Learning to Soar with Bird Medicine
By Donna M. Pinkston, M. A.

     An eagle flies above the mountains, between Gold Bar and Sultan. It has been here, I know, for the last two summers. I cannot begin to guess how big it is. From a distance, the wingspan is huge. On warm summer days, a person can sit in his or her backyard and watch the majestic bird soar high in the sky. As it floats on the air currents, I realize I have yet to see it move its wings. How wise to use the energy available around him or her rather than exhaust his or her own energy. I am reminded of Eagle's medicine: the ability to see the overview, with a gift for discerning the facts, and then to rise above ordinary reality and obtain a "bird's eye view”.
Bird medicine brings us into the air, the mind, and spirit. Birds bring people luck: good or bad. In some traditions, birds, with their wings, are angels sent by the divine. If we let them, they can become our teachers, sharing with us wisdom that comes from the air and all that is implied.
      Most commonly, birds are known to be the souls of the dead, riding on the wings of these feathered creatures to visit, deliver messages, or give warning. In primitive times, it was believed that birds were the thoughts and eyes of the gods watching over us and delivering messages. In India, birds represent higher states of being.
Odin has two ravens: Hugin, thought, and Munin, memory. Prometheus had an eagle swooping down during the day, eating his liver. Athena has an owl perched upon her shoulder. In Native American tradition, the raven stole fire for (wo) man. The Egyptians' Horus (the manifested king) has the head of a hawk, and Maat (goddess of truth) has the head of a vulture. Quetzlcoatl is a serpent with wings, and Pegasus is a horse with wings.
      Obviously, bird medicine is not confined to earthly reality. Birds' presence is a symbol for and speaks to us about higher levels of consciousness. We can see that flying is a means of leaving earth and rising to the heavens and descending from the heavens to land on earth. The ability to take off and land with grace teaches us how to make the transition between worlds and states of consciousness easily. Birds teach us, by always returning to the earth, that we must always be able to bring higher states of consciousness to the earth plane. They act as a bridge between heaven and earth, divine and human. Their presence instructs us about rising above lower nature into the worlds of aspiration, creative imagination, inspiration, intuition and living in the now. Bird medicine opens us to higher knowledge and wisdom that will raise us above our present circumstances. (If we want to rise above our present circumstances, through magick, we can ride upon the wings of a....)
      Birds have hollow bones and a high metabolism. Their lightness reflects lightness in spirit -- freeing consciousness. Birds eat frequently in small amounts; they eat high-octane food for energy and burn food at a higher rate than most other animals. They can alter their metabolism by speeding it up or slowing it down. Bird medicine can be effective magick for working with weight issues and eating disorders.
     We begin to notice birds when we are able to reach higher levels of consciousness. Birds become more prominent in our lives when we come closer to expressing our true essence.
     The type of bird gives us more detail about its medicine and how it is to be applied. There are many ways to classify birds, and each classification tells us something about a bird's medicine. There are the scientific classifications, which are highly technical. This type of classification has a series of divisions eventually leading to family, genus, species, and variety. There are over 8600 species of birds and 30,000 varieties. North America has over 800 species.
     A simpler way of classifying birds is to use birds' outstanding features, dividing them into groups such as the birds of prey, seed-eating birds, tropical birds and birds that cannot fly.
     There are many birds of prey, because numerous birds eat bugs and worms. Nevertheless, usually what is meant by birds of prey are the "raptors”, birds that seize and carry off their prey. They are characteristically large birds with hooked beaks and sharp talons and are known to be very strong. Raptors are broken down into two more classifications, falconiformes (diurnal, the hawk family) and the strigiformes (nocturnal, the owl family).
      The diurnal-hawk family includes hawks, falcons, osprey, vultures, and eagles. Hawks are swifter than eagles and make better hunters, while falcons are more agile. Vultures are scavengers and store food in a pouch in the throat. Vultures are the weakest of the diurnal raptors, with talons that are not sharp and that do not allow the birds to carry off their food. Raptors are very seldom seen gliding because they are strong and swift birds.
      The nocturnal-owl family includes all variety of owls. They are known for their silence, keen hearing, eyesight that is sensitive to movement and 270-degree-rotating heads.
     Bird of prey medicine is good for business and prosperity. Birds of prey are the most intelligent of birds, making their magick good for educational and spiritual endeavors as well.
Tropical birds work with the environment. Their focus is to keep a balance between nature. They eat insects, decaying matter and other such things found in tropical areas. Examples of tropical birds are peacocks, birds of paradise, and quetzals.

Another means of classification that teaches us about bird medicine is grouping by living environment.

     Water birds take us back to the primal source of life. Bird feathers stay dry when rained upon or dipped into water because of an oil secretion. If the feathers got wet, the birds would not be able to fly. This ability teaches us how to reach into our emotions without being bogged down by them. Water birds also take us into the unconscious for quick dips and retrievals without having to remain there. They awaken us to deeper levels of the consciousness. Water is also a symbol of the passing of time, and water birds can teach us how to work with time, working on timing and transcending time as well as on dealing with past, present and future. Examples of water birds are pelicans, seagulls, egrets, herons, ducks, and loons.
     Examples of mountain birds are the eagle, hawk, and owl, which fit into the category of birds of prey. Mountain birds are powerful and lofty in spirit. They teach us about our spiritual qualities. What the bird is and its medicine show us how we can best work with higher levels of consciousness and spirit. Mountain birds also teach us about overcoming obstacles.
     Within a month of having moved to Washington, I was driving down the road and saw a hawk swoop down from the sky and snare a snake in the high brush along the hillside near the road. What a sight to see this bird carry the snake off in its talons. I thought, "Only in Washington”. I felt a call to the wild and had a sense of returning to some forgotten place that really dwelt inside me. Since this experience, I have become much more aware of how vast the psychic energy is here in Washington and how everyone here is so creative.
      Birds that can be found in nearly all areas teach us about adaptability and its connection to prosperity. Some of these birds are cardinals, blue jays, finch, sparrows, doves, crows, ravens, and robins. Bird feathers are symbols of the wind, the mind and new opportunities. Finding a feather can also be a sign that we are connecting to the divine and/or the creator God(dess). Finding bird feathers is a reflection of change and of reaching new levels of consciousness. It is always good magick to collect feathers.
      Other things worth reflecting on: Birds have feathers instead of fur. Most birds fly; some birds swim. Birds have backbones, are warm-blooded, have two legs and two wings that resemble arms, beaks instead of lips and lay eggs. Birds have keen eyesight but don't hear well. They are instinctive and bypass much of the thought process, yet use tools, build nests and communicate both vocally and through body language.
     There is much magick in bird medicine, medicine we can all use. This magick is made available to us through the birds in our environments. With the help of birdfeeders, we can access what bird medicine is needed in the area we live. The birds that live in our area will provide the bird medicine we need for living in that area. We can also access bird medicine through the feathers they leave behind, in the wind and in a whistle or a birdcall.
     Isn't the magick of creation and the unity of existence incredible? We have around us all we need, and together, we create a concerto. How divine.