Spirit Animal – Magpie Cry

Magpie picture by Judy Hirst

Koreans believed that magpies delivered good news and invited good people. The most famous painting related to a magpie is the one with striped tiger (ggach'i wha horangi minhwa): the magpie is happily chirping to a tiger. The magpie represented good news and the tiger symbolized good luck, since its pronunciation in Chinese sounds similar to good luck (bok).  (Korean Symbolism of Animals & Birds)

Our yard has been filled with Magpies for the last four days.  They sit in the Rowan Tree and chatter; they sit on the back of the deck bench and chatter; and they sit on the fence and chatter.  Their noise drives our dogs crazy, and the dogs run outside and bark at the Magpies.  Soon, the neighbours’ dogs join in.  Other birds come to watch the fun.  Then we have a “symphony of nature”.

What is interesting though, is that we have had great fun with family over the last four days, and that makes me think that the Korean belief – magpies deliver good news and invite good people – is indeed true.  Tomorrow, Sunday, we have about eight people coming for our New Moon Meditation – good people, all of them.

Shaman have always believed that Magpie is connected to the gods and goddesses, and that the black and white colour of magpie shows the balance between the lightness and the darkness, as well as the duality of life.  There is a degree of ONENESS in the colouring of the bird – black and white are the two colours outside the spectrum.  Some Shaman believe that when Magpie cries outside your house, then someone close to you will die. Or, as Shaman put it, “the person is being called to the other side.”

If Magpie cries near you, take out some food and sprinkle it, and honour the bird for the work that it must do.

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Judy@angelsandancestors.com

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