Description
Egret in the Evening
Below are two entries from my compendium of symbols. First is the moon entry and following that is the entry on birds in general and egret, heron, and crane in spefic.
I was so determined to make the moon in this one luminescent and rich that I spent two hours searching for my gold foil. I am so glad that I did.
Moon: The moonrepresents the rhythm of time. Themoon’s cycle is 28.5 days, the same as a woman’s and this firmly links the moonto the feminine. In some cultures, themoon is associated with a goddess, and is thus a feminine symbol. In others itis associated with a male god and is a masculine symbol.
The moon is afeminine symbol in cultures where the moon is associated with a goddess, andmale in cultures where the moon deity is male.
The moon canrepresent romance, earthly impulses, and passions. It can reveal your soul,inspiration, and imagination. The moonis associated with the release of the unconscious mind to express its wishes,aversions, and fears.
The power of themoon is indisputable; it has the power to move massive amounts of water in theoceans’ tides. It also governs the tidesof our emotions and (some believe) our sanity.
The moon canrepresent romance, earthly impulses, and passions. It can reveal your soul,inspiration, and imagination. The moonis associated with the release of the unconscious mind to express its wishes,aversions, and fears.
It has long beenassociated with irrational mind and the unconscious, intuitive mind. The powerof the moon is indisputable; it has the power to move massive amounts of waterin the oceans’ tides. It also governsthe tides of our emotions, and some believe it governs our sanity. The word Luna is from the Spanish and Italianword for moon that is of Latin origin. Luna that we get the term lunatic.
The moonrepresents the cycle of human life. The waxing and waning are equated with thecycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth. Infancy corresponds to the new moon,childhood is the waxing crescent moon, the waxing gibbous moon is the youngadult stage, and the full moon represents both maturity and pregnancy, thencomes the (hopefully long) decline, the waning gibbous moon represents themiddle years, the waning crescent moon represents old age, and the dark of themoon is the death cycle.
The ancient Vedicconcept of the moon was that the moon was death’s gate and was guarded by twodogs. This imagery appears frequently inthe art on The Moon tarot card.
Ancient Egyptianscalled the moon “the Mother of the Universe”. The ancient Vedic concept of themoon was that the moon was death’s gate and was guarded by two dogs. This imagery appears frequently in the art onThe Moon tarot card.
The new moonrepresents new beginnings, infancy of a project or idea. This is the time toclear the decks so that you do not have to interrupt your new project to handlea detail from another project. It is time to gather your thoughts, information,and resources.
The crescent moonhas long been a symbol of the occult and of the goddess. The first quarter orcrescent moon represents childhood. This is the time to set your intentions andto move from the planning stage to begin what is necessary in the physicalaspect of the project. If obstacles arise attack them one by one and maintainyour course.
A waxing crescentmoon is the young adult phase of life. It is time to refresh your energy andadjust your goals to align with the universe. Your efforts are gainingmomentum. This is the time to move out in the world and become independent anddynamic in the world. The waxing crescent moon is a symbol of the maiden stageof a woman’s life when she is the Sister-Bride awaiting her Brother-Bridegroomand is a representation of innocence and of the power of a fertile young woman.
The full moonrepresents both maturity and pregnancy. It is time to present your project tothe world, and to correct any evident errors. It is harvest time. Reap therewards of your labor. A full moon can indicate a sense of security orcompletion and is a symbol of the soul. The full moon represented Thoth in ancient Egypt. In this phase its name was A’ah. The full moon represents maturity, pregnancy,and limitless potential. It indicates a sense of security or completion and isa symbol of the soul.
Then comes the(hopefully long) decline. The waning moon represents the decline of life.
The waninggibbous moon represents the middle years. The waning or gibbous moon is a timefor introspection and reflection and for gratitude for the outcome of theendeavor.
The third quarterof the moon is the time to release the project in its final form and, the timeto release the clutter and residual of the past. It is time to organizeyourself in preparation for a new beginning.
The waningcrescent moon is a good time to rest, recuperate and recover.
And this bringsyou back to the new moon and the time to clear up details and prepare to takeon a new project.
A crescent moonwith a star represents protection. In341 BCE. Macedonian forces were stealthily approaching Byzantium when acrescent moon broke through the clouds revealing their movements and theByzantium defenders had time to man the walls and repel the attackers. The Byzantium defenders credited Hecate themoon goddess with saving the city. In her honor the Byzantium placed a crescentmoon and star on the coinage of their city and erected a statue of the MoonGoddess, Hecate, the light-bearer, or light bringer. The moon and star motif was later adopted bythe Turks and other Islamic Nations as a protective symbol.
Sometimes I needto experience the presence of the divine in my life, at those moments the moonis all I need.
Birds:
Birds are symbols of transcendence. They escape boundaries and limitations, and theysymbolize progress towards wholeness. They lead us to a place of harmony. Their meaning is influenced by their type and color.
Birds represent goals, aspirations and hopes. Free birds represent joy, balance, love, harmony,spiritual freedom, and personal liberation.
Baby birds represents our potential fortranscendence. Fledglings encourage usto plan and prepare for the next cycle of growth.
Sick, wounded, dead or dying birds revealdisappointment and failure. To kill a bird symbolizes sabotaging your own orsomeone else’s aspirations, freedom, or dreams.
Feeding birds symbolizes encouragement,inspiration, or support when striving to overcome obstacles. Feeding birds demonstrate the ideal offreedom or transcendence.
Bird eggs represents goals, dreams, and aspirationsthat are developing but still need time to mature. If the eggs seem to be tainted or cracked orhave an aura of evil about them then there is a warning of plans and projectsbeing hindered.
Caged birds represent freedom or liberation thatis blocked.
Birds of prey represent dissention, danger, andwar.
Birds with broken or damaged wings reflect a desirehinder someone or to prevent something or someone from succeeding. Jealousy ofsomeone else’s success. Someone being controlled or controlling others.
Birds are regarded as reincarnated souls. They are regarded as angelic messengers, givers of omens, and thepossessors of occult secrets. Dreamingof becoming a bird is symbolic of an initiatory death and rebirthexperience. Birds are seen as carriersof souls in two ways, as carrion eaters they carry the soul to heaven and asstorks they return the soul to earth. Birdsare often seen as the reincarnation of a human soul. The Egyptians often depict birds as havinghuman heads to signify that there is a human soul within.
Birds reflect your feelings about being spiritually free or pure.
They are symbols of goals, aspirations, and hopes, and they challenge usto go beyond limitations imposed on us by our own belief systems and the limitscreated by others.
In ancient art birds were used to depict the human soul leaving the bodyat the moment of death. They representedthe link between life, death, and the spiritual realm.
Birds seem to be able to sleep anywhere. They can be seen sleeping on thebranches of trees or clinging to the bark of trees. Some birds can even sleepwhile in flight.
One side of their brain is capable of being asleep while the other side iswide awake. And they even have a balance sensing organ located between theirhips so that they can sleep while standing up.
From the book, Symbols for Seekers, Dreamers, Visionaries, Artists, Rebels, and Oracles. All material copyrighted and all rights reserved.
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