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The vulture came to me a couple of years ago—as with many allies of mine, I originally denied the call. I continued my existence—yet still in awe of how frequently these creatures would appear. “Realllllllllly? The vulture?” I arrogantly asked our Great Spirit, as if  I were above receiving this vital creature's lessons. On my daily medicine walks, I would encounter the vultures—sometimes just one, two, or up. I would watch them as they effortlessly soared, circling the fields below where I walked. Their keen sense of smell and excellent sight led them to the remains, cleaning the earth off one meal at a time. I live in a farming village where vultures are often seen in the skies above. However, the closer to the town you get, the less vultures you will see. Although, this doesn’t remove their presence from the more populated areas. Little did I know what a deeply beautiful spirit ally this creature could be—full of exploration, alchemy, death, life, and family. 


The more I observed and opened myself up to listening to the vulture spirits lessons, the more I became in awe with this creature. Both turkey vultures and black vultures are protected under federal law due to the Migratory Bird Act of 1918. Vultures are foragers and scavengers by nature, rarely exhibiting predatory behaviors. They follow the migratory birds since many birds die during the migratory travel. In farming villages, such as the one I live in, the vulture is an essential part of our ecosystem. As scavengers, they are responsible for eating the remains of creatures that would otherwise rot and decompose naturally across the lands.


Natural rot and decomposition are not necessarily a bad thing, although, creatures like the vultures provide an essential job of limiting the accumulation and spread of disease throughout the earth. That means they don’t just clean up the remains of creatures that have died, but they keep our lands in good health. Let’s take a moment to think about this—the vulture eats the remains of an animal that is not viable to all creatures. “But HOW?” You might ask. Their ability to eat food others cannot is due to their unique natural gut microbial; this keeps them from getting infected by meat that would otherwise infect other animals. This is where I see the vultures as a natural alchemist—truly transforming a diseased creature into a nutrient density that sustains its survival.




The vulture's relationships with other vultures, especially within the  “family”  unit are absolutely fascinating. They have much more developed relationships and “family” systems than most folks realize—than I even realized myself. Research has shown that vultures live between 10-30 years. They have monogamous relationships, only ending that partnership once one partner has died. They are not nesting birds but instead lay their eggs in abandoned buildings, hollow trees, brush piles, and other dark cavities within nature. Both male and female vultures tend to incubate their eggs, brooding, and feeding their young. This is the natural system in which vultures live, yet many people would be surprised to learn the actual culture of how they breed and raise their young. 


The vulture is a vital part of our ecosystem. Without this scavenging forager, our world wouldn’t be what it is. The vulture has great medicine and magic, if we are willing to receive it—exhibiting the alchemical experience of death bringing life. They remind us not to judge something by its looks or assumptions, but rather to soar through life’s cycles with great perspective to reap the alchemical benefits of relationships, death, and life.



How Can Vultures Eat Rotting Flesh Without Getting Sick? Science ABC. https://www.scienceabc.com/nature/animals/how-can-vultures-eat-rotting-flesh-without-falling-sick.html


Raptor Spotlight: Nero the Turkey Vulture. University of Minnesota. https://raptor.umn.edu/about-us/news/raptor-spotlight-nero-turkey-vulture


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©2023-2025 SANCTUARY FOR SPIRIT is a folk religion temple that gives education and support in the old folk and ancestral healing ways. We honor the ways of nurturing the mind, the body, and the spirit through spiritual medicine and do not give allopathic medical advice. We advise all to always consult with their personal medical doctor for medical advice. May you be blessed upon your healing journey.

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