Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Blackbird Symbolism

I just found this...I love finding connections.

"Blackbirds are, for some people, considered a good omen. Others believe that the Blackbird brings the lessons learned in meditation. It is also associated with travel to the Otherworld and the mysteries found there. Blackbird people are good to call upon when spiritual matters are at hand, and often, while rare, they are the best people to have when in a group.


The blackbirds iridescent black plumage holds the energies of mysticism and magic. Druid legends say that the birds of Rhiannan are 3 blackbirds which sit and sing in the World tree of other worlds. Their singing puts the listener into a sleep or a trance which enables him or her to travel to the otherworld. It was said to impart mystic secrets.

Those with this medicine often have a hypnotic influence on others as well as an uncanny ability to move between the seen and unseen worlds with clarity (I know I can move between sanity and insanity with a clarity that is quite terrifying and unnerving). They make excellent shamans and trance channellers.

Blackbirds are timid and prefer their own company over the company of others. In humans shyness and insecurity in group settings is common. Vulnerable to outside influences those with this totem need to remember to clear accumulated influences from their energy field on a regular basis. The male's distinctive song during breeding season is loud and melodious with flute like qualities. Males often sing from high perches and both sexes produce a variety of sounds which include mimicking other birds.

Blackbird medicine people love to sing and have the ability use their voice to heal and inform. They are also good ventriloquists.

Blackbirds spend much of their time on the ground. Its locomotion includes walking, climbing and hopping forward and backwards. They forage for food in open spaces although cover is always near by. When foraging in leaf litter under trees they sound like people walking . In humans this suggests an ability to remain grounded in the earth energies while walking a spiritual path.

When resting the blackbird is frequently seen stretching, legs extended back, side wings in full extension, tail spread, and the head tilted to one side as if listening. Yoga and movement therapy are beneficial for those that hold this totem (Love it...I JUST started doing yoga as a form of therapy!). The blackbirds flights are low, short and undulating but fast and direct over open country. They move with determination and focus and can teach us how to do the same.

When blackbird flies into your life your connection with nature and the forces of creation increase. The magic of the underworld surfaces in your life. Awareness is heightened and change on a cellular level begins. The blackbird teaches you how to acknowledge your power and use it to its fullest

4 comments:

  1. ::smiles:: I love symbolism in the things I surround myself with. Connect with. When you already connect with something and then find symbolism that speaks to you it's even more powerful. Like recognition in the realization that thing is even more right for you =)

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  2. I couldn't have said it better myself. You're the first person that ACTUALLY understands why these connections are so important me. For me, it's as if my "true self" is emerging and separating itself from the borderline inside of me, and always has been trying to. And now I'm actively trying to do the same. It's just a long, dark, and sometimes lonely road...

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  3. This is such an interesting page for me to have stumbled across. Blackbird came to me yesterday in a meditation (at a Shamanic Workshop) and reading this blog entry is perfect and totally relevant for me as well. I even asked it in the meditation "Are you a crow" and it replied, "No, I'm a blackbird" so I have absolutely no doubt that this little guy is another totem for me. Signs and symbols are huge for me too :)

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  4. I have blackbirds showing up in my yard every year by the hundreds during the fall mostly but spring to only for couple days just checking this site to see if anyone else has this happen

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