Bird Magic: Wisdom of the Ancient Goddess for Pagans & Wiccans - Sandra Kynes 2016
Connecting with the Life-Giver and Creatrix
The Practices
The basic themes of this aspect of the Goddess are creation/procreation, nurturing, and protection. While the Goddess was regarded as the creatrix of the world and bringer of fertility, she was also the giver of crafts, encouraging creative expression. Nurturing is especially important in today’s fast-paced world. By nurturing ourselves and those we love, we bring strength and fullness to our lives. In addition, being mindful of the impact we have on the environment helps us nurture and protect the earth and all her creatures.
Life-giving and Nurturing Ritual
For this ritual you will need a red candle, a bowl, and a pitcher of water. Using a large sewing needle or a fine-point marker, draw some of the symbols associated with this aspect of the Goddess on the candle. Other objects to use on your altar include a small open or nest-like basket, a clean eggshell or an egg-shaped crystal, and spindles or other small things used in spinning or weaving. Pieces of yarn or thread can be laid out to form some of the Goddess symbols. Also include pictures of birds or figurines, especially waterbirds. The ritual is written as a solo practice that can easily be adapted for a group.
Once your altar is set up, light the red candle. Raise your hands in the epiphany gesture with arms out to the sides at shoulder height, elbows bent, and hands raised with palms facing forward. As you do this say: “Red is the color of life. It represents the life-giving blood of the Goddess and the pulse of life. Bird Goddess, bringer of life, provider, sustainer, I call on your presence, be with me this day.”
Create sacred space through breath and toning. Slowly inhale and exhale three times and then chant “mmmm” for as long as you can with a single breath. Afterward, stand in silence for a moment or two and then say: “Now in sacred space, I bring that sacredness within me as I enter the realm of the Bird Goddess.”
Water is one of the most precious things on Earth. We use water to receive the blessings of the Goddess and to acknowledge ourselves as creators and nurtures. Creation includes procreation and creativity. Pour a little bit of water from the pitcher into the bowl as you say aloud the nurturing things you do. It could be that you are raising children, you tend a garden, you do something artistic or musical (not necessarily as a profession), or you are caring for an elderly parent, teaching a class, tending animals, or you clean up the woods when you go for a walk. It is not often that we proudly acknowledge ourselves as nurturers. As you say aloud all of the nurturing things you do pour a little water into the bowl for each one.
Chanting is a way to honor the Goddess. It is also a way to send the energy raised in ritual out to the universe. Let it be known that you proudly carry on the ways of the Goddess by being a creator and nurturer. Say: “May the birds of the Goddess be messengers to carry my intention and energy forth.”
And then chant:
Listen to the voice; the voice of the water,
The voice of the Mother; calling you and me.
When it feels appropriate, end the chant. Stand in the epiphany gesture in silence as you ground and center your energy. Extinguish the candle and then say: “I thank the Goddess for her gift of life and her presence this day. May I continue to seek and affirm the nurturing and creative aspects within me and around me. Blessed be.”
Invite Birds to Your Yard
If you have a backyard or any outdoor space, put out a birdhouse, a feeder, and/or a birdbath to nurture your local birds. Paint or mark these items with some of the life-giving symbols. Use zigzags on a birdbath to associate the water with her life-giving moisture. Also use Vs, chevrons, or meanders on bird feeders and houses to mark them as special and belonging to the Goddess.
Make your yard a sanctuary, as a place of security for birds and as a sacred place for you where you can connect with the Goddess. Designate a special place to set up a small altar. This can be made simply with several bricks or flat stones that you mark with some of her symbols, or it can be more elaborate. When you set these things in place take a moment and say: “Mother Goddess, Bird Goddess, may your creatures of the air find protection and nourishment in this yard. Great Mother, I dedicate these things and this space to honor you. Blessed be.”
Attracting birds to our backyards provides a way to observe and get to know them. While we might think of putting out a bird feeder only in the winter, birds can use help all year because of diminishing habitats. While the food in the feeder will attract birds, most of them eat a combination of insects, berries, and seeds, so after dining on what you provide they usually stick around to see what else they can find. Year-round residents such as chickadees, sparrows, or cardinals that stake out your yard as a food source will also attract migrating birds.
Feeding in the spring is especially important for birds returning to your area until they reestablish the lay of the land for multiple feeding sites. While summer offers abundant natural sources for food, extra help filling the mouths of hatchlings is a big attraction for busy parent birds. In the autumn, migrating birds need to get ready for their long journeys, and of course, winter is most important when natural sources dwindle substantially.
In addition to food, providing water for birds is another good way to attract them to your yard. It also represents the life-giving moisture of the Goddess. A birdbath can function as a decorative feature and a focal point for your garden. As an alternative to a birdbath, use a large flowerpot saucer on the ground or on an upended flowerpot in the garden. If your porch is your garden, place a saucer amongst the flowerpots.
Feeders and birdbaths should be located near vegetation, which provides a safe place for birds to wait their turn at the feeder or to take cover from a predator. Also, it is important to keep feeders and baths clean to avoid diseases.
The availability of nesting sites also attracts birds. Trees and shrubs offer natural places but we can foster their interest by providing nest boxes or birdhouses. Ideally, these should be at least five feet above the ground, out of direct sunlight, and sheltered from heavy rain. Locating these near trees or shrubs is helpful. There are two excellent websites for more information about attracting birds to your backyard: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology at www.allaboutbirds.org and the Audubon Society at www.audubon.org.
Whether or not you have outdoor space, designate a windowsill as your special Bird Goddess area. Place figurines, feathers (see Chapter 10 before gathering feathers), or anything that helps you connect with birds as well as the Goddess. Paint a few small stones or crystals with Vs or chevrons and place them on the windowsill. In addition, make or purchase a birdhouse to use as a Bird Goddess shrine that you can hang on a wall.
Decorate Eggs
Don’t wait until Ostara to color and decorate eggs. The next time you make scrambled eggs, carefully poke holes in each end and blow them out so you can keep the shells intact. Rinse them thoroughly and allow them to dry. Using colored markers or paint, decorate the eggs with Bird Goddess symbols or paint them to resemble the eggs of birds with which you want to work. If you have a small basket, arrange the eggs in it or simply place them on your altar or in your Bird Goddess shrine. As you do this say: “Ancient and beautiful Bird Goddess, I ask you to touch these eggs with your energy. May they represent your wondrous blessings.”
In the spring, place a few eggs with life-giving symbols in your garden or indoor flowerpots with the intention of encouraging growth. Hanging decorated eggs makes them more visible. For this you will need a large darning needle, crochet yarn or embroidery thread, and a couple of decorative beads for each egg. Make the strand of thread long enough so it is at least three or four times as long as the egg, which will make it easier to work with.
Thread the needle and then carefully insert it through the hole in the top of the egg. You may need to gently wiggle the egg to get the needle to come through the other hole at the bottom. When it does, insert the needle through a bead. Carefully insert the needle back into the egg, and then turn it upside down to coax the needle through the hole at the other end. Now you will have two strands coming out of the top hole. Thread both of them through a second bead and then tie a knot so it rests against the top of the egg. Decide how long you want the loop for hanging the egg, cut off any excess, and then tie the strands together to finish the loop.
The people of the Ukraine have a long tradition of decorating eggs with elaborate designs. This stems from a folk belief that birds spent the winter in heaven and returned in the spring with blessings. Decorating eggs at Easter represented these blessings. However, at other times of the year eggs were decorated and used as talismans. Different designs were painted on them for different purposes; for example, placing an egg in the attic protected a house from lightning.
To attract abundance, paint an egg with Goddess symbols or anything that represents this to you. Hang the egg in your kitchen to attract abundance to your home. Decorate an egg with symbols of wealth and hang it near your desk to engender success, or use the life-giving symbols of the Goddess to stimulate creativity. If you have small children, make a project with them to paint their names and symbols on an egg (one for each child). Include the Goddess face on the eggs, and then hang them above the children’s beds to invite the blessings and protection of the Goddess.
Additional Activities
Get outdoors and look for birds, especially waterbirds. If it is early spring or late autumn look for migrating birds flying in V formations. Although some birds have been mentioned as being closely associated with this aspect of the Goddess, you may feel that others hold this association for you. Use the profiles in Part Two for ways of connecting with the energy of certain birds, or simply go out and observe them. Take along a notebook or use a smartphone app to record your thoughts or anything you may experience.
Another way to honor the Bird Goddess is to place an open, nest-shaped basket on your altar or someplace where you will frequently see it. Place a decorated egg, a crystal egg, or a bird figurine inside it. Let this serve as a reminder of her life-giving and nurturing aspect. The basket can also serve as a focal point when working with the energy of birds.