The Prophecy of the Condor and Eagle

Nearly every culture I know prophesies that in the late 1990's we entered a period of remarkable transition. At monasteries in the Himalayas, ceremonial sites in Indonesia, and indigenous reservations in North America, from the depths of the Amazon to the peaks of the Andes, and into the ancient Mayan cities of Central America, I have heard that ours is a special moment in human history, and that each of us was born at this time because we have a mission to accomplish.

The titles and the words of the prophecies differ slightly. They tell variously of a New Age, the Third Millennium, the Age of Aquarius, the Beginning of the Fifth Sun, or the end of old calendars and the commencement of new ones. Despite the varying terminologies, however, they have a great deal in common, and “The Prophecy of the Condor and Eagle” is typical. It states that back in the mists of history, human societies divided and took different paths: that of the condor (representing the heart, intuitive and mystical) and that of the eagle (representing the brain, rational and material). In the 1490's, the prophesy said, the two paths would converge and the eagle would drive the condor to the verge of extinction. Then, five hundred years later, in the 1990's a new epoch would begin, one in which the condor and the eagle will have the opportunity to reunite and fly together in the same sky, along the same path. If the condor and eagle accept this opportunity, they will create a most remarkable offspring, unlike any seen before.

“The Prophecy of the Condor and Eagle” can be taken at many levels — the standard interpretation is that it foretells the sharing of indigenous knowledge with the technologies of science, the balancing of yin and yang, and the bridging of northern and southern cultures. However, most powerful is the message it offers about consciousness; it says that we have entered a time when we can benefit from the many diverse ways of seeing ourselves and the world, and that we can use these as a springboard to higher levels of awareness. As human beings we can truly wake up and evolve into a more conscious species.

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Many of the indigenous cultures of the world share a two-thousand year old prophecy about the eagle and the condor. In the Andes it is expressed as the coming of the new Pachacuti, an interval of roughly 500 years. The prophecy foretold an unbalance and tremendous conflict throughout the Americas from around 1500 to 2000. During this time the eagle, representing the mental and materialistic, has driven the condor, representing the spiritual and heart-centered, almost into extinction.

The eagle represents the modern, technological world, and the people of the eagle have developed the intellect at the expense of the heart. They have developed technology to an extraordinary level, bringing them material wealth beyond their wildest dreams. But they also find themselves spiritually impoverished to their peril.

The people of the condor represent the indigenous people of the world living close to the land, with the heart and wisdom that come from being attuned to the natural world. They live from their heart and through their senses, and have an unparalleled depth of spirituality and wisdom that is an expression of their profound connection to nature. These people are spiritually rich but materially impoverished. The forces of the developed world now threaten their environment that they depend on for their material and spiritual sustenance. They must understand and develop some of the intellectual skills of the eagle.

According to the prophecy of the eagle and condor, we are at the beginning of the "Fifth Pachacuti", a time when the condor will rise again and will once again fly together wing to wing in the same sky as the eagle and the world will come into balance. It is a time of partnership, love and healing, and a transition out of an era of conflict and turmoil into more sustainable and earth-honoring ways. It will be a time of great transition but also with some dangers. The condor will not soon forget the domination of the eagle. The eagle must also change to help restore the balance.