It Took Three Dead Birds for Me to Get the Message.
Learn to read the signs.
First day of vacation! Lunch in a middle of nowhere French countryside café, sunlight pouring in, no agenda… bliss.
THWUMP.
A contorted pigeon moved spastically on the table. Only the windowpane separated us. I sped out but the bird’s struggle was already over. A blessing for it and me. But, the way it landed right next to me… very odd.
But by late afternoon, the pigeon faded from my mind, replaced by old friends and a bedroom window that framed snowed mountain tops.
A couple of days later, a starling in their garden fluttered up and down. Grabbing a branch with one foot, it teetered, then flapped downward. It rested a few seconds and tried again.
I approach it easily. Not a good sign. Gave it grain, water. Uninterested.
I left that day and my friends took it in hand to help the starling. In the evening, they called. The bird had died. I sadly offered a prayer for it and remembered the pigeon. Two birds. Disquieting.
“Look”
My husband arrived holding a dead swallow. “It was in the roll of chicken wire. I don’t know how it got in there.”
Many swallow couples pass their summer in the barn to raise their young. I’ve tried to collect their feathers; they disintegrate into dust. Here, the bird had dried, wings bent as if swooping in flight, each feather perfect.
Images of the bird trying to free itself crowded my mind. Horrible. Horrible. Horrible.
And the other two birds? What to make of three dead birds in the space of a week? It had to mean something. So, I did what I always do.
I procrastinated.
Or I did until a nearly featherless parrot appeared on my balcony. It could manage very short flying hops. Otherwise, it walked or climbed using its beak and feet. It knew the bird feeder so it was not new to the territory. By the time I made it to the back of our building…
No bird. Gone.
Finding out what it’s about.
That’s it. Time for a powwow with the birds. I went into meditation and invited the four birds to appear. (There’s another way to do this further down in — “Try this at home.”)
What do you want to tell me?
Their answer was quick, brief, and in unison.
WATCH OUT!
Damn. I was hoping for something uplifting or profound. You know — ‘we so appreciate how you love nature’ Hallmark greeting card kind of thing.
Each bird then explained its part.
Pigeon — unexpected things happen in life, but there is no point fearing them all the time.
Starling — she/he was not equipped to live. (My friends told me the mother bird had stayed with it for weeks, feeding it.) Don’t assume you know the reason why something is happening. What appears negative might be the best outcome.
Swallow — It had found a way in behind the chicken wire. It struggled so hard it died before finding the exit. If it had relaxed, it might have survived.
The parrot said it had come to push me into action. Not to worry. Just passing through.
The birds then explained — “watch out”. My constant anxiety is wearing my body down and will create problems.
The next day I discovered a bulge by a back tooth. Yep, an abscess. Coincidence or confirmation?
Symbols mean something.
Afterwards, I looked up the symbolism for each bird. You can’t make this stuff up.
Pigeon — helps you remember and find the love of home that was lost. Ask yourself if you have forgotten your foundation, your heritage. Return to your home, your foundation, and draw upon the loving energies surrounding them. Pigeon can teach us how to find our way back to the security of home.
I am planning to move house and have found it deeply disturbing. This helped me realize my home is within me. I carry it wherever I go.
Starling — teaches how to behave within a group setting — how to be effective and assertive without becoming a bully. Watch your own sensitivity to others’ words. You might be reading more into it that is truly there.
When I’m fearful, I often slap my opinions down like cold slabs of meat. My husband feels attacked. I need to find the common ground, ask for his help, talk about what is bothering me.
Swallow — brings warmth and protection to your home. It also tells you to pay close attention to conversations — are you saying more than you should? Are you listening closely to what others have to say?
There it is again. Communicate and relate.
Swallow also brings a warning to not let small things get to you — don’t let the mundane activities of life take up all your time and prevent you from moving forward. Rise above the small stuff and you will gain a better perspective on your life. The key is objectivity.
I took particular note of this one. Been happening non-stop.
Parrot — Some parrots mimic humans. Because of this ability, parrots are a link between the human kingdom and the bird kingdom.
As the parrot said, he showed up to remind me to pay attention to the other birds.
Parrots have a magic that will enable you to understand others more effectively. They can help you awaken a sense of diplomacy.
No mistaking that message.
The symbols each built on the next, in order of appearance. It’s like someone planned it.
Try this at home.
I believe the Divine Source, God, the Universe, the Collective Unconscious or the Great Pumpkin (take your pick.) sends us messages, nudges, insights all the time. We can learn valuable stuff.
If we pay attention.
So, if you notice odd happenings in nature, take note. When something sticks out, seems out of place, or repeats, it’s probably a signal.
But it doesn’t matter if you believe this. By paying attention and giving your inner knowing a chance to communicate, you’ll still learn something new, sometimes extraordinary. Like interpreting dreams, we let our imagination free and it returns things that we have ignored or passed by without realizing it.
Life is a waking dream, after all.
Spend a little time discovering their message. You can decipher the symbols as I did, by quieting and going within. Or use a dream interpretation technique. It’s worth it.
Questions? Leave them in a comment or email me at [email protected]
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