Hummingbird Shaman

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.

Suddenly there was a large thud against the window. I knew immediately what had happened. Curiosity pulled me from my work, and I headed for the door. As I rounded the corner a cat dashed away. I could not see if this cat had any great catch within its teeth, I could only see the tail as it rounded the side of the house.

I turned the other way, to see what had made such a commotion. There, dangling between two branches in the flowers was a red winged blackbird, wings spread out and holding it in place almost like it had been hung out to dry. This bird looked at me with a dazed, non-reactive glare.

Thinking the cat might return before this bird could recuperate, I grabbed the wrapper off a potted plant and gently removed the bird from the flowers. I gave him a healing of love and intent for recovery, and carried him to the back so I could place him in a more protected space.

By the time I reached the back porch he recovered enough to perch, and I left him outside the door on top of a suet feeder. Later I returned to the porch to check on his progress, and as he saw me peak around the corner he took flight and returned to the trees.

The Blackbird Totem Animal

Darkness and the color black often invoke thoughts of the mystic world and magic. It is true sometimes that when we open ourselves to receiving its like reaching a hand into a cosmic grab bag – and you get that invigorating experience of seeing the great surprise that awaits!

The totem spirit legends of the blackbird are no exception. It is thought that the blackbird serves as the crossover between the worlds, its song acting in almost a hypnotic fashion. Those who carry the totem of the blackbird may have a hypnotic quality to their voice and their manners.

In legend the blackbirds of Goddess Rhiannon perched on the tree outside the entrance to the celtic otherworld, singing and serving as the doorkeepers. Their sweet voices allowed many to enter. The blackbird is also found in other celtic legend.

How can you use blackbird energy in your life? If you feel uncertain about your abilities or situation you can call upon the blackbird totem for confidence. These birds are strong and powerful totems, bringing a cheerful energy into the day through song.

For more posts on animal totems and hummingbird wisdom visit http://healingdrumretreat.com. Learn more about your animal power totems, the wisdom they hold, and how you use this wisdom within the pathway of living. Private intuitive healing sessions are available by phone or email.

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 and fro in a pattern that defied its own definition.

The wind blows through the trees, demanding everything in its path to follow its direction, but the small winged creature penetrates the force of the wind, carrying its own message into the silence of its flight.

First one, then two could be seen. How do you count something that appears so quickly, and vanishes within the blink of an eye? At one point it seemed that four were darting around the area, satiating their appetite on insects that would otherwise be a nuisance.

As I stood on the walkway these small winged creatures flew across the opening between the trees, darting within inches of my head. Camera in hand I knew my that the odds of capturing a bat in one picture was astronomical, but my desire persisted. One comes into view, then another, and they dance before me and disappear before my finger can complete its own message to the shutter. Magically on this night I find two images of these creatures of the night.

The bat totem is one that is often overlooked, or likely avoided. Folklore has cast a shadow of darkness over this totem of transformation, and those who worship this typecast creature do so in a manner that perpetuates their own darkness.

The bat is the only mammal that flies. Their eyes do not guide them, instead they find their way through their amazing ability to perceive their environment through a wave of energy that begins and ends from within.

The bat totem is often associated with darkness and fear. Some believe it to be the shaman’s symbol of death, not of the physical death but the spiritual transformation that is the amazing combination of release and renewal.

In my perception I see the bat as a sign of walking your own path, and surviving in situations that cannot be resolved in the obvious ways. To see without vision, to be of the earth yet take to the sky, to cross that line between night and day, that is amazing.
This is the way of the bat, a symbol of the subtle power that is so often unseen, but definitely exists. What appears in the darkness may just hold the key to our inner light.

This story is available for reprint in its complete form including credits. Photo and story are originals by http://HummingbirdShaman.com author Estee Taschereau, and are protected under copyright law. Learn more about your totems and totem encounters in a private consultation by phone.

Note: Most bats are of no threat, and bats typically avoid interactions with humans and pets. If you find a bat and are able to approach it the bat is likely wounded or ill. Do not handle, contact animal control. Bat guano is an excellent source of nitrogen for your garden. Protect bats, provide housing for them, and they will repay you a hundred fold by clearing your yard of mosquitoes, consuming up to 500 per night, per bat.

On Christmas day I journeyed to a friends home to stay and care for their animals during their absence.  These friends have always been gracious and welcoming, and I accepted the request readily.  This weekend would be a wonderful opportunity to focus, reflect, and write.

The trek here was gruesome, with several miles of heavy snow and ice on the roads.  The trade-off has been an incredible view from this country hilltop home.

As I awoke early in the morning I noticed a strange little bump attached to my clothing.  I pulled it away, and realized it was a ladybug.  “Is this significant?”, I thought.  I’ll have to blog about it.

A day passed, with no blog posting. Sometime in the afternoon I noticed a little dot on a window.  This home is all windows, floor to ceiling in the large main room, and the view is what captures the attention, not a speck on the window.  Nevertheless this little dot caught my attention.  Crawling across the outside of the window – a ladybug.  “I must write that blog”, was the thought that came immediately into my head.  Still no posting.

Today is Sunday, and I will be returning home, back to city life.  I’ve been attentive of my writing this morning, writing a full week of postings for the Mayan Calendar blog, and scheduled them for their daily appearance.  The list of “to do’s” and especially the “should do’s” loom over me, what should I do before I begin my drive home?  For some reason I looked across the room to the Christmas tree, and noticed more little dots.  No way!  Three more ladybugs, this time inside the house.  Okay, I get the hint.  Write the post now, else the message gets louder.  I wonder what it would be like to get into my car and be surrounded by a hundred ladybugs?

There is much written about the appearance of ladybugs.  Finding a ladybug on your person is said to mean “your wishes will come true”.  Ladybugs are also associated with Mother Mary and a reminder that we are spirit.

One of my favorite messages associated with ladybugs is to let go.  “Fear and Love cannot co-exist”.  This is a wonderful time for letting go on a deeper level.  The shift toward December 31st is around the corner, and the Mayan Calendar just began a new 260 day cycle. This has been a wonderful weekend for practicing the art of letting go, and I found myself filled with joy throughout each day.

As I close my eyes and refocus my attention to my clairvoyant abilities, the message presented to me by the presence of this beloved totem spirit comes quickly and clearly.  “No matter where you go, whether alone or in the presence of others, we will always be with you”.  The divine guidance does make its appearance in the most unusual ways.

The grace of a ladybug in my life gave me so much more, it gave hope and inspiration as tools with which to create my tomorrow.  I gladly accept the canvas and the paints provided, and find the roses I have painted in my awareness are accompanied by the ladybugs.  I’ve never thought of those old worn out thoughts and beliefs as aphids, but it is amazingly easy and amusing to relinquish those little bits and pieces of the past to the insatiable appetite of the ladybug!

Today is a wonderful day to let go of those things that restrain you.  This doesn’t mean on this date, at this precise time, well, yes it does.  It also means anytime, being in the present, being in the now.  There are many tools and techniques that can help us in this process.  Open the doorway to insights, and you never know what “little dots” may appear.

Estee Taschereau offers private intuitive sessions for information and energy release, as well as classes designed to empower and restore.

I’ve mentioned a few times the four leaf clovers I had found while walking at the dog park. I’ve bounced some ideas of how we find these rare quad-leafed beauties. Statistics say that one in 10,000 clovers is a four-leaf. Fine, I accept that information. But there are many who have never found a four-leaf clover, and others who find them all the time.

In May I wrote about one such day of discovery. I found three that day, and another three the next time at the park. Aside from a short burst of luck around 25 years ago I have never been one to find these lucky symbols. Six in a couple of days was amazing. The next week as I was walking I glanced here and there for more without giving it thought. A gentle voice came to me, “why do you want them?” but there was no one around at that time, only my two dogs. “I want to have one for each student at the medicine bag class next month”, I said.

I turned to the other side of the walkway, and found one instantly. Then another. Within the next minute or two I found 18, not counting the small or broken ones. I stopped at this point, my psyche couldn’t take any more. When I included the ones found recently I knew that 24 students would be enough for this workshop.

Do I call this overflow of four leaf clovers a sign of luck? Yes, but its so much more. I blame my intent. I was determined to give them all away. The balance was established, and there I stood in the middle of the energy stream between giving and receiving. Funny how things come to us when we find that balance.

So here I am, preparing for another even. This Labor Day I will be assisting my Healing Drum Retreat co-teacher at one of her community events. We will be helping children make their own medicine bags, and in the act we’ll be teaching them about focus and intent. “Do you think the kids would like four-leaf clovers for their medicine bags?” Certainly. The request is back on the table, and on my last trip I found two more, even with the dryness and heat. More will come with the fall rains and new growth. But somehow they continue to magically appear.

Estee Taschereau is a Successful Living Coach and Intuitive Counselor. Private phone appointments are available for informational & self-healing assistance sessions.

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 by this pairing of lunar events is the Sabian symbol meaning “butterfly with right wing more perfectly formed”.  I see it as the infinity symbol, bringing us gently through the curves of our whole experience, building upon itself like a stepping stone into our next level. 

We also begin a new cycle in the Mayan Tzolkin calendar, as of today.  This cycle brings us so many opportunities to find grace and flow within our life, offering us support and connectivity between our spiritual learning process and our worldly expression of that growth.   These interpretations, the Insight of the Day, will post each day.  As I look forward into the next cycle, beginning at the end of this month, I cannot help but notice the same universal support.

In my work with the hummingbird energies I’ve seen the same influence seeking to help us find joy and appreciation for our creations.  We can take any situation and perceive it in a different light.  The lunar eclipse serves us by shifting the energies on this planet, for the moon is a great influence on our global tides, and our emotional tides as well. 

Today and tomorrow, the day of the lunar eclipse, are wonderful opportunities to see in a new light.  Given all these influences in the light of allowance and permission to be, we may find a connectivity, even an alliance between the lunar eclipse, the mayan cycle, and our perspective on life.