Transforming Death into Light
The power of the underrated Turkey Vulture
There was a time when I found Turkey Vultures disappointing and inferior. When spotting a raptor with a massive wing-span above my car on the highway, the hope was for a Red-Tailed Hawk. More times than not, it was a Turkey Vulture. The bright red skin head and the black wings would bring with it a groan of displeasure,
“Ugh, its just a vulture”. They are kinda ugly, to be honest.
The excitement and wonder brought on by a narrow-minded fantasy of what the hawk stood for, left the beauty and magic of the turkey vulture hanging in the lurch.
Twenty years and many opportunities for growth, the turkey vulture message has evolved into an expanded story accompanied by deep respect and gratitude. The big black bird has often appeared in sacred moments of reflection, and the desire to learn more led me to ornithology documents, google research, and spiritual examination.
Come to find out, the turkey vulture is one of a select few species on the planet of carrion eaters.
They are literally designed to clean up dead carcasses.
These aves come equipped with intense stomach acids that kill corpse bacteria. Their red head is bald which prevents germs from adhering and festering to their body when digging into a cadaver. Miraculously, their urine also produces specialized acids and enzymes that disinfect their legs and keep them cool in hot desert weather, or on black top cleaning up roadkill. Intuitively they understand the sun’s power to destroy bacteria and parasites, and commonly spread their wings for long periods of time in the sunshine.
Imagine what the world would smell and be like if there weren’t carrion eaters?
Hiking along the cliffs above the coastline in Montana De Oro, I encountered more than eight turkey vultures on the ground at different times. Focused on the ocean and its erratic wave patterns, I was startled by a kettle of vultures a few feet to my right transforming a bird carcass into fertilizer. Seeing them on the ground was new, and a bit jarring. The sound of their feet on the sand and the steady movements of their massive bodies sent my mind into an expanded state. Standing in the same space with these creatures, was surreal.
They saw me before I saw them and held their ground. Unlike a rabbit or a towhee, the turkey vultures remained calm and focused. No sudden movements to flee, their nervous systems grounded in their space. Accustomed to being the “dominant species” and having most of nature flee when I showed up, I wondered, “Do these birds attack? They are huge and I am outnumbered.”
A whisper like a breeze touching my face said, “If you let go, we will transmute your old festering wounds into light.”
I smiled, and began to energetically drop major rocks as I hiked along the sea. I felt the heavy guilt from my first and second divorce in my heart and jaw. Keeping an eye on the vultures, I allowed the heaviness to move into my fists, and motioned to drop them into the sand. I felt the heaviness of worry about my daughters’ forced vaccinations and her past seizures in my gut. I moved that into my fists and dropped them to the sand. I repeated this over and over for a mile.
The sun was warm on my face and the cool breeze felt cleansing. Offering a heartfelt thank you for taking my burdens so freely, I looked to the sky. Above me were two vultures soaring close enough that I could feel the enormity of their wingspan. The synchronicity and splendor forced a quick in- breath that brought me back to my body.
Gazing at the underside of the large raptors I noticed the silver feathers that cover the majority of the wings. The silver and black feathers told the transformation story.
The final message of this walking meditation prevailed. The vultures are designed to transmute dark into light. They are hubs in the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The dead are their life force and as they transmute the life-less into fertile soil, they midwife a rebirth. They hold an integral key to complete the infinite cycle. To think, I once dismissed these powerful creatures and now hold them in loving reverence