Aztec Stories of the Hummingbird Spirit

Legend has it that the widow Coatlicue entered the Temple of the Sun, and as she did a brightly colored ball of feathers fell at her feet. She picked up this ball of hummingbird feathers and held it to her bosom, and became impregnated, soon giving birth to Huitzilopochtli.

The Birth of Huitzilopochtli

He was born with a . . . → Continue Reading: Aztec Stories of the Hummingbird Spirit

Iron Bird: Hummingbirds in the Early Days of the Americas

Hummingbird and Ancient Deities

We know this small yet captivating bird as the hummingbird. In Mexico the humming-bird was known as Colibri. in ancient Mexico legend, the hummingbird has played its part. The deity and war-god Huitzilopotchili was adorned with the feathers of the hummingbird, in fact the name Huitzilopotchli came from two words meaning . . . → Continue Reading: Iron Bird: Hummingbirds in the Early Days of the Americas

How the Hummingbird Found Her Colors

How the Hummingbird Found Her Colors – A Mayan Legend

Tzunuum, the sacred hummingbird, was created by the Great Spirit as a tiny, delicate bird with amazing flying skills. Tzunuum was the only bird in the kingdom who could fly backwards and hover with great ease. But Tzunuum the hummingbird was very plain to see. Her feathers . . . → Continue Reading: How the Hummingbird Found Her Colors

Hummingbirds – Little Fairy Birds

One pleasure I take in writing for HummingbirdShaman.com is sharing stories, tales, legends, and myths about the hummingbird and other great spirits of the sky. The hummingbird, with its great speed and tiny body seems almost magical itself, and so to find a story that relates the hummingbird to the earth-spirits is a treat. This . . . → Continue Reading: Hummingbirds – Little Fairy Birds

The Alchemy of Love: A Hummingbird Story in Zuni Legend

 

The Hummingbird in Zuni Legend

Not too far from the Rainbow Cave on the Sacred Mountain that is now in the place we call New Mexico, the Hummingbird Hoya lived with his beloved grandmother a very long time ago.

“I think I will go to Kiakima today and see what the clansmen are doing,” Hoya said to his grandmother one day.

alchemy of love hummingbird http://hummingbirdshaman.comHoya was small, and because he was so small he wanted to be sure that people could see him. Hoya dressed himself in his most colorful hummingbird coat and he flew far away.

Not too far into his journey he could see below him a lovely spring and so he decided to stop, taking off his beautifully feathered coat.

Just about that same time Kia, the daughter of Chief Kya-ki-massi, arrived to fill her jar with the cool spring water. It was no secret that many young men of the Zuni Indian tribe wanted to marry Kia, but they were afraid to ask her father, the Chief, for fear of rejection.

There at the spring Kia began to fill her water jar without speaking to the attractive young man she found standing nearby. “May I have some of your water to drink?” Hoya asked.

Kia handed him a cupful of water, still not speaking. When he returned the cup to her, a small amount of water remained in the cup. Seeing this, Kia lawfully tossed the droplets of water to Hoya and giggled.

Some of the young Zunis watching from the brush, wondering why she laughed. They also wondered about the stranger standing far to close to their precious Kia. Then they heard the princess say something that surprised them all. She turned to Hoya and said, “Come with me to my home.”

Hoya followed Kia to her house, and they talked for some time near the bottom of the ladder leading to the lodge roof. After a while Hoya said to her, “I think it is time for me to start home.”

“I hope to see you at the spring again tomorrow,” Kia said to Hoya. She then climbed to the roof of her lodge. Hoya put on his magic feathered coat, and flew away invisibly. Unfortunately the young men of the village did not see Hoya vanish, which aroused their curiosity.

When Hoya arrived back at his beloved grandmother’s house, she met him at the door with a bowl of honey with a dusting of sunflower pollen.

The next day, Hoya carried with him some of the delicacy of the night before. This he brought to the spring as a gift for the princess. Again he walked Kia home and they conversed at the bottom of her ladder for what seemed to be the longest time. He gave her the honey and pollen to share with her family, and went on his way back home.

“Delicious, we like this kind of food,” her parents said. “You should marry this young man.”

Blackbird Calling – a Hypnotic Sound

One afternoon I sat next to the front windows, working on my soon to be published book. The day was cooler than prior, and the door was open, allowing a refreshing breeze inside. I could hear the sound of the birds in the background, with the welcoming tones of life amongst the trees. . . . → Continue Reading: Blackbird Calling – a Hypnotic Sound

What appears in the Darkness

Since this site focuses on shamanism and totem animals, I’ll give you one guess on today’s topic. What appears in the darkness?

Dusk changed the day at first like a subtle nuance of color in the evening sky, but with each breath the darkness grows. Small figures flitter through the air, darting to . . . → Continue Reading: What appears in the Darkness

Lunar Eclipse, the Mayan Cycle, and our Perspective on Life

Tomorrow we will complete a cycle with the second lunar eclipse of the year.  This is a partial eclipse, and for our western hemisphere it will be during the day.  From a clairvoyant view I understand this to be the tail end of an earlier eclipse, one that took place in February 2008.  The pattern created . . . → Continue Reading: Lunar Eclipse, the Mayan Cycle, and our Perspective on Life

Welcome to Hummingbird Shaman

"Welcome to Hummingbird Shaman™.
This site is dedicated to exploring our individual abilities and choices by honoring those traits in the world around us."

Author Estee Taschereau brings over 30 years of introspect and spiritual studies to guide individuals to their own light through healing sessions, workshops and writings.

"One of our greatest tools is the story. As we step outside our comfort zone and day-to-day perceptions we expand our consciousness in ways that express the depth of our soul". Hummingbird Shaman is an expression of taking that step, and seeing our world and our selves in a new light. It is only through our divinity that we Walk with Wings™"

Private phone sessions are available by appointment.