and then find the necessity of returning to 'real' life. Such a battle to combine the two! And so, he is a warrior.

The eagle has long been revered in many Native American cultures, as he is able to blend heaven and earth in the normal course of his life. When I have dreams of flying, then perhaps I approach what the eagle has mastered.
 

Soaring Eagle

I hadn't really paid the auras any attention, I guess because to me they don't stand out, but you are right.

I know I revere the eagle, so to me, the eagle is very significant. The first things that I notice on these cards are the "spirit guides" and the feathers, usually because they are eagle feathers. To me, these help me interpret the card.
 

jaj

I had trouble with the central symbols of the picture, like the painted symbols and the sheep skull. I kind of had to go to the background to make sense of the card. I'm glad you were able to connect with the central symbols.
 

jaj

I'd like to hear more about your connection to the eagle, especially since you use it as your name.
 

Soaring Eagle

To me the eagle is all-knowing. It is a symbol of power, of honesty, and of a connection to the spirit world, to the Great Spirit.

Strangely enough, my other name involves the eagle, not the name on my birth certificate, but my native name. I was living in Alaska as a child, far from my people, and learned the traditions and customs of the Tlingit people who lived on the island where I grew up. My adopted "grandmother", as my mother called her, actually gave me a Tlingit name, and said I would always be connected to her clan because of my name. I remember her very vividly, even though I haven't lived in Alaska for almost 30 years.

Oh, and I should add, Soaring Eagle is not my native name, that is a name I would never tell anyone. It is extremely special to me, and I've found that most people don't understand it.
 

jaj

Soaring Eagle, thank you for sharing your history. I was able to read Wikipedia's article about the Tlingit people, "People of the Tides". Oh, how that resonates with me! In this life, I grew up on the edge of a coastal marsh, and early learned to watch the tides to gauge how long I could play in the mud and/or paddle the retreating water! The Mi'kmaq people are coastal also; I had never heard of them before the regression. I'm learning so much.
 

Soaring Eagle

I am glad that you enjoy my interpretations. I have found that a knowledge of native symbology is definately an aid to this deck. Please try to remember that all native peoples had their own symbols and meanings for these symbols. This deck represents many native peoples, not just one people. This makes it a little harder to interpret. I have noticed that there are a lot of southern peoples used, especially in the Fire suit. I have a tougher time interpreting the southern peoples, although I have studied some. Thankfully, I haven't noticed anything from the eastern peoples, I know nothing about their symbols.

I have also been checking out the Thoth Study Group, but as I can tell, it hasn't really helped me with the Major Arcana. The symbology used is just too different. I am however using it for the Minor Arcana, not that they have a complete listing, and some of the posts are really old. There are some things that help me understand the cards a little better, and other times, nothing seems to "click" for me.
 

jaj

You're probably right about my need to understand the symbols to understand the deck. I see the Medicine Wheels coming up, and I'm going to be hopeless on that topic unless it relates somehow to the astrology wheel.

Looking at highly rated Native American symbol books on Amazon, I found this one:
Spirits of the Earth: A Guide to Native American Nature Symbols, Stories, and Ceremonies by Robert Lake-Thom.
http://www.amazon.com/Spirits-Earth-American-Symbols-Ceremonies/dp/0452276500/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_i

Would this book be good for studying this deck? If not, do you have a suggested book?

If there are any lurkers with an interest in this deck, maybe a common book of symbols would remove some of the intimidation factor for group study.
 

Soaring Eagle

The book that you referenced looks okay, but remember it is only for the southwestern tribes. It would also be useful to study the northwestern tribes.

The following link is for the thunderbird (coming up in several cards, and is usually associated with the eagle)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbird_(mythology)

This link is from amazon for a book of myths from the pacific northwest.
http://www.amazon.com/Legends-Pacific-Northwest-Katharine-Judson/dp/0803275951

There is also lots of information available on the internet. If you would like, feel free to pm me for information or links, or general chat on native peoples.