Magpie Messages – Finding Magic Around Us

There are days when the weight of living crushes me. I am exhausted, overwhelmed and suffocated by a wide range of feelings that can include despair, helplessness, rage, and fear.

At these times, I consider all the things I am grateful for in my life. Usually, this is an effective antidote for discontent, but not this time.  I compiled a long and detailed list, but the thoughts were leaden and fell to the paper, still and lifeless.  There was no comfort. Sleep and binge watching tv shows distracted me for a while, but the heaviness waited for me, patient and resolute.

I could not hide from the truth of my feelings.  I tried to sit with the emotions, to feel the sorrow, the rage, the self-pity, in hopes that they would shift, but my mind had made a story about them that looped again and again, trapping me in an endless cycle.

Stuck in a rut, I did the one thing that I knew for sure would shift me into a better place.

I walked.

Moving my body always moves the energy of the emotions, draws me into balance and creates a sense of well-being. Walking helps me feel what I am feeling without getting stuck in a story.  The physical body is the receiver and transmitter of energy and emotion. It carries great wisdom, and the more I can pay attention to my body, the better I can sort through what is going on for me.  I do not want to dismiss my feelings, even the ugly ones.  There are strength and wisdom in these feelings, and if I can allow them and shine a light on them, they will heal.  Walking always helps with this process. It was hard at the outset.  My feet dragged, and tears flowed with the rage that ran like fire through my veins.  As I walked through my city neighborhood, gradually a change came over me.  The sweet scent of spruce and flowers, of wet earth, the sounds of children playing, all served to crack my heart open just a bit.

It opened wider still after a friendly greeting from a stranger and their dog.  I passed trees on my route, old friends, who whispered, “This too shall pass,” and a slow, steady peace flowed over me. The trees timeless knowing helped me see my place in the world, to understand that this moment was one of many and did not define everything. Perhaps I could even trust in the perfection of this point in time, and perhaps I could just Be with this moment and hold no judgment of it. I began to walk a bit faster, feeling strength and vitality return to me. My heart beat in my ears, and my breath was labored as I strode up the hill, walking so fast it felt like flying.

Then I saw a feather gleaming in the grass. I picked it up. It was jet black with a streak of cerulean blue down one side. It was exquisite. Gratitude welled up within me for the gift of this perfect feather.  A few steps later I discovered another feather. This one was black and white.  Another perfect feather!  And then yet another feather appeared like magic in the grass, shimmering blue and green in the evening light. An abundance of Magpie feathers!

The Magpies called to me as I walked. I heard their chatter. I passed a pair of them striding through the grass, searching for an evening meal.  Later, I saw a dead magpie in the gutter. It was bedraggled and had dead for some time. I felt sad that the bird had met an untimely end and yet its Spirit seemed at peace. There was no fear or regret. It had returned to Source.

There were many Magpie messages for me that night.  I have always loved these birds.  I admire how elegant they appear in their formal tuxedos with their long snappy tails. They seem clear cut, black and white, and then I see the flash of blue and the shimmer of iridescent green that sparks around them, reminding me that there is a hidden magic to life. I admire their intelligence, their ingenuity, and resourcefulness. These birds are bright and bold and proud of who they are.

Tonight, they have gifted me with three feathers and have blessed me with reminders of the cycles of birth, death, and rebirth. They remind me that life is always moving and changing and as one aspect of my Self or situation dies, another is reborn. They help me to experience the moment for what it is, to allow the moment and not judge it. Their feathers help me to see the beauty and abundance that is all around me.  And they remind me that life and magic live in me too.

Source offers us a stream of abundance, security, and well-being. Source leaves feathers of opportunities lying on our path, but we must be open and present to receive these offerings.

What feathers are you not seeing on your path?

What options are available to you, even when things feel hopeless?

Can you change the story you are telling yourself?

Can you see the future in the bright eye of the Magpie?

Blessings and thanks to Magpie for feathers and messages.

Peace and Joy,

Jan