I found this blue jay feather out in the yard when I was walking the dog. It's prettier than this; I just had to sanitize it and it's still a little damp in this photo.
Next to the feather is a cat claw, one that belongs to Jak. I know it's Jak's because I extracted it from a small wound on top of poor Jeri's head. Apparently Jak left it lodged there after their latest rumble. Jeri is a little sore but doing fine; Jak is strutting around like King of The Litter Box.
I'm a great believer in accidental revelations. Finding both of these objects in one day was the equivalent of a metaphysical grand slam (which will be explained in more detail in my post over at the group blog this Friday.) I think the universe was trying to get something through to me, and finally had to throw spare animal body parts at me to illustrate the point.
What (if anything) do you think they mean?
You have to claw your way through something in order to take flight.
ReplyDeleteOf course, bird feathers can also have mystic properties, so it may be more spiritual than literal. It's interesting that it's a Jay since they are real 'talkers' and can be quite aggressive.
I could go on, but I know I'll start to sound even 'weirder' than I already have. *ggg*
Maybe it means...The sky's the limit but even birds have obstacles they can't just breeze through. Good things come to those who wait and...fight back.
ReplyDeleteThe claw reminds me that sometimes I can hold on too tight to things. And the feather reminds me that I need to let go to really soar.
ReplyDeleteAnd like Jordan I'm going to stop now before I start to sound very "woo-woo."
There's treasure everywhere! (a la Calvin and Hobbes)
ReplyDeleteI get stuff like that all the time. Glad I'm not the only one.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that bird eyes see different colors than we do? They have another cone, and so although my yellow naped amazon looks green to me, he's actually an iridescent gray. I wonder what the other birds see the blue-jay's feather as? Personally, when I croak and get up to see the big guy, I'd like to ask for another cone. I'm a bit jealous of the birds.
Two warriors fought here today.
ReplyDeleteEach left behind one important part of himself.
Few things are more important than survival.
Two warriors survived here today.
My visceral and obvious reaction was Predator and Prey - it will always be predator and prey.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what they mean in a metaphysical sense, but they look very different depending on the context.
ReplyDeleteIn the context of your story they remind me of why I keep squirt guns all over the house to break up kitty massacres. I remember my childhood woes at watching blue jays raid the nests of the catbirds in our hedge. And mixing them together, I remember when one of our cats hunted down an entire family of blue jays, like a mini-Mafioso, and left them one the porch for us, one a day, as gifts.
Out of context, the objects themselves are very abstract and beautiful. The simplicity and clarity of the picture you took adds to it. They become symbols of themselves to which we can attach meanings drawn out of our cultural memories. Decorations for ancient tribal warriors. Spirit signs. Talismans. They attain a richness and depth that have little to do with the reality of where they come from.
Or maybe I should say that both in-context and out-of-context have richness and depth. One of reality and memory and one of imagination.
I think shape-shifters when I see those. I know, terribly cliched of me...
ReplyDeleteBack in May, I did this "manifestation" experiment where I drew random items out of a hat and tried to manifest them. One of the items was a blue feather, which the guy I was listening to on a podcast suggested. I didn't come up with much in the month I was deliberately trying to manifest the things, but in the last few months, well, I found #18 yesterday.
ReplyDeleteTalk about cosmic hints, eh? I am wondering what yours is. Or for that matter, mine.
Don't let the little things hold you back or get you down. You can still soar if you lose a feather, still strut if you lose a claw.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that came to my mind:
ReplyDeleteEven though the whole is often bigger than the sum of its parts, you should treat the parts with the respect deserve anyway.