The Eagle, as understood by the lineage of sorcerers of which the
Yaqui Indian character of
Don Juan from
Carlos Castaneda's works was a part, represented the last thing a person would experience at the end of one's life.
(see first entry under The Eagle)
While the theologic view of reincarnation was never formally advanced in the Castaneda books, Castandeda did let slip a couple of times the suggestion that the belief structure he was documenting did in fact include the concept of multiple lives.
The Eagle as described, takes away the memories and experiences of each soul at the time of death. Don Juan impressed upon his pupils that this was an impersonal and horrifying end and did nothing to explain what might happen to a soul after it has been 'erased' as such. It appears to me that Don Juan did this in order to motivate his students in their attempts to overcome the limitations set by reality and the Eagle. --The ultimate goal of the sorcerer being to escape the bounds of both mortality and this physical reality, an act which could be achieved through two extremely long and challenging practices, one known as Dreaming and the other as, Recapitulation.
It was interestingly described once that dying before the Eagle and losing one's memories was the equivalent of 'handing in your homework.'
In any case, it seems there there is some incongruity between the various similar theories advanced by circles involved in such matters; Some North American Shamans and high ranking eastern marial arts practitioners claim to be able to remember one or more of their past lives, while other groups claim to be able to bring forth past life experiences in many subjects through methods involving channeling and hypnosis.
The story of the Eagle remains, for this noder, an unresolved puzzle.