Vulture – Education

Turkey Vulture

Okay, I don’t even know where to begin on this word/bird association. It certainly doesn’t seem intuitive to me. On the other hand I’m not certain it’s a bad choice either. After all, vultures are far more interesting than they appear. Turkey Vultures have an amazing sense of smell. They have even helped sniff out gas leaks.

Check out wikipedia for more information on these birds.

The card was very appropriate for this day. It was the last day of the conference and I was both a learner and a teacher. I was relieved that my presentation went well.

Turkey – Generosity (Wednesday August 5th)

Turkey

You know a turkey may be the most generous of birds, but I don’t think it’s voluntary. Every Thanksgiving thousands of the birds are eaten. I find them delicious.

To commemorate a past event you kill and eat an animal. It’s a ritual sacrifice … with pie. — Anya (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Did it match my day? Well, I tried to be certain that I tipped my wait-staff 20% But otherwise I was focused on being frugal. I’m on a business trip and didn’t want to overspend on anything.   Not the best match today, but maybe I’m not digging deep enough for greater meaning…

Loon – Imagination (Monday August 3rd)

Common Loon

I actually think this is one of the best match-ups so far. The loon’s cry is eerie, haunting and beautiful. It is a call to stir the imagination. You can hear it at http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/loon/identification.html

My day was busy as I tried to get everything done at work and at home in preparation for my trip. I should have used this card as a warning to imagine my trip in more detail. I could have saved some money if I had really visualized everything that I might be doing, and the weather I might encounter.  On the other hand, I now have a gorgeous new sweater…

Waxwing – Curiosity (Sunday August 2nd)

Bohemian Waxwing

Word/bird? Well, I’m curious how they put this together. Waxwings are gregarious, cheerful masked birds that love fruit and have been known to wait until the fruit has become alcoholic in nature before indulging. I think I might have chosen overindulgence for this fancy bird.

It was a curious day overall, I helped my daughter go through lots of stuff. We’re trying to lighten up our lives by getting rid of excess stuff.  I got a small pile of books together to get rid of too.

Woodpecker – Hope (Saturday August 1st)

Downy Woodpecker

This is an interesting word/bird association. I would have chosen work or perserverance, but hope isn’t out of line. After all, don’t we work or perservere in hope of achieving something? As for my day? Well I had a lot of hope that I would be able to get things done so I could head out for a party and I did.

I think the simplicity of the deck is getting to me. I am going to perservere in the posts for each day, but they’re not going to be very lengthy. Most of the cards are so simplistic as to be irrelevant. I can find something in every day for every card. I don’t see it focusing or highlighting anything. I just thought of something, maybe hope is truly appropriate. The ivory billed woodpecker was thought to be extinct. All birders are hoping that the sightings of this bird in the wilds of Arkansas are real and it will make a comeback.

Pelican – Spontaneity

American White Pelican

Pelican’s have traditionally been associated with sacrifice, it was thought that they fed their young blood pecked from their own breast. Pelican’s don’t move with any kind of spontaneity either. To take off they have to put a lot of effort into it. Once airborne they are gorgeous flying with long wing beats and soaring up thermals. They reminded me of B52 airplanes from World War II, flying in formation with wingbeats matching up like a drill team. They are a marvel to watch. But they are far from spontaneous.

Ignoring the irritating bird/word association, the day didn’t seem very spontaneous. Not until evening when I was eating and suddenly there was a hard bit. The hard bit was a piece of my tooth that I didn’t even know was loose/chipped. How weird is that?! I had a big filling in the tooth so it was just a bit off the side. Later I lost the filling too. So now I can look forward to dental work on Monday morning. I am sooooo not excited about this.

Lark – Clarity

Western Meadowlark

I grew up in the middle of no-where Idaho surrounded by farm land. Every summer morning I was greeted by the sounds of the Western Meadowlark.  It is one of the loveliest of songs, to me. And always reminds me of the promise of a bright summer morning. Although the picture on the card is of a more generic lark, I am going to link it with the meadowlarks of my youth.  Clarity is a fine association for me. I find my head clearer, and my mind more alert in the morning hours.

As a watchword or theme for the day, maybe. I tried to see things more clearly, to focus on projects and to have a clearer vision of what had to be done.  I have a new folk remedy for migraines I must try (a tablespoon of local preferably raw honey). Someone at the party last night suggested it.  Who knows, it might work as well as anything else…

I did have the clearness of thought to ask my husband directly about our finances and what would happen if I wrote a check out for stuff at the slumber party.  Needless to say, the answer wasn’t what I hoped for. Still, it was a good thing. I am really hoping for us to stay a little more on the positive side of the bank account.   Doesn’t happen that often that we get to the other side, but with my husband being under-employed and my adult daughter now back and unemployed things are a little tight.

Crane – Celebration

Sandhill Cranes

I have watched Sandhill Cranes do their mating dance and it is a wonder to behold. It is a celebration of life, romance and spring. After the Robins arrive in Idaho the Sandhill Cranes return bringing with them a break in the snow and ice. The lakes are thawing when the cranes are dancing. I like this pairing very much.

Unfortunately I didn’t find much to celebrate yesterday. First I was in an online meeting for 2+ hours, this can deaden anyone’s verve. Then I got a migraine. It’s all downhill after that.

There is much in my life worth celebrating, just not yesterday.

Rooster – Courage

Rooster

Well, roosters have been used in cock fighting for thousands of years, I think their reputation as brave (and/or stupid) is confirmed. They defend their roosts quite aggressively.

I got a lot done this day, some of it takes courage, most of it just takes fortitude. Sometimes I think these single word archetypes are too simplistic to be of much use. What I like about rocks or the standard tarot is the depth and nuances that can be found.

Robin – Joy (for Monday July 27th)

Robin

Robins have a song that is described as ‘cheerily, cheer up, cheer up, cheerily, cheer up’ they are very cheerful birds indeed. Perhaps that is why they were assigned the word Joy. I know I enjoy seeing them.

The show up in our area before the real warmth of spring arrives, heralding the return of summer breezes and sandals.

I’ve also found them to be heralds for other birds. While birdwatching if I spot a Robin I now know to look around and see what else is there. Many times I will see other birds that were otherwise invisible.

As for Monday? I could have used more joy, more cheer, but otherwise it was a fine day. Next time this card comes up, maybe I’ll take the day off and go birding.