musicology #197

teachings of billionaire YenTzu #7

(Sam Cooke – Keep Movin’ On)

Knowing The Eagle, (realising desires; needing nothing)

The great eagle, it’s huge wings covering it’s craggy mountain eyrie, was not immediately aware of losing one of her young as she tried to protect them from the fierce storm. The mother hen in the farm below was similarly unaware that something had dropped into the soft hay of her coup. Reared to behave as a chicken, the young eagle never learned to fly; completely unaware that his nature was to be a king among birds. A passing hermit noticed him awkwardly holding his great wings while strutting and pecking with the other chickens.

‘Don’t you know what you are?’ said the hermit, gently taking the eagle in his arms. ‘Your nature is to soar high in the sky. Come, stretch forth your wings and fly.’

The hermit’s action confused the eagle, however, and as he did not know who he was he jumped down to rejoin the chickens. For several days the hermit persisted, each time taking the eagle to higher ground, saying:

‘Know that although you may live like a chicken, inside you beats the heart of an eagle, a great eagle, know that you are the king of birds. Go, stretch forth your wings and fly.’

But each time, the eagle appeared unaware of his true, unknown, self, and awkwardly hopped back to join the chickens who were scratching for corn in the dust. The hermit noticed, though, how the eagle would cast a few glances at the sky, almost as if sensing something stir deep within its heart.

Finally the hermit carried the bird to the top of the mountain. Reaching a steep crag far above the chicken coup, the hermit held the bird aloft while repeating his words of encouragement. ‘Out there, among the heavens is where you belong. Go now! stretch forth your wings and fly! become the eagle that you are.’

But still the bird did not accept its true power. Not knowing what to do the eagle’s powerful vision swept back and forth from his coup to the sky. He could see the chickens pecking at their food, and felt that he needed to be back there. Then, as if spying something far in the distance, he began to tremble and slowly stretched out his wings. It seemed to the hermit that the eagle was growing in stature and, just at the moment when he could no longer hold him, the great eagle let out a triumphant cry and soared into the heavens.