Bye bye, blackbird

I’ve been experiencing an enhanced connection with our feathered friends in the past few weeks. Birds, that is. When I've been out and about, they've sometimes been hopping up close to me and watching me intently. I've sensed a kind of energetic 'openness' towards me and the potential for telepathic communication. In particular with blackbirds and robins. I've also been out in Nature, spending time listening to birdsong and, other than simply enjoying it for its beauty, have been contemplating its purpose and its qualities - as well as our connection with birds in general.This new connection with birds went to a whole new level though a couple of days ago, when I returned home to find this little creature - a female blackbird - waiting for me, a few paces from my front doorstep. She was on her back, unable to move: her body contorted, with one wing bent back - and she was crying out in pain. The sight of her, in her complete vulnerability, cut to my heart like a sword.I went inside and found some Rescue Remedy and dropped it on her beak (made of carefully distilled flower essences - and a bit of brandy - I find this comforts in situations where someone or something has suffered a good deal of shock), hoping that some of the liquid would find its way into her mouth. Then I sat down beside her, sending love from my heart to her little blackbird heart.I wasn't sure that she would survive. I had heard that the majority of birds die from heart attacks resulting from shock - and she had clearly suffered deep trauma - her breathing was several times faster than it should have been and her heart was beating outside its chest! I considered moving her into a little home I'd made out of a box of tissues - I wanted to keep her warm - but it didn't feel right to move her. So I sat there for what seemed like hours, sending her healing (I have been an energy medicine practitioner for years), during which time her breathing became noticeably calmer.Whether as a result of what I had done or something else, after about 20 minutes more, she was back on her feet again and her wing had miraculously moved back to its original position. She sat there, eyeing me intently, for some time. Then, within the blink of an eyelid - and with a little blackbird wink goodbye - she scampered off to the safety of a nearby bush.Happy, I gathered my things and went inside. The tenderness of both the exchange and the bird's vulnerability had touched me deeply. Funny thing was, when I passed the spot this morning, there was a cluster of downy black feather on the spot where she had lain. Was it my imagination, or had they just mysteriously appeared? It felt like a gift from the vulnerable bird to me. I picked them up and went on my way.Bird symbologyBirds, because they spend time in the air and on the ground, to me represent a bridge between this world and other, less physical worlds: ie, opening up to more multi-dimensional living, which is something I feel the human race is evolving into, in this phase (I certainly am, anyway!) And birdsong, almost like the angelic choirs of myth, can, if we let it into our hearts, kind of call us into a different dimension as we listen - and, I feel, has the potential to heal, on many levels.Blackbird symbologyWith blackbirds, it seems to be 'much the same, but stronger'. You may have noticed that blackbirds spend a lot of their time on the ground. They can be seen walking, climbing and hopping forward and backwards. They also forage for food . As such, because they live on the ground and in the air, they are associated with mysticism: 'being able to move between the seen and unseen worlds with clarity'.Legend has it that the birds of Celtic princess Rhiannan (which Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac sang about in Three Birds of Rhiannan) were blackbirds, whose otherworldly singing put the listener into a sleep or a trance which enabled them to travel to other dimensions. Their melody was said to be the sweetest sound ever heard by any mortal ear and when they had heard that song, every other tune seemed unlovely beside it. The song was also said to impart mystical secrets.The thinking goes that when animals or birds appear to you in extraordinary ways (as my little friend had done) that you are being given some kind of message. Here are some common themes on the messages behind 'blackbird medicine' (from reading I've done since the incident):Mysticism: Blackbird calls you to open to your connection with Nature and 'the forces of creation', to developing your shamanic and mystical qualities.Creativity: Blackbird calls you 'to embrace your creative talents' and 'sing them from the rooftops'.Song: 'Blackbird medicine people love to sing and have the ability to use their voices to heal and inform'.Interesting, eh?All those interested in accessing their 'inner blackbird' are invited to join us for Soup and Singing on Wednesday January 25th, when we'll be using song, sound and our own voices to connect with our joy. See Events page for details.