Today I had the honor of witnessing parent sparrows providing first flight lessons to their young. I held my breath as the chick stretched its still somewhat fluffy wings and bravely let itself fall from the low maple branch, its parents singing and staying quite close. Though a bit clumsy in air and having performed a bumpy landing in the tall lake grass, it seemed happy and the adult birds' song changed from songs of encouragement to notes of pride. They both assisted the chick's ground level take off and the three were quickly back in the safe shelter of the giant leaf maple. I've heard it said that, "magic is the art of bringing about wanted change". This was an aspect of natural magic at one of its most potent life points.
My experience opened a flood of thoughts regarding my knowledge of birds, feathers, their accompanying metaphysical properties and my relationship with them. Birds are messengers who grant us amazing gifts. Insight, warnings, visions and memories that guide, support and protect us can be learned when we stop and listen to these feathered wisdom keepers.
After nesting season birds will begin molting their old feathers. This is the opportune time to be on the lookout for and gather fallen feathers. While the specific properties of a feather are a combination of the bird it came from and its color, and because the world of birds contains a vast number of species, I will concentrate on the properties of a feather's color.
Brown - offers stability and respect - when barred with black (like a pheasant) the feather brings balance between your spiritual and physical lives
Yellow - brings cheerfulness, mental alertness and prosperity
Green - brings health, growth and prosperity
Blue - brings protection and increases mental ability, when from a bluebird it brings peace
Red - offers physical vitality, courage, good fortune and protection
Orange - brings energy, new ideas, thwarts loneliness and increases will power
White - offers hope, protection, peace, and blessings from the moon
Gray - brings relief to doubt, supports neutrality, and promotes anonymity
Black - represents spiritual initiation, mystical insight, balance and repels negative energy
Water color artist, Dee McDonald, specializes in the painting of birds. As she works, she opens herself to the subject bird and requests its knowledge. In her self-published and illustrated book, "In the Garden of Delight", Dee, through the Great Blue Heron, invites us to,
"Dialogue with the birds...infuse your Light into their Light".
So mote it be!
Samples of Dee's artwork may be viewed on her website www.deemcdonald.org and via her artist page on facebook at Wings of Art.
