January…you give so much, January….. you take so much.

It’s the month for feathers, all the birds are moulting now so you can pick up some real treasures, here is what I found this week in just a couple of days work of gathering, just around the house garden, I haven’t really had the time to venture further with my present workload.

Some years ago I made up a chart, here I will share it with you.

Australian Bush-Crafting with Astarte Earthwise

‘Feathers’

Feathers are both Mystical and Magickal, throughout history, feathers have served as spiritual symbols and talismans for shamans and priests, as symbols of royalty for kings and chiefs, symbols of healing, or symbols of sacred power for cultures as far back as ancient Egyptian, Asian or Celtic eras.

Feathers begin life as a tiny bud under the skin of a baby bird, and then they quickly unfurl and lengthen day by day as the young bird achieves enough strength to fly. By the time nature prompts the fledgling to leave the nest; these feathers are ready to create the lift needed to stay aloft, to protect the skin from extremes of weather, to enable flight.

Feathers have symbolic meanings, recognised by tribes and traditions worldwide. Feathers speak to us of flight, of the element of Air, freedom, of going beyond boundaries, of getting “above it all,” or of the need to let go and travel light.

The magickal qualities of feathers is determined by their colour mainly and often also from the species of bird. Next time you are out and about be aware of the feathers on your journey, as often there is a very clear message. Think of the character of the bird and how that is applicable in your life right now, meditate with that feather, and receive the message that was meant for you.

You can use feathers to decorate so many things, your wand, and musical instruments or just hang them off some pieces of wood, to bring the element of Air into your life.

Elemental Feather Colours

Air/East:

Red – Courage, Life, Good Fortune, Humanity Issues, Group Activities

Grey & White – Hope, Balance, Relationships, Love, Luxury, Romance

Black & White – Union, Communication, Siblings, Protection, Thinking & Intellect

Blue, White & Black – Change, Sexuality, Transformation, Death and Re-Birth

Fire/North:

Orange – Success, Pioneering, Focus, Energy, Attraction, Speed

Yellow – Children, Creativity, Warmth, Intelligence, Blessings of the Sun

Brown & White – Happiness, Teaching, Higher Thinking, Spiritual Matters

Black & Purple – Deep Spirituality, Oneness, Bliss, Connection, Kundalini, Tantra, Magick

Water/West:

White – Spirituality, Institutions, Hope, Protection, Illusion, Purification, Peace, Blessings of the Moon,

Blue – Health, Psychic Awareness, Security, Counselling, Home & Family, Nurture

Black Feathers – Occult Studies, Disruption, Endowment, Rejection, Scrying, Divination

Grey – Peace, Illumination, Lunar, Consciousness, Feminine, Goddess, Fertility

Pink – Healing, Love, Compassion, Grace, Understanding, Empathy, Shamanism

Earth/South:

Green – Work, Money, Fertility, Food, Sex, Strength, Patience, Practicality

Brown – Health, Service, Stability, Exercise, Organisation, Cleansing, Criticism

Red & Brown – Healing Animals, Kindness, Assistance, Neatness, Poetry

Green & Red – Finances, Career, Achievement, Steadfast, Durability

I hope that this guide will increase your connection to the elemental and sacredness of the humble yet powerful feather.

Copyright January 2004  © Astarte Earthwise this document must not be copied, re-written or in anyway reproduced either on paper or electronically without the author’s written consent and permission.