First Flight of the Archaeopteryx
The piece is named for the skeletal bird that appears in the center, the Archaeopteryx, thought to be the earliest bird to have evolved from dinosaurs when its first fossil was discovered in Germany in 1861. First Flight of the Archaeopteryx references that magical moment of evolutionary transition from dinosaurs to modern flying birds.
It is now thought that dinosaurs themselves may have been partially feathered like birds. Although the largest ever land animals are now long gone, their flying descendants evolved into a myriad of species. Now, one in eight of these surviving bird species faces extinction.
We may not think of evolution as a particularly spiritual event, and certainly not a magical one! The original Theory of Evolution developed by Darwin suggested that new species only emerge through a slow process of adaptation to changing environments, over many thousands of years.
However, more recent, long-term studies by Princeton scientists Peter and Rosemary Grant show that evolutionary leaps can occur in much shorter time frames in the presence of pressing environmental stressors (see The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner) .
In my view, this sculpture surprisingly opens up the idea that evolution could also have a spiritual basis, though this would be discredited by scientists. The goddess figure to the left of the skeletal bird appears to be blessing or perhaps even birthing the bird from her rotund belly. The rabbit, a symbol of fecundity, appears to throw stardust over this incredible new creation. Even the heart speaks to the specialness of this event.
We often find a flurry of recognition in the scientific community with a new “find” like the Archaeopteryx, but these discoveries don’t receive the spiritual recognition they may deserve. Perhaps if we understood scientific discovery as a deeper inquiry process, we would feel more connected with the world around us and have more care for the effects our actions have on our fellow species.
I would like to suggest that the Theory of Evolution could be at work in the development of empathy. Could we be evolving a more connected view of ourselves, others, and the world — one that not only allows our species to survive during this time of immense biological stress, but to thrive into the future?
Hopefully, this won’t be the Last Flight of the birds.
