Hummingbird Shaman

I received a very welcomed call from a friend recently. She called to tell me of a special PBS show on Nature, this one featuring the hummingbird. For those who missed this special, I’m certain it will air again, or you can watch online on Hulu.

The hummingbird is built like no other bird, giving it abilities and speed beyond our reasonable comprehension. It’s wings can rotate, giving this tiny bird the ability to hover, fly backward, stop instantly, and move at lightning speed. This unique wing movement give the hummingbird the ability to create a figure-eight movement, or infinity symbol.

What we see of the hummingbird’s world is limited: we live in our own human perception, giving us the ability to focus deeply on our interests and our own slice of the world. How much of the world around us do we miss in our constant state of thought and movement?

On many days I have seen the hummingbirds perched along a walkway, yet no one else sees them. They watch, and occasionally speak in their territorial chirping sound. In the springtime they display their feathers, diving, looping, showing their greatest qualities.

Wings of infinity. The ability to move at amazing speed, yet remain in a state of stillness as they hover in one position. There lies the secret to infinity: having both sides – balanced, separate yet connected. The infinity sign is flowing, continually outward and inward simultaneously.

Can we achieve this sense of infinity? most certainly. Remember that hummingbirds do not exist in confinement, and we can carry this value into our thoughts, memories, and actions. Hummingbirds live for the moment, being here now, and in this perception we still retain our connectivity to our tomorrow.

There are ways we can create a safer, more secure environment for ourselves, building our world from the inside. These tools can be found in the book, “Being Here Now – Find your center, Stand your ground”, now available in ebook and paperback format. Learn simple techniques for self awareness and personal ownership.

Estee Taschereau is the Editor and Author of Hummingbird Shaman, offering individual sessions for discovery of the true spark that animates you.

After a fun holiday weekend I parted ways with a good friend as they prepared for a long drive home. “Have an uneventful drive”, was the sentiment, but it took several takes to come up with a good way of saying it. What we finally decided on was a few great sitings of the hawk and eagle kind.

Hawks, eagles, vultures, and falcons are in the raptor family. What exactly defines raptor? These birds are carnivorous, meaning they eat other animals. Vultures typically select dead animals, like road kill, while others go for life prey.

It was not so long ago that I stood outside my home and saw an eagle circling. The eagle moved quickly across the sky, never repeating any portion of its path like the hawks I see more often.

Raptors are honored in the native cultures and the world of shamanism. The attributes of these magestic birds are encouraged as virtues to emulate. The most common perspective is the strength of these birds.

What stands out most with the raptors of the world, the eagles, red tail hawks, falcons, and vultures is their awareness. All attention is given to the moment – now is the key to achieving any goal. Their focus is honored in expressions such as “an eagle eye”. We’ve all heard the expression, “a birds eye view”. It has been found that our human brain only registers a small portion of what our eyes see. How much of our observations are vision based, and how much is achieved by conscious focus?

There are 290 Falconiformes, or raptors, worldwide. This includes the noctural or night hunters, such as owls. In the U.S. there are regulations that restrict the ownership of raptor feathers or other body parts. These regulations are in place to protect the population of threatened species.

My friend followed up that evening with an email to let me know that the prediction was close, with the sighting of a hawk, a falcon, and two eagles. No vultures this trip, they are currently residing in the southern states for their winter. What a great way to add a little excitement to any drive!

What does it mean to

Intuitive Meaning Editor and Author Estee Taschereau offers clear, compassionate assistance to individuals who seek to understand their own path and abilities. Phone sessions are available in the US, as well as sessions via Skype.

See part one of “I close my eyes“…

As I approached that original meeting place I was truly surprised to see a hummingbird on the same tree where we had first met. This one was a little shy, but I approached quietly, going only as far as the fence would allow me. I fumbled to remember how to activate the camera on my phone, but when I looked up he was gone. I was happy to see this one on this day.

We turned and walked along a lower level area with a shelter. Our journey was slow and peaceful. But as we turned to walk along the fence line I heard a voice call out to me. Across this area, somewhere in the trees, was another hummingbird, asking me, “Where are you going? Why are you over there?

We crossed over to the road and walked up the hill. Half way along I spotted the small figure in a madrona tree. Its amazing how many of these little birds I see during a walk. It’s only a matter of focus, though. In many ways we choose what we will see.

I looked up the hill and saw something I had not seen before. One person was leading another with a vision-impairment cane, but that person also had a blindfold over their eyes. Perhaps they were learning to deal with an increasing impairment, or they were in training to understand the experience of the visually impaired. Either way, they were practicing a new sense of perception.

I too close my eyes so I can see when I turn within in an act of meditation. There are many levels of perception. We can turn inward to listen to the mind chatter, or we can still the mind and here the visions of the soul. We are surrounded by many wonderful sights that can dazzle the eyes and entrance our hearts, if only we slow down long enough to see them.

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

It has been an interesting day, with great insights flowing in quickly, but gracefully.  I walk down the hallway, and round the corner into my office.  There perched at the feeder is the older male hummingbird.   His stance is strong, a powerful presence for such a little body.  A message comes through, but somehow becomes tangled in the thoughts, and so I wait.  I still my mind, and hold stillness both with body and spirit.
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April 25, 2008:  Today is a warmer day, around 60 degrees, with a gentle wind.  I took my dogs for our usual walk, but business took me out of town, and now it had been several days since my last visit.  We walked down the long service road to the lower level, and I checked the usual meeting places for my hummingbird encounters.  No sign of anyone, but this had been the first pass, the “hello, I’m here”.  We circled around for the return up the hill, and I took one more pass by the bench.  I checked each tree for that little form resting on a branch, but the trees are all blooming now, and it’s getting harder to spot so little a bird.  Ah, there he was.  I saw the glistening of his breast feathers, that metalic red sheen.  He’s such a beautiful male specimen. 

He spoke to me of commitment and focus.  Yes, worthy topics.  He also stated that there was something I needed, a healing.  I agreed, the last week had been a whirlwind, and I felt depleted and spun by all the activity.  “Alright, I’ll sit on the bench for a while”, and I walked to the bench 10 feet away from me.  As soon as I sat he shot up from his branch, rising up in a curve, stopping several feet above me.  He spread his tail feathers out to show his power.  “I am here with you, I am watching over you”, he said.  Then he returned to his perch, and remained for another minute.  

I stayed at the bench a few more minutes and then began my walk up the hill.  I have seen another bird, I believe female, flying along the hill.  This bird is the transmutation bird I spoke of earlier.  Today I spotted her, perched on a branch along the road.  “Hello!”, I whispered to her.  She did not wish to be seen by the others walking up the hill, and gave only her presence as a greeting.  I diverted my attention for a moment, and when I returned she was gone. 

This was a good day, and I returned home to see my friends chasing each other in the feeder area of my garden.  I have at least four hummingbirds residing nearby and dining at my gourmet feeders.   We welcomed the warmth on this early spring day, and for a moment time did not matter.