Bird Magic: Wisdom of the Ancient Goddess for Pagans & Wiccans - Sandra Kynes 2016
Pelican: American White Pelican, Brown Pelican
The Profiles
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
The white pelican’s species name, erythrorhynchos, is Greek meaning “red-billed.” 120 It is one of North America’s largest birds. While white pelicans cooperate by herding fish into areas where they can be easily caught, their brown cousins are the only pelicans to plunge-dive headfirst from high flight. Although awkward when walking on land, pelicans are graceful in the air. They are particularly known for having a stretchy throat pouch that is used for scooping up fish.
The name pelican comes from pelecanus and pelekan, the Latin and Greek names for this bird, respectively.121 At one time, both the pelican and the albatross were known as alcatraz. Even though the name albatross evolved from this, it was more suited to the pelican. Alcatraz stems from the Arabic word for pelican, al-qadous, which was derived from the Greek word kados.122 Kados was the name for the leather scoops on ancient water wheels, which were said to resemble the pelican’s pouch.
The pelican is second only to the dove in Christian funerary art, which is why it can be found on gravestones. This bird became a symbol of self-sacrifice and resurrection due to a lack of knowledge concerning pelican physiology and habits. A pelican feeding its fledglings from its throat pouch was misinterpreted as the bird feeding its body to its young. Stylistically in medieval art, the pelican was commonly depicted more like a phoenix.
During the Middle Ages, the pelican was an esoteric symbol in alchemy. Not only was it the name of a particular type of distillation vessel, the pelican also represented the Philosopher’s Stone, the legendary element that could transmute base metals to gold as well as produce an elixir of life. Because of this, the pelican was regarded as a bird of great power.
Magical Workings
This rather gawky-looking bird shows us that all is not what it may seem. Ungainly when walking, pelican is a masterful high flier that gracefully soars across the sky. Representing wisdom and spiritual growth, it can be called upon for support in the pursuit of knowledge. Also call on the power of this bird to aid in personal and spiritual transformation.
Pelican is an aid for boosting spells to manifest abundance as long as your prosperity and good fortune are shared in the spirit of generosity and kindness. Pelican can help you meet challenges head-on, rise above problems, and recover from loss.
Make Connection
To connect with pelican energy, you will need two small containers and any type of water source, such as a pool, a pond, or the ocean. Alternatively, a sink or a bathtub can be used indoors. Close your eyes for a moment and bring the image of a pelican into your mind’s eye. When you can clearly picture the bird, scoop water into one container and then slowly pour it out as you scoop water into the second one. Do this until you get into a gentle rhythm like a water wheel, and then say: “Pelican, pelecanus, bird of abundance and alchemy; Let your wisdom enfold me like a gentle rhapsody.” Repeat the incantation twice more as you reach out with your energy and visualize a pelican soaring gracefully above you. You will feel an energy shift when this bird makes contact.
Associations
Element(s): Air, water
Bird Identification
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
Size: 50 to 65 inches
Wingspan: 96 to 114 inches
Comparative size: Very large
Description: White body; long, broad white wings with black trailing edge; long pinkish to pale-orange bill with hooked tip; extensible throat pouch; short legs and tail; webbed feet
Range: From Saskatchewan to Manitoba in Canada, south through most of the western United States to the Midwest, along the lower California coast, and along the Gulf Coast to Florida; also most of Mexico
Habitat: Shallow coastal bays, inlets, and estuaries as well as inland lakes, rivers, and marshes
Eggs: Dull white
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
Size: 39 to 54 inches
Wingspan: 78 to 79 inches
Comparative size: Goose to very large
Description: Stocky, gray-brown body with silvery streaks; yellowish face and white head; white neck with dark brown neck stripe; neck is dark brown during breeding season; long bill with extensible throat pouch; long, broad wings gray with streaks
Range: Southern areas on the West Coast; East Coast from Virginia to Florida; parts of the Gulf Coast, and small areas of coastal Mexico and Central America
Habitat: Estuaries and coastal marine habitats; rarely seen inland
Eggs: Chalky white
Collective noun(s): A flock, a pod, a pouch, or a squadron of pelicans, as well as a rookery of white pelicans
120. Edward C. Beedy and Edward R. Pandolfino. Birds of the Sierra Nevada: Their Natural History, Status, and Distribution (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2013), 90.
121. Sandrock and Prior, The Scientific Nomenclature of Birds in the Upper Midwest, 103.
122. Carl Safina, Eye of the Albatross: Visions of Hope and Survival (New York: Henry Holt, 2002), 25.