Hummingbird Shaman

Every time I travel I always think about the hummingbirds, planning out the days and filling the feeders as needed. This time the hummingbirds outdid me in only a few days time. I could not help but notice as I opened the blinds this morning that every drop of nectar in the three front window feeders was gone.

The good news was that I already had water heating for my morning PXP drink, something I do to give myself the best inner environment for both my writing and my counseling and life optimizing sessions I provide for others. I was happy to share my heated water, and my first task was to mix a new batch of sugar water for my winged friends. (Never add food coloring, it is harmful and unnecessary for both hummingbird and people alike.) As soon as the nectar was cool enough I brought inside the empty feeders, and remember thinking I had yet to see a hummingbird that morning. I hoped that I had not annihilated them through the earlier emptiness of the feeders.

I could not tell you how long it was before I looked outside again, my mind was so occupied with an overwhelming series of thoughts. This prior weekend had been spent examining how I would bring my voice and the messages such as this to more people. When I returned home I could not help but face the what stood in my way. I had uncovered one of my internal invisible walls, and allowed myself to feel alone in the middle of the moment.

It could have been a minute or maybe an hour, I guess it doesn’t matter. I walked by the window and noticed that the feeder was not currently in use. I wondered if the hummingbirds knew there was fresh nectar, even though I know they connect with me in ways that go far beyond a bottle of sugar water. Still in that moment I wanted so much a confirmation, a little feedback to tell me “everything is okay”.

As I looked beyond the feeders I saw a tiny figure on the cherry tree. The message came quickly and clearly. We do have consciousness and self awareness, and it is important that we turn within and look at ourselves. It is equally of value to question our thoughts and our actions, even test our ideas by sharing them with the world and seeing what comes back. When we turn within we don’t see the world, not at that moment, and for the moment we really are alone, but the world never goes away from us.

The hummingbird sitting in the tree was my sign that my old world did not go away even when I was building a new one. Our support does not disappear even when we think we’ve pulled off a disappearing act. When you are feeling alone you can open the blinds, take the time to look outside and see who or what is on your horizon. We have and can face our invisible walls, and can open our hearts to the invisible support in our lives.

Hummingbird Shaman 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

Many of the stories posted on this site are about a certain walk at a park overlooking beautiful Mt. Rainier in Washington State. In fact, the whole mission behind Hummingbird Shaman began with a hummingbird encounter at that park. Time and time again the hummingbirds have found me, and I have found them.

Lately I have conducted my dog walks at a walking trail instead. There is water, a bonus for a black lab, and no driving is needed. The drawback is the limited visits with my hummingbird friends at the park. We are now at the time of year when the encounters resume, making it worthy of a visit.

Today though we opted for the trail. Upon finishing an Intuitive Reading Session by phone, the mainstay of my healing and counseling practice, I quickly gathered leash and dog and headed for the trail, with just enough time for a short walk and swim before the sun set. As I walked down the stairs toward the trail I heard a familiar sound: the sound of a hummingbird call.

I stopped and looking around at the nearby trees. So many trees, such a little bird. Again I heard the call. “Come out where I can see you”, I relayed with my spiritual voice, and I continued down the stairs before the dog could complain about the delay.

We began our walk along the trail, stopping so the dog could pick up the newest aromas, and again the hummingbird called out. Suddenly I saw the little body hovering between two trees, remaining there long enough for me to spot him before returning to a branch. “You found me, and I found you”, came to mind almost as quickly as the smile.

There is a time to let our presence be known, in those times when there is an open heart ready to receive us. In those moments we can take that step, let our presence be known, and if those times do not come often enough we can encourage those around us to be a little more receptive to our being.

Hummingbird Shaman 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. Visit IntuitiveMeaning.com for more articles on totem spirits and shamanism.

Today feels charged. I woke to a sunny day, not something that happens often in the Pacific Northwest. Enjoy it while it is here. As I transitioned into work, and writing, I positioned myself in a place that gives me the best of everything: big windows, sunlight streaming in, and full view of hummingbird feeders front and back.

The past few days certainly have had that early spring-like feel. Though its only in the 50’s it feels warm. A breeze blew the night before, with a light tropical feel to it. Could spring be just around the corner?

As I type I catch glimmers of movement out the corner of my eye. A hummingbird rests at the feeder, head darting back and forth before drinking any nectar. Suddenly another approaches, and its clear to see that an intruder had been discovered. Off they fly, the territory once more secured.

At the rate that this nectar is disappearing I would say that the population of hummingbirds in this area has increased. I appreciate these high-populations times, though keeping the feeders full is challenging on some days.

As I fall deeper into my thoughts, eyes on the screen, I pick up movement at the window. From the initial impression I thought a raptor was ready to knock on the door. No, it was the hummingbird for another belly full of nectar. His presence was huge! He turned to me, then quickly flew away. “I’m living”, was the message in his movement, “What better way to understand what life has to offer”.

Hummingbird Shaman 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. Visit IntuitiveMeaning.com for more articles on totem spirits and shamanism.

Many readers ask if the sighting of a bird or animal outside of their normal experience as an omen or sign, and follow with the question: “What does it mean?” We ask for the intuitive meaning for many things that reach outside our typical day-to-day world, seeking to expand our consciousness through the greatest gift we have available to us: the questions that arise from unusual observations.

Omens are signs, neither good nor bad, yet they are often associated with danger or undesirable events. When we turn to “see” what will come about, are we attempting to give ourselves more power, or are we placing the balance of power on something we perceive as “outside of ourselves”?

This thought reminds me of an observation I’ve made in my hummingbird walks. This tiny birds have perched in very visible places, on barren branches directly along the pathway. Yet many do not see the hummingbirds. Is it being lost within our own thoughts, or moving at a pace that loses so much of the moment?

With this we will return to the question of vulture sightings: We cannot overlook our own awareness. For whatever reason we align ourselves with an opportunity for an altered state of awareness. This altered state is not necessarily something outside of ourselves, simply a shift outside of our mental processing.

Does the vulture appear as a guide or totem animal spirit for our enlightenment? Is the appearance something that we choose to latch on to, giving us the means to slow down our thinking and ricochet into a different perspective? Maybe the two work togethe. You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink. You can lead a soul to a insight but you cannot force them into consciousness.

The intuitive meaning of the any sighting, whether it be a hummingbird, eagle, or even a vulture is always associated with the current events. It could be the culmination of many events as an opportunity for release, or a chance to make a decision that logic would not allow us. Still we can ask ourselves, “How does this serve me?”, and most often we have achieved another step in the right direction: to shift our consciousness long enough to observe with eyes beyond the physical.

Hummingbird Shaman 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. Visit IntuitiveMeaning.com for more articles on totem spirits and shamanism.

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.

It’s true: Alliances mean everything. A few weeks back we’d had freezing weather, and its unusual that our temperatures stay below freezing during daylight hours. Even with these drops in temperature there are at least two hummingbirds that remain. As I typed this story I look out the window to see the alpha male perched near the window at his “hiding place”, watching over his territory.

With this freezing weather it was challenging to keep the content of the feeders in a liquid state. I know with rabbits it is suggested to add a little bit of food-grade alcohol to the water to keep it from freezing, not with the intent to get the little four leggers intoxicated! I refused to try any such technique with the hummingbirds.

Each evening after the last feeding session at dusk I would take the feeders inside. This is easier and quicker than trying to thaw them in the morning when fast-winged hummingbirds are anxious for the life sustaining nectar. The only challenge was getting the feeders outside as early as possible each morning.

This early morning connection seems easy, but during those last few days I have been finishing the design phase for my new book, “Being Here Now”, with the support and help of a most amazing branding specialist and designer. Talk about alliances! For the most part we have been handling our own tasks individually, but our work hours seem to mutually carry deep into the night, which means offset sleeping hours.

Along comes Angie, bringing about an unusual alliance. Angie is normally a quiet dog, and she will stay on her bed as long as I remain in my own. These last few days have been the exception: At daybreak I’d find her trotting down the hall. I choose not to follow. Next thing I know Angie would be barking. As I got up and look down the hallway I would see her facing me instead of the door, with great determination in her eyes and conviction in her muscular body. “Open the door”, she conveys. Of course I cannot help but notice the feeders that await, hung in an obvious location by the door.

We’ve recently celebrated Thanksgiving, a time to share appreciation. We’ve had our holiday month, a time of giving and receiving, or a time of giving back. The alliance shown between dog and hummingbird says it all, that we can support and honor one another with the simple little things we do. As we move forward into our new year, our new decade, and our longing for spring, let’s not forget to care for one-another.

Happy New Year, everyone – welcome to 2010.
Estee Taschereau
Hummingbird Shaman

It’s been a while since I have posted on the hummingbirds. Changes in my living and working space has created some separation. Most often, though, it is within our heart and our head that we create any division.

At least two hummingbirds remain as the seasons change, each one owning their own feeder, yet still fighting over ownership. As I think back, I realize that the hummingbirds have been there. They do make their visits to the feeder to cover their basic needs, but then there are the times they linger.

Most often these are times when an energetic shift is needed. These times come about in scheduled phone sessions, when my client needs support and assistance to step beyond their limits. The alpha male with the bold red chest will perch in the butterfly bush, his back toward the glass doors. He makes his presence known, and I walk past the window while talking to my client on the phone. His head turns to and fro, and though he is small in stature I can feel his wings spread as wide as my house, saying, “Do what you must, I am here for you”.

There are times when the hummingbird lingers, with good will and strong intent. As the shift occurs and the energy is released they disappear.

As winter approaches the feeders are still maintained, even in the coldest months. The hummingbirds remain, seen only as they choose to be.

The day, like many, has been a roller-coaster of activity. Work that flows, and work that just appears to be busy. Phone calls and emails, and the adventure goes on – trying to hold together a dream by oh so carefully weaving together the pieces that will make it happen.

I found myself at one point pacing the house while on a phone call, the energy was so high I could not contain myself. As I pass by the window I see a flurry of birds just outside the door. At least one was a ruby red hummingbird. Though most of us see hummingbirds in the hovering state, I often see them resting on a branch, barely visible. There they stay, watching over their domain.

Another round of footsteps, and I return back to stand by the windows overlooking the garden. There he sits, watching and waiting. His ruby red chest glimmers in the subdued light on this cloudy day, and as he turns his head he nearly disappears into the foliage.

I know him as the alpha, the one who comes to this particular spot during those times when a guardian is needed, call him a guardian angel if you will, to me he is a friend. “I do what I must” is the message I hear, and somehow my busy world plays part in these visits.

Who says size is of any great importance? With agility in flight and strength of presence it is hard to ignore such a treasured sight, yet we rarely see these amazing creatures. You never know when they are there, the Ruby Red watching over us.

Private intuitive sessions by phone are available by appointment.