Monday, July 09, 2007

Signs & Symbols


I often see this Great Blue Heron when I make my rounds. At first, I thought it was a rare siting. Now I've come to realize this heron is a regular, coming to roost on the end of a dock near the boat house where the slough enters the lake. The first few time I came upon it, it soon flew off, but now it seems to regard me as harmless. We stare at each other minutes on end, until I finally drag myself away. It's not budging, no doubt, because it's waiting for dinner to swim by.

I've seen it so often lately, almost every day, that I not only have started thinking of it as my great blue heron, but also wonder if it is trying to tell me something. I really do believe in signs, if we are only open to them, so I wondered if herons had any symbolism or mythology tied to them. It turns out that they indeed do. Some believe they are the prototype for the Egyptian Phoenix, symbol of rebirth. This site has a list of animals and what they symbolize. For the heron they list: Vigilance, quiet, power of water, the underworld, tact, delicacy, renewal, life, transformation.

Ok, I don't need to tie this heron to the underworld, but I can accept any of the other ones. My move to this area was in hopes of transforming and renewing my life. I have experienced the power of the water I view each day as I look over the lake. My role according to my landlord is one of vigilance (run off those trespassers!). Quiet and delicacy is something I'd like to see more of in my design work. And tact...we can always use more tact! Yes, I definitely think my heron is trying to tell me something.

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