Animal Magic: It’s just a sparrow

I was sitting in the conservatory last week having my lunch and reading a book, as you do.

From the corner of my eye I saw movement in the garden and looked up to see the leaves on one of our shrubs twitching just above where we hang the bird feeders.  So I watched, and a bird hopped out to help itself to bird seed.

My immediate thought was “oh it’s just a sparrow” and then I caught myself…it was a judgemental thought.  Whilst we do get a few different birds in our garden; including various finches, lots of pigeons, blackbirds, starlings and the occasional magpie and even a seagull, the majority of the birds that use the feeders are sparrows.  Why was I so dismissive?

It made me stop and think and also to look more closely.  The sparrow is actually a really pretty bird and it has quite a lovely song to it too.  I had absolutely overlooked the humble sparrow as anything more than just ‘common’ and unworthy of a second glance.  That was my mistake.  I was horrified that I had done so.  I wonder how many times we do this on a daily basis with other things?

On further investigation this delightful little bird is packed full of symbolism, messages and magic…

• Funnily enough one of the most important messages from sparrow is about self-worth (I chastised myself) and knowing that we are special no matter what.
• The sparrow sings with energy and passion and brings both of those qualities with it – sing your own tune, sing from your own song book!
• They are happy and joyful little creatures who love being part of a community.
• It is also a reminder that the simple things in life can be beautiful and wonderful.
• The ancient Greeks believed the sparrow to be a messenger from Aphrodite so there is a big ole love connection there.
• Sparrows are busy little birds, flitting about all over the place, never resting for very long so they bring productivity, hard work and persistence with them.
• Being idle won’t get you results, follow the example of these hard working but happy birds and life will be sweet.
• Be proud of what you have accomplished which in turn will boost your self-worth.
• Sparrow is not a loner, they are much happier being part of a community, there is strength and protection in numbers.
• Don’t be fooled though, the sparrow is a fierce little fighter and won’t stand any nonsense, choosing to stand up for himself when necessary. He has absolute faith in himself and his abilities.

For me, it was a bit of a wake-up call, I had totally dismissed this beautiful creature in one short sentence.  And I work with animal spirits on a regular basis and have even written in detail about bird magic!  Sheesh…My bad.

Maybe I should have been looking and learning from the sparrow and the messages it was shouting at me.  I was underestimating the power that this particular animal brings with it.

Sparrow brings:

Respect, self-worth, self-esteem, dignity, power, empowerment, happiness, community, faith, fight, strength, hard work, productivity, persistence, love, accomplishments, passion, energy, integrity, simplicity, care, creativity.

My apologies to the sparrow community, I have re-filled the bird feeder and added a fat ball as well, hopefully I will be forgiven…