A little about feathers

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Feathers, signs & synchronicities

Feathers are very beautiful objects & birds deserve a great deal of respect; they are a wonderful & magical part of our natural world… & they have been here on this plant for such a long time. But sometimes feathers take on a far deeper significance & can crop up in ways that can be both surprising & expressive. For me, they have been bound to loss & deep grief, & have been a huge part of healing.

For many people feathers are a very important aspect of the signs & synchronicities experienced in everyday life…

For me the feathers started very soon after my mother died (which in turn was very soon after my father died). They would turn up in unexpected or rather fitting places at just the right time to feel unavoidably meaningful. It wasn’t just for me either, but for my husband also. Wondering where exactly to put a certain plant in the garden suddenly there they would be, lots of them, in one of the potential spaces – & the plants are there to this day & really thriving. On my way to a grief counselling session one day (which happened to be the anniversary of my mother’s passing) as I was driving I straightened my sunglasses & couldn’t believe it – a huge, beautiful, grey feather literally tucked behind my ear – I have no idea how I’d managed not to notice it until that moment. It is exactly how my mother would have placed it. We actually had so many feathers in our lives for the first couple of years after they had passed that a lovely family member bought a beautiful glass box for us to keep them in with When feathers appear, loved ones are near engraved on the top.

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The character of the feathers in the ‘quill’ pens

When I am making the feather ‘quill’ pens & really working with all the different feathers I often feel in the presence of real magic. How they feel, how they look in different lights, the way they move – sometimes their iridescence. The colours of the feather help give a sense of meaning which is included at the back of the journal – but there is always so much more about them that there isn’t room to list. The direction they bend in (most seem to curve to the right & the future – it seems to me at least – but others have a real leaning towards the left & maybe the past)… some feel very pliable, they’ll sit with the pages & they’ll accommodate the space, whereas others that are seemingly similar at a glance seem to have a mind of their own! The colours too, no two are totally alike, there is always… something.

The peacock feathers are probably the most striking… but two of a similar size will often have prominently different colour accents (a deep purple say, compared with an emerald green or heavier shades of blue). All have been deemed top quality for crafting – but even so they vary – I had a scrappy feather the other day that refused to neaten up, & straight after it another of the ‘same’ type that was perfectly ordered & arranged.

The result is that often two seemingly similar feathers will have subtly different ‘meanings’ on their little label – it will be what really stood out during the making process.

They feel, often, like little magic wands. I love that they can write… but it feels there are a great many other potential uses for them:

• exploring the feather within your journal (can be a good place to start if unsure how to begin) – in much the same way that the crystal & the seaglass can be explored: use your senses to examine the feather & write about it, reflect on the colours & textures. You could think about the life the feather may have had when it was still with it’s bird – where it may have been, what it might have seen.
• use as a little fan to help spread cleansing smoke, incense or scent around your space or use it to gently fan a candle to help the flame to dance & to watch the shadows shift & change.
• use as an aid for meditation, gently handling the feather or simply having it in front of you to look at.

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Colours, patterns & texture:

There are some great books out there, & also sites on the internet, with information about feather colours & patterns & their meanings.

Below are very brief meanings for the colours, patterns & shapes most often encountered in the journal set feathers – which include rooster, peacock, pheasant & duck feathers:

Brown: grounding, stability, deep connection to Earth

Cream: purity, divine protection, comfort

White: peace, purity, protection, messages from the divine, angels or departed loved ones

Grey: neutrality, balance, gentle protection

Black: protection, transformation, spiritual wisdom

Blue: peace, tranquillity, truth, clear communication

Gold: divine illumination, protection, spiritual awakening

Bronze: stability, grounding, nurturing, home

Green: growth, renewal, abundance, prosperity

Purple: spiritual awareness, wisdom, personal growth

Orange: creativity, emotional balance, joy

Spotted: a blend of energies – need for balance, adaptability, integration of different aspects

Striped: balance, harmony, blending of opposing forces

Curved: flexibility, embracing the cycle of life, welcoming new or unexpected opportunities

Straight: clear paths, divine protection, alignment with true purpose

Flexible: the need for adaptability, resilience & flow

Rigid / stiff: strength, protection, being able to rise above

Narrow / slender: sharp focus, swift & precise change

Wide / plump: protection, comfort

Damaged: resilience, overcoming, healing

Right-bending: encouragement to move forward

Left-bending: looking inward, listening to your inner voice

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As an important aside, I am working out a way of making the feather ‘quill’ pens using handmade paper feathers as an alterative to the real feathers currently used as I know, & really respect, that many people are Vegan (& of course some people have allergies). I am looking forward to getting to a point where these look & work well & are really usable. I hope & believe the real feathers used in the journal sets have been gathered respectfully, & that the animals who have given them are well cared for. They have been selected as they are suitable for crafting projects & have been fully cleaned & treated.