Bird Talking

I’ve been noticing the birds likely. It’s amazing we go along our business and we are a part of them as much as they are to us. They protect us and tell us so much about ourselves. We are truly connected. I want to spend a weekend in nature to allow the animals to teach me more things.

Not to along ago, a small bird was on the telephone wire at my home, chirping away and loud as ever. How could that sound come for such a little bird? I decided to try to imitate his sound. He chirped in his rhythm and I would follow with my so-called chirping answer. He finally flew away and I realized he was talking to the other birds and not me.

The next morning, as I waited for the city train, I noticed overhead, two mourning doves resting. A lady asked me a question about my walking sneakers and I missed the essence of the doves, they shortly flew away.

Three weeks prior, I was visited by them and I needed to know why. I would hear a woo, woo and thougt it was coming from an owl, but I asked a passenger at the same train station and found out it was a mourning dove.

I assumed they were my animal totems. I had to research further.

I found out; the virtue the dove possesses is Peace, prophecy, new ideas, purity, sexual energy, intimate relationships, creativity, family values, center calmness, tranquility, support, assistance, new relationships, peaceful transition from difficulty, powers of the feminine, patience, friendship.
The dove is embodiment of maternal instinct. She is connected to Mother Earth and her creative energies.
Her mournful call speaks to our deepest self and stirs our emotions.
The voice of the dove is a rain song and brings us hope of a new beginning.
The dove is the totem of “Between Times” and shows us the time of the thinning of the veils between the physical and the spiritual world. Near my home, there are a number of Mourning Doves that I hear calling from time to time. Someone once told me that they only call when they are in the shade, I presume if this is true, it’s because they want instinctively to make it more difficult for birds of prey and other predators to spot them. Ted Andrews mentions in his Book on the Animal Wise Tarot that when we hear a Dove calling, it indicates that life is about to settle, to become more peaceful and calm. This too I have found to be true and yet I have noticed one other thing: I almost always meet someone I could become interested in or have someone flirt with me outrageously shortly after hearing a Mourning Dove call! Males of this type of Dove call to attract a mate, and all Doves are sacred to the Goddess Aphrodite or Venus, the Goddess of love and sexual attraction. This is an important component to Dove medicine, for they are so often hunted by predators, their ability to reproduce rapidly and in very large numbers helps to insure their kind will survive. For many years I have been struck by how, to put it bluntly, unintelligent many Rock Doves appear to be. This is not a slam against Doves in general or against the folks that carry their medicine, not at all! Yet, Rock Doves really are not the most intelligent of birds and yet they thrive in vast numbers despite repeated attempts on their part to be run down by motor cars, bicyclists, pedestrians (of course I have seen vast numbers of humans here that do the same thing, simply amazing.) Drivers here I must confess do take pity on these birds and have come to a complete stop to allow one or more to saunter across the street as it doesn't seem to occur to them to try and fly out of the way. Perhaps it is because they do tend to nest and breed close to humans that they have simply lost their innate sense of self-preservation through fear of humans. This can be a warning to Dove people however, it’s important to recognize that not all people will have your best interests at heart and you may find yourself being "preyed" upon by others if you innocently go walking out into the middle of a busy thoroughfare with no thought that others may be aiming for you. Not all folks unfortunately, are kind enough to stop. What Rock Dove's do really well however and this I am sure helps to keep their populations at peak levels, is a mating dance that must be seen to be believed! The males puff out their feathers and dance, bobbing their heads and shaking their tail feathers, it’s really rather fascinating to watch. No matter what may be happening around them, they continue this dance focusing solely on the female. For Dove people, this is an indication that they too in order to be creative and productive they must focus solely on the tasks at hand and not allow others to infringe upon their space and focus. In doing so, Dove people will find they too can thrive and be highly productive!

Doves in general and the people that carry their medicine are truly some of the most gentle and giving creatures and people on the planet. There is a sense of innocence about them that many others are attracted to, though it’s important that Dove people do be aware that some of the attention might mean the other person is interested in them as a "meal"! It’s not uncommon for many Dove people to complain that their ideas or creative projects are snatched out from underneath them by those that seek to take short cuts and not do their own work. This often happens because the Dove person appears to be "defenseless" and Doves themselves are not known for having many obvious defenses against predators. These folks are not likely to want to make a fuss or hurt other people's feelings. While some Dove people do indeed learn to defend themselves and their work mightily, others find that be having numerous projects and ideas flowing, again we are back to the "reproducing" aspect of Dove medicine, that some of these will escape being stolen or used by others and the Dove person will finally receive the credit that is due them. Because of this too, it is important for Dove people to find ways of protecting their work and creative endeavors through other means such as copyrighting. Having something with a date on it can go a long way in proving that the Dove person had the idea first. It’s not so much a matter of trying to "beat out" everyone else as it is the principle of credit going where it is due.

Dove people often do carry a strong sexual energy and this can be used not only for intimate relationships but for creative endeavors as well. Not only is Dove sacred to Aphrodite but also in the very early Greek myths the Goddess Eurynome took the form of a Dove to lay an egg from which all of manifest life sprang. Because Doves are such gentle, peaceful birds, those who carry their energy may also find that they need lots of quiet and calm space in order to allow their creative energy to flourish. The same is often true of relationships, the Dove person finds things flow more smoothly when their home environment is as tranquil and peaceful as possible.

Doves are also associated with the Pleiades. In the myth, the daughters of Pleione and Atlas were being Pursued by Orion for seven years. They finally escaped when Zeus agreed to transform them into Doves. 7 is a mystical number and indicate an opening between this world and the mystical realms. Those with Dove as a totem often do seem to find that the number 7 appears for them frequently and has great significance and meaning. For some, it may be that they have felt pursued or dogged by something that has been long term and may last anywhere from 7 weeks to 7 years though thankfully not always nearly so long! It is important though that the Dove person understand that "rescue" will come and that the experience is meant to be transformative in some way. The person will find at the end that the boon they receive is so often much greater than the bane of the experience. The names of the sisters who flew into the sky to become the Pleiades are: Asterope, Merope, Alcyone, Maia, Electra, Taygete and Celaeno. Reading about them as individuals may also be helpful for a fuller understanding of Dove medicine. For example, in another myth, Alcyone was married to Ceyx and when he died, she was stricken with grief and threw herself into the sea. She was then transformed into a Halcyon, a relative of the Kingfisher, and she then came to represent the Halcyon days, a time at the Winter Solstice when the sea is especially calm and peaceful. Halcyon also represents prosperity, being free from cares and concerns about both the material as well as the spiritual world. For those who feel in resonance with Alcyone, it can indicate a time when the cares and burdens, even grief that one has been shouldering is about to come to an end and be transformed for the better.

Some things to pay attention to when Dove appears:

People often find that unexpected and unseen support and assistance comes when they need it most.

Travel is often indicated when Dove appears prominently, and this may include relocation to a new home.

A death, either physical (of someone one knows or is close to) or symbolic (within the individual) may occur and while it may bring grief, there is also quite often a sense of relief and gratitude that suffering has finally ended and peace will soon be at hand.

A new relationship may begin or an old one rekindled.

The ways and means of leaving a destructive or difficult situation is at hand. Life is about to become much more peaceful and satisfying on all levels.

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