Author: Traci Schalow

The Eagle, in Native American traditions, represents the Great Spirit. Looking back on the past three years, I could not have survived had it not been for my own very deep relationship with the Divine.   Great Spirit, God, Master of the Universe; it matters less to me what I call Him, more that I remember He is there.  In the process of grieving Nolan’s transition, it was the Eagle, literally that would remind me, not only of the presence of God, but of Nolan’s continued presence in my life.  The Eagle would visit me daily, sometimes in multiples, both Golden Eagles and Bald Eagles. There was one day, when I was living on the Flathead Lake writing the manuscript for Fall Seven, Rise Eight.  I stepped out to my front yard to regain my breath, my grounding, and my perspective.  As I turn to look out over the lake, I noticed in my periphery a tremendous Bald flying straight towards me.  Stunned, all I could do was freeze.  Before I could catch my breath, the magnificent creature, perhaps embodied spirit, brushed right pass me, gently brushing my shoulder.   When you are grieving, I think it is typical for us to look desperately for signs.  And yet, this was visit was impossible to deny.

Beyond the spiritual embodiment, the Eagle continues to remind me of the ways we continue to rise up.  I love that the bird has the shape of catching an up draft. It reminds me of the grace of being able to ride the waves, the uplifts as well as the vortexes that drop us on a daily basis.  This is our new reality, and so perhaps instead of resisting, we might simply spread our wings and let life’s circumstances carry us to our next, even if it through the most terrifying storm.

The mountains in the logo represent so many things personally, but also for the work.  I raised my children in the majesty of the mountains; it was our home, our playground, and our church.  The mountains represent where Mother Earth, Gaia, and the maternal energy that picks us back up, after we have fallen, and continues to gently encourage us to climb.  I still love, with a childlike affection, the way the mountains climb up to meet the sky.  I like to think of it as the Divine Mother hugging the Sacred Father.   That place where the earth meets the sky is symbolic of the place where our carnal self courts our own divine self, where our spiritual being enters to have an earthly experience, or simply where heaven comes down to earth, and vice versa.   This is a sacred space, and one that I spent a lot of time in, necessarily, while I made decisions about whether I would stay here on the planet or follow Nolan to where I believe he had gone.

The Japanese symbol roughly represents “Fall Seven, Rise Eight” and more broadly captures the roots of the proverb itself.  It represents Nolan’s love for Japanese culture.  It captures in remembrance, Nolan’s last request to take his ashes to Japan.  While his ashes have been spread by the many friends and family who love him all over the globe, the majority of his remains were carefully delivered to the top of a very wintery landscape on Mt. Tokachidake, the tallest Volcano in Hokkaido, and along the banks Mt. Rishiri Island on the Japan Sea.

I am so grateful to my dear friend, Traci Schalow, who has created the most beautiful artistic assets for my work, helped me to capture big themes.  Thank you.