In feathered robes the choir collects;
shuffling,
rustling,
warbling erratically
until one Singer interjects…
“I am a common guest
at houses around the globe,
yet I am seldom noticed
in my drab and earthy robe.
Appearances are deceiving,
and size is no measure of worth.
Accept no less than your true value
for nobility can be found
in those of basest birth.
Awaken and give voice to joy
that wells from heart and throat!
Assertion, humility, co-operation and hard work
will help you hit the highest notes.”
The next voice arises
like an amiable shout.
This Teacher keeps Truth
from simply flickering out…
“Do you accept Truth with a smile?
Or do you deny, hide and pout?
It can sometimes seem brutal,
but that is not what Truth is really about…
Truth is a Joy,
lying hidden in plain sight!
Truth is a Healer,
that can set all broken things aright.
Truth is a Warden
freeing you from bonds
you didn’t even see.
Put on your black cap of Wisdom,
and think hard upon the truths
Mother shares with thee!
Expressing Truth,
like a cheery song,
is one small lesson that you may learn from me.
Modest scholar and Teacher,
robed in black and white…
Great ideas begin as small inspirations,
and Truth shared should be a welcome light."
A third voice lifts in liquid song.
Hooded in black, cloaked in gray,
Wisdom hidden ‘neath it’s scarlet vest,
hear now what this Teacher has to say…
“Do you feel challenged by Change?
Without it, your garden would not grow!
I’ll help you plant new seeds of thought,
and tell you when to strive for the next
spiritual plateau.
Compassion drove me onto the thorns,
that his torturous crown I might relieve.
I may teach you to manifest Creator’s will
in all you that you say, do, or believe.
Knight Errant for the lovely Springtime,
I herald Renewal,
Rebirth
Joyous Change and
manifesting the will Sublime."
A brash fourth completes this Quartet,
bearing lessons we best not forget!
“Like the Magician, I teach you
how to bring your tools to bear…
to balance between this world,
and the blue road of spirit, with tenacity and care…
How to use in proportion
your talents, learning, and intuition…
that you may reach your full potential
and become a virtuoso musician!
Although I sing of universal powers
and spiritual connection between
paternal Sky and maternal Earth…
I am a Robber Baron and few see my true worth..
My song is seldom held in high esteem…
my expression is oft perceived as an agitated scream!"
From first light to last
these Singers are there…
whistling,
laughing,
advising,
delivering,
chattering,
tattling
playing their games.
Who can tell me their names?
For those new to the game, each poem is inspired by a Teacher found in Nature; a star, stone, animal, plant etc that holds lessons of Wisdom for us. This poem contains 4 loosely related Teachers singing in quartet. Can you guess who is singing today? Congrats to Shay for naming all 4 Teachers!
“Illusions commend themselves to us because they save us pain and allow us to enjoy pleasure instead. We must therefore accept it without complaint when they sometimes collide with a bit of reality against which they are dashed to pieces.” Sigmund Freud
“The philosophy of mine earth can be summed up as this: Sunshine creates happiness, and I create myself. Nights are long and life is predominantly good. Wind is refreshing. Tea is wisdom. Do the best you can, and be good to yourself so that you can above all be good to others.” Jessi Lane Adams
“I have realized that the past and the future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is.” Alan Watts
Blue jays belong to the family Corvidae, which includes crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws and magpies. Blue jays can be found from Florida to Canada, from the coast to about the middle of the US. Their migration is still rather a mysterious matter. Some travel and others winter over in their home territory. A jay might migrate south one year and not the next, and while younger jays are more likely to migrate to find their own territory, fully adult jays could decide to migrate or not, as they see fit. At this point, there does not seem to be any real rhyme or reason to their choices, but I certainly enjoy the speculation.
Blue Jays are master communicators with the boldness necessary to stand down Hawks and Owls many times their size. These large crested songbirds are strikingly marked with black, white, gray and a lovely shade of sky blue. The blue color this audacious bird is noted for is not a pigment though. It is a refraction of light created by the internal structure of the feathers that leaves the color blue! So, if you were to crush a blue jay feather, the blue would simply disappear!
This illusory connection with light indicate a special emphasis on Divine Connection, Illumination, Illusion, Spirit, Spirituality, and learning proper Balance. Jay will reveal Wisdom through reflections of all sorts, and the study of light, color, and reflection is useful to Jay people. Jay people need to beware getting so caught up in their reflections that they don’t hit the proverbially window in mid-flight! We can get so caught up in the image we see, that we actually loose sight of reality within the situation or our view of that image, whether it is our own, someone else, or a reflection of the situation we are facing.
“As we struggle to make sense of things, life looks on in repose. " Author Unknown
“We mourn the transitory things and fret under the yoke of the immutable ones.” Paul Eldridge
“There are very few human beings who receive the truth, complete and staggering, by instant illumination. Most of them acquire it fragment by fragment, on a small scale, by successive developments, cellularly, like a laborious mosaic.” Anaïs Nin
“I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.” e.e. cummings
In color therapy, blue is considered good for counteracting the manic phases of manic depression and a strong anti-septic color. Blue is generally considered to be a calming color, more useful for emotional healing and calming than green, a traditional healing color. In general, blue has represented harmony, sky, water, spiritual expansion, serenity, sincerity, intuition and higher mental functions.
This is the color to use for meditation, mental relaxation and stimulation of the Throat Chakra. This chakra is a center for creativity and will. It relates to how we truthfully express ourselves and also how we receive Truth. In Tibetan Buddhism, this chakra is associated with the dream state of consciousness. Both Tibetans and Taoists use this chakra to access the dream state and develop skill with lucid dreaming. Keeping a journal of dreams is important to all people called by a Corvid Teacher.
“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.” Eleonora Duse
When the Throat Chakra is properly balanced and functioning well, we find it easy to express ourselves, our speech is clear and free flowing. We are able to accept things as they are, and properly organize ourselves to meet whatever situation we have at hand. We are able to take responsibility for our needs with decisive action, and feel well able to make any necessary changes in our lives.
If this chakra is weakened or blocked, we find it difficult finding the right words, difficult to express ourselves clearly, an unwillingness to change or accept things as they truly are, difficulty in organizing or even motivating to work with situations. Excessive ego and/or prejudices may develop. If you tend to see the world as hostile, and expect violence, degradation and hostility rather than love and nourishment, your Throat Chakra is blocked! Singing, gargling with salt water or even screaming are all activities you can use to stimulate this Chakra. I have also found it useful to place my hands at my throat, concentrate on a vivid shade of sky blue and ask for this Teacher’s help in stimulating this area.
If there is not enough love or emotional nourishment flowing to the Heart Chakra, we may try to overcompensate by consuming physical nourishment through the throat, compulsive eating or gluttony. If the chakra at the base of the neck is also suffering, then the added blow we are feeling to our self image can result in bulimia or anorexia. If, however, our Throat Chakra (5th) is overactive we will be trying to take over and control everything, including peoples’ lives!
“Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee,
And I’ll forgive Thy great big one on me.”
Robert Frost
“Life is the hyphen between matter and spirit.” Augustus William Hare and Julius Charles Hare, Guesses at Truth, by Two Brothers, 1827
“I say, if your knees aren’t green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re-examine your life.” Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes
The word “jay” comes from the Latin “gaia” or “gaea”, which has connections to both the concept of joy and Mother Earth. To me, these Jays represent a natural conduit between Divine and Physical planes. The main message delivered by this Teacher though is learning a proper balance of our personal Power. To use just enough efficiently to achieve our goals and also to learn to spot and avoid situations in which Power, personal or otherwise, may be misused against us.
Remember though that we are always are own worst enemies, and look there first for what you own in the situation! Jay has taught me to always look beyond the surface for the reality of a situation, and I am still learning to see through the many reflections I can encounter in any given day. Jay people tend to be curious, clever and creative souls who would do well to remember their higher purpose, and not get lost in dabbling in a variety of interests. Beware taking a naturally teasing and playful manner too far.
You might not think it to look at this pretty bird, but it’s jaws and beak are actually strong enough to crack an acorn. A subtle reminder to never underestimate the power of our words! I believe there are many Jay people out there who, for whatever reason, do not take into consideration what is or is not proper to say to a child whether that child is theirs or someone elses’. Unbalanced Jay people have a tendency to place blame on others, scold or even verbally abuse others, especially when deep down they feel at fault. Stealing the products of another’s labor, excessive ego, and laziness are also possible signs of unbalanced Jay energy.
“It is our illusions that create the world.” Didier Cauwelaert
“The colossal misunderstanding of our time is the assumption that insight will work with people who are unmotivated to change. Communication does not depend on syntax, or eloquence, or rhetoric, or articulation but on the emotional context in which the message is being heard. People can only hear you when they are moving toward you, and they are not likely to when your words are pursuing them. Even the choices words lose their power when they are used to overpower. Attitudes are the real figures of speech.” Edwin H. Friedman
Blue jays in captivity have exhibited tool using capability by using strips of newspaper to rake in food that has fallen outside of their cages. Although no such tool using by jays in the wild has been reported, I have seen them use twigs in a similar manner, and I have also seen them drop nuts on a cat to drive it away. Blue jays often mimic the calls of other birds, especially the Red-shouldered Hawk.
It has been suggested that this mimicry of a major predator is used to alert others to the presence of a hawk, or to deceive other into so believing. I can certainly attest to their fondness for such trickery! I have seen them use this technique to clear a crowded feeder on more than one occasion. They are definitely pleased with themselves when it works, and they always seem on the verge of laughter when it confuses other creatures. They do enjoy alerting everyone within hearing when they’ve spotted a hunter too.
Like other Corvidaes, they are extremely curious, gregarious, and intelligent birds who are attracted to shiny things like bottle caps or bits of foil. Studies have shown them capable of developing better food-finding skills than monkeys or cats! Food-caching birds in general seem to have a bit more in the way of brains than others. It is hard to judge the intelligence of other creatures, but tool-use, co-operative efforts and trickery are often used as markers.
I’ve watched countless jays forage together, and there is always one or two on guard while the rest are gathering the food. They love to follow behind me while I’m gardening too, and gather whatever grubs or other tasty critters I turn up. They can definitely tell the difference between a helpful and non-threatening individual and someone who is more likely to intend them harm. As a young girl, I’ve helped many a young jay stuck on the ground while learning to fly, and the parents have looked on impassively, although they can be quite aggressive in the defense of their nest or young.
“To live remains an art which everyone must learn, and which no one can teach.” Havelock Ellis
Since I am most familiar with the Blue Jay, which is found only in Northern America, I am not especially familiar with what Old World deities might be connected specifically to jays native to those locations. Although, being of the Corvidae family they could easily be connected to deities like Bran, Morrigan, Odin, and Hecate. Jays and Magpies (another Corvid) have been seen as birds who deliver Joy, Happiness, and Good Fortune. The appearance of these chattering messengers could herald good news, the arrival of guests, or coming tests in any of the Jay’s areas of expertise.
A clever, creative, tenacious survivor and master of communication, Blue Jay carries far more wisdom than his humble form might imply. He challenges us not only to examine how we see ourselves, others and the world around us, but to take positive action. Do you need to break out of a rut, or break free of a maze of reflections? Do find yourself looking into mirrors, windows, or other reflective surfaces? Perhaps this Teacher is trying to reach you. How does Blue Jay appear in your life?
“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, “I used everything you gave me.” Erma Bombeck
“Who will tell whether one happy moment of love or the joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air, is not worth all the suffering and effort which life implies.” Erich Fromm
“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” Friedrich Nietzsche
“Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished. If you’re alive, it isn’t.” Richard Bach
Key Concepts: Balanced Power, Divine Connection, Illumination, Illusion, Spirit, Spirituality, learning Balance, Communication, Expressing Truth, Assertion vs Aggression, Cleverness, Curiousity, Vibrancy, Clarity, Determination
Associated with: Gaia, Bran, Morrigan, Odin, Alathea, Ma’at, and Hecate
Potential Balancing energies:
Crow/Raven , Sparrow , Chickadee , Robins ,thrushes, towhees, wrens and other birds, Cricket/Grasshopper, Grasses, Blackberry/Raspberry and other small fruits, Hawk, Earthworm, Snake , Owl , Cat, Trees like Pine ,Cottonwood , Oak , Apple , Rowan/Mt Ash , Cherry, Dogwood, Chokecherry, Hawthorn, Juniper, Honeysuckle, snails, Dragonfly , Bees , Flies , and other insects, Spider , Lepidoptera (Butterflies and caterpillars) , Squirrels and Chipmunks, Bobcat, Raccoon, Fox, Roses , Sunflower , Asclepias and other plants
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