In the span of one week…
When you’re sitting by the river, reveling in the glories of flowing water in the high desert landscape, sharing about current passions with a dear friend, and a hummingbird appears just on the other side of the river bank, flitting through the tall and overgrown green grasses, even though there are no flowers in sight…
When you’re enjoying an evening break in the garden and a pair of hummingbirds come to join you there, dancing in alternation between the newly-bloomed sunflowers and the purple petunias, animating the oranging sky with their iridescent green bodies…
When you open the front door first thing in the morning to let in the cool air and are greeted by a hummingbird enthusiastically facing you right on the other side of the screen door, buzzing with the almost motor-like “Whrrr” of wings and chirping with such excitement you can almost hear, “Good morning, good morning, good mooooorning!” in those high pitched peeps…
When you’re sitting at this very desk typing on the computer, and a hummingbird comes to face you on the other side of the window, hovering at eye-level and seemingly insisting, “Come on, come on!! Come out and play!!”
And THEN when your yoga student shows up for his private session wearing a hummingbird t-shirt...
You just KNOW there’s a message the universe is trying to get across to you.
Slapping you in the face with, really.
What are all these hummingbirds trying to tell me??
Joy. “Isn’t the main message of hummingbirds about cultivating joy?” I ask myself, reaching deep into my memory bank.
(I have to admit to also checking, on a whim, any Mercury transits in relation to my Natal Chart, wondering if the quickness and agility of hummingbirds could be related to that planet associated with similar characteristics. I didn't notice anything significant at the time. It was a fun diversion, though!)
So what do the shamans say about the message and/or the medicine of hummingbirds? I consulted my beautiful book, Animal Power (by Alyson Charles, illus. Willian Santiago, San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2021).
Joy. Yup, my memory had not failed me; that’s the crux of it. But more specifically…
- As the only creature that can fly backwards, hummingbirds remind us that it’s possible to be lifted by experiences and memories that once felt hard.
- Deeply connected to the healing power of flowers, hummingbirds encourage us to bring more flowers into our lives.
- The rate of 80 - 100 beats/second and in a figure-8 pattern—i.e., the infinity symbol—at which hummingbirds’ wings move symbolizes infinite possibilities.
- Hummingbirds represent love, miracles, and living a good life. We can call on their energy when we want more than to “just settle;” when we want to be guided to the richest experiences of life.
So I asked myself:
- What memories or past experiences that have been stuck in the mud of hurt and pain in my mind, might now be ready to be transmuted and reframed?
- Though my firecracker penstemon flowers provided delicious nectar to the hummingbirds all spring, they disappeared a couple weeks before our July 4th firecrackers. What midsummer blooms can I look forward to next in my gardens? Do hummingbirds like daylilies?
- With all that I’m working on right now—including a couple projects that feel particularly daunting—what are the myriad possible positive outcomes? Can I pull myself out of an attitude of struggle and toil, and instead, calmly envision beautiful possibilities as a result of my diligent hard work?
I resolved to spend time in the coming days, reflecting and journaling on these questions.
And then I glanced over to the beautiful bouquet of flowers that had arrived on my doorstep for my birthday. (YES, amidst all the intense hummingbird activity, flowers DID appear!) And I gave thanks for the love, the miracles and the blessed life I live.
Thank you, dear hummingbirds, for this reminder to pause and appreciate!
Back to Soul Map Songs.
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Thank you, dear hummingbirds, for this reminder to pause and appreciate!
Back to Soul Map Songs.
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