Hummingbird Shaman - Symbols of Divine Presence » presence

Hummingbird Myths and Stories and the Power of Presence

Hummingbird Shaman — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 19:37:47 +0000

I delight in finding a story from decades past that speaks of the strength and determination of the hummingbird. These tiny birds are warriors who will defend what is within their territory. There are many hummingbird myths and stories, stories of the power of presence which delight us and create a bridge that the soul longs to travel.

Excerpt from The Writings of James Russell Lowell

“With shame I confess it, I have been bullied even by a hummingbird. This spring, as I was cleansing a pear-tree of its lichens, one of these little zigzagging blurs came purring toward me, couching his long bill like a lance, his throat sparkling with angry fire, to warn me off from a Missouri-currant whose honey he was sipping. And many a time he has driven me out of a flower-bed. This summer, by the way, a pair of these winged emeralds fastened their mossy acorn-cup upon a bough of the same elm which the orioles had enlivened the year before. We watched all their proceedings from the window through an opera-glass, and saw their two nestlings grow from black needles with a tuft of down at the lower end, till they whirled away on their first short experimental flights. They became strong of wing in a surprisingly short time, and I never saw them or the male bird after, though the female was regular as usual in her visits to our petunias and verbenas.”

The Writings of James Russell Lowell in Prose and Poetry, 1900 – Page 210.

The Power of Presence

The interactions with the hummingbirds is intentional and determined. They dedicate themselves to surveying their territories, challenging or hiding from their threats, and defending and embracing what they treasure. The flowers may hold the nectar of nature, but we hold the nectar of the soul. The hummingbird recognizes what is within its reach. Are we receptive to this mutually beneficial exchange?

Hummingbird Myths and Stories and the Power of Presence © 2011 Estee Taschereau, Hummingbird Shaman™ and Walk With Wings™. Estee brings over 30 years as a spiritual counselor to help individuals gain a more fulfilling and purposeful focus in their personal and professional world, guiding them in their own awareness and appreciation of their life path and abilities. Sessions are available via phone or Skype, by appointment. Please use the contact form for scheduling.

Hummingbird Visit – A Sign From Spirit

Hummingbird Shaman — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:56:25 +0000

Can a hummingbird visit be a sign from spirit? So many things happen in our lives moment to moment that we give little attention to, and we keep those things in that same regard by taking little from what could be “signs“.

Then we have those incredible moments of intentional attention, amplified to a greater meaning by our choice to bring our focus into one moment, one place, one time.

Hummingbird Visit – A Sign from Spirit

It’s truly amazing what can happen when we do exactly that, when we make a choice and then support that choice with our intent focused on having answers rather than re-investing our energies into the stickiness of troubles and woes, something that is so easy for us to do.

Something happens in those moments. We become magnetic, drawing to us so many gifts that support our intentions that it’s almost shocking to our psyche. People appear that fit right into our plans, and opportunities open. Answers become clearer as we break out in that insuppressible smile and say “of course, it’s so simple!”. That burst of creative alliance is so darn attractive that spirits on many levels come rushing in to check it out.

Should we take it as a sign? Yes, of course, what a wonderful positive sign that not only do we have inner-connectivity but also support from the world around us. Creatures in nature see with more than their physical eyes, and they do not cancel out or justify their perceptions like people do. Most of the time those nature “signs” are subtle, but sometimes we’re lucky enough to have a bold “in your faee” sign such as a hummingbird encounter that tells us that we are seen, and that we are valued.

Stephanie’s Hummingbird Encounter

“Yesterday, I decided to walk my labyrinth for guidance on how to resolve a financial matter. When I reached the center, I stood still and breathed deeply to take it all in. Suddenly, I noticed something flying toward my face at full speed. I thought it was a bee and quickly put my hand between it and my nose to prevent direct contact. When I moved my hand away, I was surprised to see that it was a beautiful hummingbird. It hovered in front of me, flitting slightly. I looked into its eyes and then it flew away and landed on a tree in my yard. I know that the encounter was an additional message for me from Spirit.”

What is a Labyrinth?

I enjoyed reading Stephanie’s comment, finding the labyrinth intriguing, so I asked her to share a little bit more about her feelings of this ancient science. Here’s Stephanie’s response:

“Thank you for getting back with me. Here is a little information on how I relate to my labyrinth. Feel free to share any or all of it:”

“I was inspired to create a labyrinth at my home after seeing Deepak Chopra’s “7 Laws of Spiritual Success” and Dr. Andrew Weil’s video on healthy living. A labyrinth is a modern recreation of an ancient form of sacred geometry. For centuries, many cultures have created these sacred circles with spiraling paths within them as a place for ritual, dancing, meditation, healing or spiritual contemplation. On the journey of self-discovery within the labyrinth, its visitors enter a space of receptivity to Divine wisdom, powerful insight and physical and emotional healing”.

“A labyrinth for me is the illuminated path that allows me to step beyond the confines of time and space. The labyrinth’s liberating and magical energy enables me to receive empowering messages from the elements in and around it. When I am walking my labyrinth, I can hear the whispers of the roses and the wisdom that the birds, wind and trees are offering to me. I feel so safe, protected, peaceful and free inside of it as intuition flows through me. Suddenly, there is clarity where there was mystery or doubt only moments before. I love walking my labyrinth in the silence of the morning and in the calm of the evening under the light of the moon.”

“Thanks you for your wonderful website about the beauty and wisdom of hummingbirds.”

You’re most welcome, Stephanie, and thank you for sharing and being a part of this affirmation of spirit found through our hummingbird stories. Your story provided such a wonderful gateway to greater recognition of our individual presence as well as a reminder of the ongoing support around us.

Hummingbird Visits – “More Please”

What do we do with those moments of serendipitous wonder? We spend a lifetime working diligently to recreate that mystery-formula that came so quickly and easily “by chance”.

By chance? Far from it. It is simply something that our mind cannot produce or explain. Those amazing moments come to us when we let ourselves step out of the bounds of our mind, that ever-spinning balancer that keeps things explainable and within safe parameters. I truly do believe that our minds act as both a distraction from our spirit-presence, and that they also present to the world an energy that is difficult to interpret and even more difficult to respond to. Those moments of clarity are a “letting down of our guard”, so to speak, a time when we actually let ourselves have our own creations and the answers to our prayers.

It can be frustrating trying to recapture those amazing moments, and challenging to understand what exactly happened. It’s even more mind-boggling when we try to recreate it. But what better way to spend our time or invest our energy? The pursuit of our own spiritual brilliance and signs of the incredible support that is around us 24/7, it’s a gift, a blessing, and our God-given right to recognize as well as share our spirit-presence with one another.

Thank you all for sharing, and please do step forward with your questions and stories.

God bless,

Estee
Hummingbird Shaman

Hummingbird Visit – A Sign From Spirit. © 2011 Estee Taschereau, Hummingbird Shaman™ and Walk With Wings™. Estee brings over 30 years as a spiritual counselor to help individuals gain a more fulfilling and purposeful focus in their personal and professional world, guiding them in their own awareness and appreciation of their life path and abilities. Sessions are available via phone or Skype, by appointment. Please use the contact form for scheduling.

No Wings Just Wiggle – The Symbol of Growth in a Snake

Hummingbird Shaman — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 14:39:52 +0000

Today I’ll step away from the winged world and the symbolic meaning when I speak of our ability to Walk With Wings and delve into the ground level. This is not a step down in any means, for what good is all that we can see if we have no ground to stand on?

On this particular day I decided to renew the feeders outside a certain window. I had rearranged and created a new nesting place for my writing sessions, and now had a perfect viewing space. The only thing missing was the birds, but this would be quickly remedied by refilling the feeders.

Ground Level Presence

As I walked out to the feeders with my bare-feet in the overgrown grass I noticed movement. There was a small garden snake who quickly buried himself in the grass. I could not take a step for fear of stepping on him. I called out to the dog to help locate this snake and encourage it to move on to a safer space, but wondered at the same time why I bothered. Angie is not the keenest when it comes to snakes, and she proved it once again by looking every direction except the one where the snake was weaving through. This brought back memories of my dearly missed Shadow who loved to encounter snakes and other creatures. I was amazed to watch Shadow circle many times around a bush to watch a snake, only to see the snake then climb up the bush in its attempt to escape.

The Symbolic Meaning of Snakes

Snakes have a strong connection with the earth in so many ways. It is not just the lack of wings, hands or feet, but the snake’s unique means of movement that connect the snake to the core energy of the earth experience. Snakes use a flowing, swaying movement and the resistance of the earth to move themselves forward. We can look at this from the perspective of the yin yang symbol, a symbol of opposing forces that create movement and life. It is not a matter of overtaking or conquering, it is a harmonious co-existence and use of opposition that propels this creature forward.

Snakes are also seen as a symbol for growth since they do outgrow their skin and must shed the old layer each year. They do so again through the use of opposition, rubbing themselves against a rock or hard ground to force the old skin to separate.

For me this was a sign to assure me that my efforts all served a purpose. It is a balancing act to fill our lives with challenges and counterbalance with the excitement and pleasure of the experience in a way where one does not overwhelm the other.

The Snake – A Sign of Life

Spotting a snake in my yard is always a welcome thing, letting me know that the environment I provide them is safe and free of pesticides and other harmful things. To finish the story Angie did finally spot the snake just as it escaped beneath a rock, and ears perked in excitement. No harm done on either side, feeders filled, and on to another busy day.

?© 2011 Estee Taschereau, Hummingbird Shaman™ and Walk With Wings™. Estee brings over 30 years as a spiritual counselor to help individuals gain a more fulfilling and purposeful focus in their personal and professional world, guiding them in their own awareness and appreciation of their life path and abilities. Sessions are available via phone or Skype, by appointment. Please use the contact form for scheduling.

A Stellar Moment with the Steller’s Jay

Hummingbird Shaman — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:08:54 +0000

Most often I write about the hummingbirds, being so attuned to their presence and gladly translating their visits into people-friendly words. There are other birds that visit as well, ones who are not so open to encounters but will gladly visit for a quick meal. This morning as I awaken I know the feeders will be quickly emptied. There is no mistaking the sound of a Steller’s Jay.

These large birds can devour vast quantities of food. I’ve watch one swallow 17 whole corn kernels in one sitting only to see it come back moments later for more.

The Steller’s Jay

Though the steller’s do not interact like the hummingbird they do have presence. This large deep blue bird with its black head and powerful feathered crest live in community, and often visit with other blue jay’s in watch. This teamwork reminds me of the family interaction of crows.

The Meaning of Stellar

Though it is spelled slightly different the phonetic part is the same. Stellar means star, something of the astral. It is to stand out, to be exceptional. This bold yet cautious bird certainly achieves its own star status, not by it’s accomplishments, simply by it’s presence. These birds are strong in their self expression, and speak out for others in their circle.

The Blue Jay – Spiritually Speaking

Spiritually the Steller’s blue jay’s show me the story of spirit-presence in the density of a body, of living in the moment and knowing how little they know about the moments to come. This clearly parallels the dilemma faced by people as well: so many turn away from their spirituality simply because it brings them face-to-face with the time-based boundaries of the physical world. This blue jay species also speak about the transitions of awareness, opening to consciousness and the steps taken to turn awareness into understanding. This ability is a gift that we as humans have developed but not necessarily mastered, a gift most often taken for granted.

One of my first tasks this morning will be filling the feeders, knowing well that the Steller’s blue jay’s have already stopped by for breakfast.

© 2011 Estee Taschereau, Hummingbird Shaman™ and Walk With Wings™. Estee brings over 30 years as a spiritual counselor to help individuals gain a more fulfilling and purposeful focus in their personal and professional world, guiding them in their own awareness and appreciation of their life path and abilities. Sessions are available via phone or Skype, by appointment. Please use the contact form for scheduling.

The Moments We Share – Hummingbird Moments

Hummingbird Shaman — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 16:25:43 +0000

My days lately have been filled to the brim with work. While I enjoy the creative endeavors and the sense of accomplishment that follows I also recognize the shallowness of spending so much time on only one aspect of life. Perhaps this is a good thing, too. Sometimes we stand outside the window so that we can look in and realize how much we appreciate being on the inside. My hummingbird moments remind me to step back into the place I want to be.

I did manage to schedule a walk with a dear friend and her dog, something we planned a week earlier. The weather was delightfully warm and sunny, so much that we quickly appreciated the coolness found along the tree-covered path. We talked along the way, and in my typical style as a healer and transformational mentor we shifted the walk into a healing session. Our timing was perfect, we had reached a point along the path where I often stopped where my dog could find a deeper pocket in the creek. In this moment I was focused elsewhere, deep in the metaphysical aspect of the question and upcoming transformation for my friend. She did notice, and spoke out, “There’s a hummingbird watching us”.

Face to Face with the Hummingbird

I turned and looked around, and sure enough I recognized this bird. This was a bird I knew, one who recently found my feeders back home. She hovered and watched us, came closer for a different perspective, and it was clear that she was as interested in us as we were interested in her. It’s funny that it took me so long to find my camera before the walk, but when it came down to using it I was more interested in the interaction than any memory caught on film.

Hummingbird Magic: No longer seen but still present

Soon the hummingbird fluttered off into the trees but her presence could be felt. The dogs had a restful moment by the creek and I guided my friend through her release and replenish. Passerby’s took notice, feeling the empowering energy of the seen and the unseen that combined the simplicity of two women and their dogs with the empowerment of spirit presence and the divine energy of the hummingbird.

As often as I stopped at this point along the creek this was the first time I encountered a hummingbird there, especially with such a bold face-to-face greeting. In this case I believe the hummingbird’s presence served very well to create a delightfully sacred space for healing. The Moments We Share – Hummingbird Moments.

Let Your Presence Be Known

Hummingbird Shaman — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 01:13:49 +0000

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.

There Are Those Times When The Hummingbird Lingers

Hummingbird Shaman — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:03:17 +0000

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.