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

Peacock: Blue Peafowl
The Profiles

Blue Peafowl (Pavo cristatus)

While most of us will only see a peacock in a zoo, I have included it in this book because it is legendary and powerful, and it can be an aid for magic work. This bird is more accurately called a peafowl; the male is a peacock and the female is a peahen. People have been enamored of these magnificently colorful birds and have kept them as prized possessions for thousands of years. In India, peacocks were often kept in temple compounds and sometimes immortalized in temple carvings. This bird is not just a pretty face for ornamentation; peacocks are adept at killing snakes, including cobras.

According to Greek historian Diodorus Siculus (90—30 BCE), these birds were kept in Babylon, where they were considered symbols of royalty. The peacock was also the emblem of the monarchy in Burma and Persia. This bird’s calls are extremely loud and often considered harsh and unpleasant shrieking. An Indian saying noted that the peafowl has “an angel’s feathers and a devil’s voice.” ¹¹⁹

It may be surprising to learn that the male peacock has a short tail. What we usually consider its tail is called a train. Its real tail is underneath the train, which the bird usually drags on the ground behind it. The train feathers are almost four feet long and last from June to December. They are discarded in January and new ones grow in time for the next breeding season. Despite this bird’s dazzling feathers, their coloration actually allows them to meld into a jungle and disappear.

Peacocks were regarded as a vehicle for deities in India. The goddess Sarasvati was usually depicted on a peacock and the god Brahma on a peacock or swan. Skanda, a Hindu war god, is depicted riding a peacock at the Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia. In Greek myth, the peacock was Hera’s bird. With its all-seeing “eyes” (referring to the pattern on its train feathers), it kept watch for her husband’s infidelities.

Images of peacocks in the Middle East often show them flanking the tree of life. In China, where these birds were a symbol of peace and prosperity, peacock feathers were worn at official functions. In European folklore, a peacock feather in the house of a spinster was said to jinx her chances for getting married.

Magical Workings

Although this bird epitomizes dignity and pride, it is tempered with honesty and harmony. Peacock can help you muster confidence and find your true power. As expected, peacock is associated with beauty and attraction, and it can be called upon to boost love spells. It is also an aid for manifesting abundance and prosperity.

As mentioned, this bird can seemingly disappear into a forest. Call on peacock for protection, especially when you need to fade into your surroundings and pass under the radar of a potential threat. Peacock provides support for psychic abilities, especially when making connections with past-life memories. Turn to this bird when you seek wisdom that will bring renewal and a fresh start.

Make Connection

To connect with the energy of peacock, close your eyes and visualize a shimmering, iridescent blue color surrounding you. As it draws inward, it forms a train of long feathers behind you. Feel the weight and beauty of your colorful train as you lift and open it into a wide semicircle that arches behind you. Stand tall and proud as you experience the splendor of peacock. You may feel his grounded presence through a slight tug on your “train.”

Associations

Zodiac: Aquarius, Leo

Element(s): Air, fire

Goddesses: Devi, Hera, Hestia, Iris, Juno, Sarasvati

Gods: Amun, Brahma, Hermes, Horus, Pan, Shiva, Skanda, Zeus

Solar system: Moon, Sun

Moon phase: Full

Bird Identification

Blue Peafowl (Pavo cristatus)

Size: 32 to 42 inches (does not include the male’s train)

Wingspan: 47 to 118 inches

Comparative size: Goose

Description: Grayish-brown legs with spurs; stiff, short tail

Male: Bright iridescent blue head, neck, and breast; white patches above and below the eyes; head crest of upright, blue-tipped feathers; grayish-brown back and wings with brown barring; multicolored train in iridescent gold, brown, green, and black with ocelli (eye spots)

Female: Brown head, nape, and back; whitish face and throat; white belly; metallic green upper breast

Range: Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Kashmir, Nepal, and Ceylon

Habitat: Bushland and open forest

Eggs: Glossy and brownish

Collective noun(s): A muster or a pride of peafowl as well as an ostentation of peacocks

119. Armstrong, The Life and Lore of the Bird in Nature, Art, Myth and Literature, 140.