Hummingbird Shaman

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.

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.

For those who do not know, I have another blog that follows a very different focus from Hummingbird Shaman. Each day I write a universally inspired or channeled message reflective of the messages contained in the ancient Mayan Tzolkin Calendar.

While there is a world of difference between Mayan glyphs and totem spirits they are more alike than first appears. Both lead us in the same direction, to recognize our own spiritual nature and take yet another step into realizing our spirit in the body.

Those steps come one at a time, giving us a chance to renew our consciousness with every breath we take.

This morning my first act to complete was my posting for today in the Mayan Daily Insights. I walk into this task with trepidation (what a word, thank you for giving me a chance to finally use it in a post). I will admit, for someone who speaks so strongly of faith, spiritual guidance, and signs I do have my own bumps in the road.

The very best way to move beyond our fears is to face them, and see them not for the mask that they wear, but for their lack of continuity. Writing the Mayan Daily Insights is a tremendous healing for me because I cannot write about these messages until I face them in myself. My mission is to share with others these insights for their own awakening.

Every blink of an eye can be an awakening.

I find myself facing a crossroad. An opportunity has opened up for me to attend a conference that can help me launch my first book, ready for publication, and finance many more writing projects. The costs for the conference must be covered, and I know the only way this can happen is through some sort of sponsorship or gift. I cannot see where this will come from.

The best I can do for the moment is live in the direction I want to travel, so I am writing my postings in advance so I can attend the conference. Sunday’s post done, I move on to Monday, the day of “Two Oc”. In the Mayan calendar Oc is all about relationships, with the most important relationships being the ones that exist solely within ourselves.

As I type the message I resisted to see in myself, I used the insights as an opportunity to release those old concepts that held me back. I glanced up to look out the window. Amidst all the foliage of my tattered flowering vine that drapes one side of my patio window, I saw a little form resting on a loop of vine that formed what looked a lot like a swing.

The hummingbird was making his appearance, not in his usual butterfly bush location. No, had he landed in his usual spot he would not be seen. Today, for the first time, he’s out on the vine, blending in as he needs to yet standing out through his inspirational presence.

He came to visit long enough support the message of Oc, and to remind me that its all relational. We have the most incredible relationship based experience here on earth, not just the physical aspect but the spiritual guidance and support as well. We can build our relationship with the universe, on a one-to-one, moment to moment basis. Or, we can build our relationship with the void, the darkness, or the lack that exists when we see anything as being “outside ourselves”.

The message did not come in words, but within the presence of the entire universe within that tiny little body. No trumpets sounding. No flags waving. Presence is the loudest silence we will ever know.

What a day this has turned out to be, and it’s not even noon.

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 to answer questions that arise you your own spiritual journey.

Last summer there were many hummingbirds that fed at my many feeders.  I witnessed courtship, fights, and the emergence of new spirits gracing my awareness. Read the rest of this entry »

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.
Read the rest of this entry »

The eclipse brought us more than glimpse into our hidden nature, it also seems to have brought the rain. It began with Saturday night’s thunderstorm, and has carried into a very wet day today. Still, there were brief spells without those sprinkles, so the walk in the off leash dog park took place.

I had been told earlier that they would be gone some day. It had been several weeks since my last visit with the hummingbird in the upper section of the park. I knew it was a matter of survival: the small stream that circles the park had long dried up, and so my friends had to move on to a more hospitable location. Then came the rain.

There he was, perched on the barren tree where he so often greeted me. “Hello, I’ve missed you”, I spoke out loud. “I missed you, too” came back in an image. I felt a strong wave of energy moving in my direction, and my heart softened with the warmth of the hummingbird caress.

“Take care, and love yourself”, was today’s reminder, “for it is in you that the presence lives, something we never want to forget”. What a wonderful story, so graciously offered. This was a story I would be proud to share. Welcome back my friend, I knew the rain would bring you.

Today I made room in my day to walk the dogs at the off-leash park.  We had a short break in the rain, and I knew that the dogs would not appreciate that I would not have a chance to walk them in the following two days. 

The air was thick with moisture, but it was a good feeling, being a little on the cool side that day.  The grass had been cut, it had grown dramatically over the past two months.   My smaller dog could feel lost in the growth. The aroma of cut grass lingered in the air.

As I walked toward my hummingbird meeting place I whistled, seemingly for the dogs, but I knew it was for the birds.  No one came this time.   This is okay, I am sure I will see one on my return to the car.  We walked down the hill and circled around the field.  Stopping for a sniffing, exploring rest along the way, I found a four-leaf clover, then another.  I decided to stop at ten, and enjoyed the energy and interpretation of each number as I glanced around for the next discovery.  Ten is good, the number of manifestation.

As we walked back up the hill I reflected on these finds.  Circling onto the upper level, and the path that hugged the fence, my thoughts drifted toward our need to find answers, or explanations for the things that enter our awareness.  I don’t need a reason for ten, but my mind seeks a meaning, and enjoyed the idea of manifestation.   It’s all okay.  Today has been a lovely walk.

We rounded the last bend before the parking lot, and I whistled again.  I stopped and waited.  No hummingbird today.  I could feel the presence though.  Their presence was not restricted to a little body on a branch, but in the air, the trees, and the colors.  “Someday you will no longer need us”.  I knew this to be true, but still held on to the interludes, longing to continue this relationship. 

Somehow I new that this absence had nothing to do with a lack, and could not be defined as “missing out”.  This day’s message fit nicely with an earlier awareness and posting on my Keen site.  “When we are complete within ourselves we no longer feel the need, and have more space to welcome others into our lives.  Some day you will no longer need us”.   Today has been one of those days.

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

Yesterday I honored my dogs with a walk at the off-leash park.  We skipped the day before, it was rainy and cold in comparision to my earlier days in the desert.  Angie was not going to let me skip another day, and demonstrated her anxiousness by pacing and whining.  Enough with the whining, let’s go!! 

When we entered the dog park I whistled to alert my friends, the hummingbirds living within the park.  Silly me, it’s not as if they do not know, for on my walk I could feel thier presence, and at one point I turned to see who was watching me.  I saw the erratic flying pattern in the distance, knowing it had to be a hummingbird, and then he disappeared into the outline of the tree behind him.  So, today is watching day, eh?   But now I have jumped ahead in the story.  Let’s go back to the beginning.

Within the minute that it takes to get settled into our walk my upper-level hummingbird friend appeared.  I was already past his tree, so I called out to him, “Hello, why don’t you join me on the walk today?”  Oh sure, why not?  He sat quietly on his tree, without his usual commentary or “lesson of the day”.  I continued on in the walk, still keyed-up from my busy day and all the things I felt I needed to accomplish, and now I needed a fast-paced walk to burn off the kinetic energy.  As we passed each meeting place, and to this day I have found four regular ones where the hummingbirds meet me, I called out to them.  The foliage is heavy now, and its becoming more difficult to spot that little body in so much greenery.  

I kept a good pace this day, for it was cold, especially for late May, and there was a good chance that rain could encourage an even faster pace back to the car.  I did not see any hummingbirds at any of my other stopping points, not on this round.  At some point my focus turned to the meaning of my hummingbird encounters.  What was the meaning of this journey?

To be continued in part II – Captivated by his Presence

Estee Taschereau is a medical intuitive and clairvoyant counselor and consultant, offering sessions for personal and professional growth toward a healthier self. Sessions by phone can be scheduled through the contact form, in-person sessions are also available in the Greater Seattle area.