This is the amount of feathers that have been left in my path over the past 4 years.
Actually this is some of them, others have made their way across the world with cacao parcels, others have become sacred tools and items of importance, but the ones in this picture have served a great purpose recently.
I have a fondness of feathers this is clear, they represent so much to me but the recent wisdom that I learned from them has really inspired me.
Birds moult their feathers, for some it is a yearly process and for others it is a less frequent but longer act that can leave the bird flightless for some time.
Birds drop feathers that have aged or outgrown their need, they do this in order to ensure they can take flight with feathers that are healthy and strong.
I recently had a strong desire to cut off all of my hair. It’s grown so long, to the length I always envisioned, but something about it recently has been dragging me down, like something was attached to the longer lengths that needed to be let go of.
This got me thinking about the past two years - I have been through a lot. My mum passing, falling out with one of my sisters, my home being a building site for almost a year, a bad chest infection at the same time as my daughter, losing the premises that I thought would be the place for my work, and many other little stresses along the way.
I realised that my hair was holding all of that. Or in some symbolic way it was connected and like the birds with their feathers it was time to moult.
It then became clear that they all had to go.
My yearly delivery of magpie feathers had been so beautiful and one of them was gifted to me in such a magical way - whilst I was walking the magpie dropped the feather from its tail as it flew away right in front of me - I was told I was allowed to keep these ones for now (thankfully), they are sitting as shown upon my altar as the wings of my green moss agate dragon.
Another time, I was driving and spotted something in the middle of the road, as I drove over it I saw that it was a little bird. I turned around, stopped and went to get them from the road and moved him/her to safety. The beautiful little bird wouldn’t let go of my arm, a lot like me with my hair.
I felt such resistance to what I had to do, to throw all of those feathers to the wind and cut my hair off. I deliberated and told myself I was waiting for the guidance of when and how to do this but every now and then it would creep up on me and tell me it had to be me that decided when and how to say goodbye to my past.
I went to the hairdresser and got my haircut, that part felt like a relief, I came away feeling lighter and freer and like I’d had a haircut suited for someone who was ready to get things done. Almost as if I’d dropped into my Divine Masculine energy in someways. My hair went into the bag with all of my feathers whilst I resisted some more 🙈
Finally whilst getting dressed one morning I closed my eyes and saw my favourite tree in the little woodland at the bottom of my lane, and knew that this is where I had to take them.
My daughter and I arrived in the woods, we asked permission and collected some blackberries, and we had brought some flowers and other offering items for the burial of my hair and feathers. It had also been made clear that I had to return the feathers to the Elements in a different form that which they represent - feathers represent Air to me and so burying them felt like the right way to return them. An anchoring of Spirit into Matter in some ways.
The roots were so thick under the tree when I was guided to bury them, it was difficult to dig - reflecting my resistance and there were so many mosquitoes that I came away covered in bites.
But I buried my hair and my feathers and thanked the tree and Pachamama for taking my offering and allowing these sacred items whose work was done back into her belly where they could be recycled and nourish her.
I cried when I got home. Yet I felt free and light once again. I felt like I’d made space for my new light wings to grow again.
Since I held this Sacred Ceremony for myself I have noticed that I feel Open to express my creativity in new ways. I’ve found a new patience with myself about my ongoing longer term projects and I can feel a newer energy within me anchoring in, much like burying the feathers in the Earth.
This is an example of how nature and spirit guide us. They speak to us, softly and gently, with readiness but with patience for they know we must reach our own readiness.
I had clipped my own metaphorical wings, I was holding on to things that I felt I should because I was afraid and felt guilt.
Yet the moment I released everything within this ceremony I felt all that I was afraid of losing come straight back to me in their newer forms too.
Walking a Shamanic path with the Earth anchors us deeply into our Being and allows us to Fly much higher than we can ever imagine 🪽🪽🪽
With love,
Gemma x
Comments