Dove: Mourning Dove - The Profiles

Bird Magic: Wisdom of the Ancient Goddess for Pagans & Wiccans - Sandra Kynes 2016

Dove: Mourning Dove
The Profiles

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Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

One of the most widespread and adaptable birds in North America, the mourning dove makes its familiar cooing sounds when nesting and claiming territory. Its common name stems from its drawn-out, lament-like call. Its species name, macroura, is Greek and means “long-tailed.” 60 When taking flight, their wings make a distinctive whirring sound.

Associated with all three aspects of the Goddess, this bird became the ultimate symbol of peace, spirit, and divinity. Domesticated by the Egyptians around 2600 BCE, these birds are mentioned throughout history and mythology.61

Because doves were regarded as suitable sacrificial offerings to deities, many temples throughout the Mediterranean region included onsite dovecotes to furnish a convenient supply. Instead of actual birds, figurines of doves were used as votive offerings in the temples of Hera in Greece. Likewise in France, dove images served as offerings to Sequana, the Gallo-Roman goddess of the River Seine.

Greek writer Homer noted that doves carried messages for Zeus. However, the oracle speakers at the sacred oak grove in Dodona, Greece, were called doves long before the god was associated with the site. While depictions of the Phoenician goddess Atargatis almost always included doves, this bird was also the emblem of Astarte.

Although in earlier times the dove was believed to possess the power of regeneration, as the Goddess’s aspects were separated and diminished, so too were this bird’s functions. Perhaps because of their courtship displays, doves became associated with love and fertility goddesses. In medieval Europe there were conflicting beliefs about the devil and doves. Some people believed that the devil could take the form of this bird; however, others believed the dove was so pure that the devil could not do so.

While it may seem odd that this present-day symbol of peace was also associated with death, the dove came to symbolize the soul’s journey after physical death. This is also true in India, where a dark-colored dove is associated with spirit and death.

Magical Workings

The dove is a bird of duality and balance: life/death and grief/happiness. Call on dove for support when mourning the death of a loved one. Its gentleness is especially helpful for healing at a time when we can feel so terribly fragile. Use a figurine or image of dove on your altar to honor the deceased and help to carry him or her toward rebirth.

Dove represents hope, forgiveness, and compassion. Associated with Aphrodite, Venus, and other goddesses of love, it can be instrumental for magic relating to love and sex. Call on dove to stoke passion and sensuality as well as to restore fidelity and harmony in a relationship. As an ancient symbol of springtime and the future, this bird is an aid for fertility, pregnancy, and childbirth. It can also boost prosperity spells.

Dove’s long association with prophecy makes it an ideal talisman to use for receiving messages from other realms as well as general divination practices. More than anything, this bird is a powerful symbol of peace, wisdom, and spirit. In addition, dove can help ground and center energy after ritual and magic work.

Make Connection

To connect with dove energy, spend some quiet time alone. Focus on your breath and wrap your arms around your body as though you are giving yourself a hug. Imagine your arms as great wings enfolding you with the breath of life and spirit. Very quietly, coo like a dove. Know that you are loved and that you can always find healing and harmony in the wings of doves.

Associations

Zodiac: Libra, Taurus

Element(s): Air, earth, water

Times of day: Dawn, dusk

Goddesses: Aphrodite, Astarte, Atargatis/Derceto, Athena, Demeter, Freya, Hera, Holda/Holle, Inanna, Ishtar, Isis, Maia, Nantosuelta, Rhea, Sequana, Venus

Gods: Apollo, Zeus

Solar system: Venus

Trees: Olive, willow

Bird Identification

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

Size: 9 to 13 inches

Wingspan: 16 to 17 inches

Comparative size: Robin to pigeon

Description: Plump body; small head; long, slender, pointed tail; short legs; soft brown to buff-tan all over; black spots on back and wings; white edge on tail feathers

Range: Across southern Canada to New Brunswick and throughout the United States into Mexico and Central America

Habitat: Open fields, parks, and lawns with trees and shrubs

Eggs: White

Collective noun(s): An arc, a cote, a cove, or a flight of doves, as well as a funeral of mourning doves

60. Sharon Sorenson, Birds in the Yard Month by Month (Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2013), 343.

61. Edward A. Armstrong, The Life and Lore of the Bird: In Nature, Art, Myth and Literature (New York: Crown Publishers, 1975), 131.