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UnSolon
November 15th, 2001, 01:14 AM
Today I went for a hike in the woods near my house.

I hiked through many trails, following the tracks of deer, and meandering across the highlands of the valley.

It was drawing close to dusk. The sun had long since disapeared from sight, and a thick mist had enveloped the forest, bringing with it the rain. I crossed a small marsh on a fallen log, stopping in the middle, and stooping and sitting. Watching, listening, and senseing everything around me. The rain splashed in the water around me.

I called out to the goddess, nature, and the spirits of the forest. Asking them to show themselves to me, somehow. Make their presence known. The forest was beautiful this evening. However with night quickly falling, and a large storm approaching, I headed home.

I have this thing, with stopping and admiring, and feeling the energies which coarse through the magnificent trees. I stopped, lay my hands on an ancient arbutus tree, sending its branches to the sky, and again called for the spirits to send me a message.

I continued on, stopped... distracted by the red sheen on the wet bark of a young arbutus (arbutus bark is red by the way, and perfectly smooth, it feels like silk). Standing beside it, towering above it like human must to an ant, stood a giant cedar. It stood on what looked like piller of rock, a pedastal I said to myself. This tree seemed to hold great power.

Beside this cedar, my attantion than focused on another rock outcropping, hear the rock had been smashed as if by the hand of a giant. 4 symetrical rays spread out in 4 directions. Like the rune of Gebo. A fifth ray was smashed, the rock surrounding it mear jumbules, pointing off of the edge of the outcropping. I stood on this edge, and glanced down. There through a crack I spotted a small feather. I made my way down the edge, and picked up the feather. At this time, with the sun gone, and twilight turning into darkness, all colour was gone from my vision, only greys remaining.

I continued home.

Apon arrival, I made myway inside, sheading my soaked cloths, and looked at the feather which was gifted to me. It is not very long, perhaps 5 inches, and not very wide, at most just over a centimeter. HOWEVER, the quill has a golden glow, and the underside shimmers with the same power. I was taken aback... I have never seen a feather like this. I thought it was the light, but no, it is true.

Please, help me decipher what this means? Is it simply a response to my call on the spirits in the forest? I must remind that at the spot I found it at, the rock, called to me with the sign of the rune "Gebo", which means 'gift'.

Thank you,
Peace...

p.s. I apologize if this should have been in another forum, you may move it if you deam it necessary, but I thought this is where it fit most.

Lavender
November 15th, 2001, 02:04 AM
I'm curious what colour is the feather? It is most certainly a very special gift. It might be a hint to your spirit guide. Different birds have different meanings.

Cedar is very old and wise and strong. Cedar is also called the tree of life. It is said that Red Cedar is so strong that you could receive strength just by standing with your back against the trunk. Red Cedar is highly regarded for its healing and spiritual powers as well as its usefulness.

I would suggest that you might want to consider bringing an offering back there. Maybe some organic tobacco or sage? Or do a meditation ritual there?

UnSolon
November 15th, 2001, 02:33 AM
It looks like it came from a small bird. The top side of the feather is, I suppose, brown, or black. However it does look almost red with this colouring. There are slight white markings on the perimiter of the feather, and some that look like the bird may have been spotted.

The underside could be said to be a silver, or grey, but it shimmers a golden colour.

The entire quill (you know, the hard part of the feather) is gold.

I still cant get over this feather. I have many other feathers, 2 eagle, hawk (falcon), raven, crow, sea-gull, and others. This feather, while the shape and dimensions of it could belong to almost any bird, but matches none of the feathers I already have.

Thank you WildChild. I think I most certainly will go back and place an offering there. There was a small alcove beside where I found the feather, I think I will leave it there, but I will do some sort of meditation or ritual on the rune outcropping first. I shall do it tommorow.
I welcome anyone elses input into this...

Peace...
UnSolon

Rick
November 15th, 2001, 12:51 PM
...without actually seeing it, sounds like you may have found a grouse feather... in Animal Medicine, grouse represents the Good Mother, & dancing the Spiral of Life...

Armitage
November 15th, 2001, 11:27 PM
Any chance you could scan it? I'm curious about this...

Lavender
November 15th, 2001, 11:45 PM
*nods* I would love to see a pic of this feather too. I've been going through my "Birds of Coastal BC" book trying to see if anything fits the description.

UnSolon
November 16th, 2001, 03:01 AM
Okay... well I'll try.

Here is a picture of this feather. Its not scanned, but using a digital camera, mind you the camera, and the light in this room is not exactly the best, so the colour does not come out perfectly, but I hope you get the idea.

UnSolon
November 16th, 2001, 03:04 AM
Yeah, and the feather in question was the smaller of the two...

Today, after doing a ritual where I found the first feather I went for a three hour long hike into the woods. After about an hour of hikeing I came across some more feathers. I found three exquisit white eagle feathers... they are really long, and gorgeous.

I gathered three feathers but there were more there, but I did not feel like being greedy, even though no other human will probably ever go to that spot before the feathers have returned to the earth.

Here is a picture of those three feathers, the golden feather, and another eagle feather I have. It sorta looks like the french Fleur de lys.

Peace

Armitage
November 16th, 2001, 08:07 AM
Given the size, it looks like some sort of songbird's, my first thought was that of a flicker of some sort.

talamh
November 16th, 2001, 08:32 AM
There's a Robbie Robertson song from the CD Red River Ensemble that goes -

I gave my love a golden feather
I gave my love a heart of stone
If you find a golden feather
It means you'll never lose your way back home.

Maybe it is also significant that you found the golden feather on a new moon.

Do you know a First Nations Elder you could ask? i would think s/he would understand the signs and significances of that area and be able to offer an interpretation.

Thank you for sharing this with us, UnSolon. The pics are very lovely.

BTW - do you keep your feathers in a red-lined feather box or wrapped in red cloth? That is a tradition i learned from the local Mi'kMaq here... especially eagle feathers. And it is also respectful to "feed" the feather by putting a bundle of tobacco (a ball of tobacco about as big as the first joint of your thumb wrapped in red cloth) with the feathers and renewing the tobacco regularly. This is also supposed to be done with drums.... wrapped in red cloth and fed tobacco.

bb talamh

UnSolon
November 16th, 2001, 02:50 PM
Yes it does sorta look like a song bird feather, I was thinking that myself. Someone mentioned that it could be a Grouse feather, and we do have those birds around. They are usually a light brown.

Talamh - those are GREAT suggestions... thank you. I have never actually heard about wrapping them in red fabric with tabacco, but it does sound like a good tradition. No currently, I keep my feathers on my wall. I bind the ends, the quill part, in hemp, and make a small loop at the end. That way they can be hung, or attached somewhere without hurting them.

I have never heard about the use of tabacco for that purpose. I personally dont smoke, and out here on the west coast of BC smoking in general (native or non-native) is not as much a part of the culture as it is in some parts of this country. Many people have suggested I use tabacco for ritual purposes, but since I dont smoke, and dont plan on starting, I sometimes find it hard justify going out and buying a sack of it.

I think I shall have to try and learn more about the use of eagle feathers traditionally out here, thank you for highlighting an area where I can try and learn more.

Peace

Lavender
November 16th, 2001, 04:40 PM
I usually buy a small amount of organic tobacco just to be used for offerings. You can also use sage as well. That's another good herb for rituals & offerings.

The organic tobacco can be purchased in the whole leaf form. You can buy just one leaf if you want. Gaia Gardens in Vancouver sells it that way. I don't know where you would find that over on the Island, though.

talamh
November 16th, 2001, 06:51 PM
i don't smoke tobacco either.. and i am very allergic to commercial cigarettes. But most of the poison in burning tobacco comes from burning the chemical pesticides and herbicides used in growing it.

If you can get some organic tobacco you might find it is quite different. It is a traditional gift to leave in return for something taken from nature. And burning a little in ritual is so lovely... the smell for me invokes the God very powerfully.. as desert sage for me invokes the Goddess.

The Red River Ensemble CD was something Robbie Robertson (of The Band) put together using only First Nations musicians. It is quite amazing. You might find it worthwhile to find. bb talamh

Lavender
November 27th, 2001, 02:50 PM
UnSolon, did you ever find out what kind of feather that was?

UnSolon
November 27th, 2001, 03:17 PM
:( No, I havent. OH well...