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The Eagle and the Answer: What Prayer, Neuroscience, and Stillness Can Teach Us About Clarity
- april7171
- Apr 16
- 2 min read
My first Sunday morning out at the lake this season, I didn’t sit down to hustle through a to-do list or force a decision.
I sat down to pray.
Not the kind of prayer that pleads.
Not a performance.
But a quiet invitation to the sacred.
"I’m still now. I’m listening.
What do you want me to hear?”
It was a moment of opening. Of letting go.
Of reaching beyond the motion to find grace and possibility.
And neuroscience tells us that this kind of stillness changes us - literally.
The Neuroscience of Prayer and Stillness
- Prayer and meditation increase dopamine, giving us a sense of hope and motivation
- They reduce cortisol, the hormone linked to stress and overdrive
- And they activate the frontal lobes, the part of the brain responsible for insight, clarity, and conscious decision-making
In other words:
Stillness sharpens your mind, soothes your body, and softens your heart.
But that morning… what happened next went beyond brain chemistry.
A Bald Eagle, a Message, and a Moment of Clarity
As I looked up, I saw a bird circling. At first I thought it was a vulture.
Then maybe an egret, preparing to dive.
But its movement was different. Smooth. Slow. Certain.
And then I saw it clearly -
A bald eagle.
The first I’ve seen on my property in over 12 years.
It didn’t dive. It didn’t force. It didn’t flap wildly.
It simply glided.
Waited.
Trusted.
And then, with perfect timing, it lifted a fish clean from the water -
No splash. No struggle. Just presence and precision.
This Wasn’t Coincidence. It Was Clarity.
It felt like Spirit responding:
“I hear you. You’re not alone. You don’t have to force what’s meant for you.”
And in that moment, I understood something I’ve been building toward for years:
How the IGNITE Framework Helps You Lead with Clarity
It’s not just a decision-making model.
It’s not about pushing through uncertainty or forcing momentum.
The IGNITE process is designed to help you lift above the motion of life,
To reflect, listen, and make small, grounded decisions -
so that when the answer becomes clear, acting on it feels effortless.
Because when you know what matters to you,
You become the kind of leader, guide, parent, or partner who can serve what matters to others.
This is where insight meets embodiment.
Where stillness becomes strategy.
And where you stop flapping… and start flying.
A Few Questions for You
- What would happen if you stopped striving for the answer - and started preparing to receive it?
- What clarity might rise if you gave yourself permission to pause?
- What’s already circling your life, waiting for you to look up?
I created IGNITE to guide you through this journey - step by step.
It begins with stillness.
It leads to clarity.
And it ends with an action that feels like peace.
If you’re ready to explore what’s possible when you stop forcing and start listening,
I’d love to walk with you.
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