The Conditions of a Solitary Bird

The conditions of a solitary bird are five:
The first, that it flies to the highest point;
The second, that it does not suffer for company,
not even of its own kind;
The third, that it aims its beak to the skies;
The fourth, that it does not have a definite color;
The fifth, that it sings very softly.


these are the words of San Juan de la Cruz in his "Sayings of Light and Love"
and quoted in "Journey to Ixtlan" by Carlos Castaneda