Magpies were a common sight in my childhood garden hopping round the lawn and were never given a second thought. Only in my twenties did a superstitious friend start to make me wary. One day the unusual sight of a magpie sitting on the back of a sheep (like a tick bird on a rhino) was followed by news of the death of a pet sheep I had hand-reared. Thereafter I became alert to sightings.
Riding exercise on a friend’s horse one morning I caught sight of a magpie sitting on a tree above the track looking directly at me and later passed a dead cow carcass on the road (not unusual in faming country since they are left out to be uplifted.) The horse a couple of days later fell on the road with its owner riding, caught cattle gangrene from its injuries and died. The vet said he hadn’t seen a horse with that in thirty years. That focussed my interest on a parallel universe.
Not that magpies are always unlucky though in years following, a magpie flying across the road usually meant delays or accidents ahead.
The old magpie rhyme – one for sorrow, two for joy, five for silver, six for gold – flitted through my head when I was selling my first flat. On Hampstead Heath as I was dog walking, a congregation (mischief) of magpies was gathered, all six of them. Hmm, I thought and hey presto the sale went through at a much better price than expected. Gold indeed.
On the good news front as well, my first ever sighting of a Pileated Woodpecker, a sparkling red, white and black dandy, coincided the same day an exceptional career opportunity came in.
Having become focused on bird meanings I drooped when I saw Green Finches (= illness), beamed with enthusiasm when I saw Herons (= new beginnings) and Hawks (= fly highest so blessings from above, except if you are a rabbit of course).
Three trips to St Kilda one year, the furthest north-west of Scotland’s islands, next stop North America, would have defeated even Asbolus. Tens of thousands of gannets, fulmars, guillemots, kittiwakes and puffins did not stir up any messages from beyond though I did wonder about the meaning behind being attacked by an enormous Great Skua (known as pirates of the sea) as I crossed its breeding ground.
Back on the mainland, I embarked on a new relationship. The first Scilly Isles holiday together was blighted by the devastation from a recent storm of hurricane proportions. The second in France was littered with roadkill (I joke not). The roads were awash with squashed badgers, foxes, hedgehogs and rabbits. Passing a pond whereon swam a white swan and a black one I decided that was it – an incompatible if not downright unlucky association.
Retreating to an alternative healing spa in Big Sur, California to recover my balance, Pelicans were a welcoming sight on the way down. Known as Spirit Animals they represent overcoming heavy emotional burdens. Which about covered that.
In recent years there have not been many ornithological incidents of note apart from a wonderful velvet brown eagle which flew low across in front of my car the day I bought a house in the South of France.
Though there was one meaningful happening from nature. A friend dying of cancer wanted to chase a magnificent, luminous double rainbow up in the mountains so she could see both ends disappearing into the earth. I drove her up and it was a breathtaking sight. She died soon after. It came to mind a year or so later when I caught sight of another double rainbow. News of the death of a Hawaiian friend was delivered shortly after. His wife later told me in their culture the rainbow bridge was the journey to a happier life on the other side.
At present I have an office window which looks out onto bird feeders and a garden with a gaggle of magpies, crows, jays, myriad small birds and the occasional red kite flying over. And the odd roe deer ambling around. Nothing untoward or other worldly.
Sceptics will point to coincidence or even hallucinations in the above stories. But most people if they are honest will admit to happenings in their lives which they could not explain but seemed deeply meaningful.
In a way I don’t care what the explanation is beyond accepting that the world is an odder place than science would have us believe.
“Science is still only a candle glimmering in a great pitch-dark cavern.” Mario Vargas Llosa
“Theory is all very well, but it doesn’t prevent things from existing.” Freud
“The rise of modern science has brought with it increasing acceptance among intellectual elites of a picture of reality that conflicts sharply both with everyday human experience and with beliefs widely shared among the world’s great cultures.” Edward F Kelly: Beyond Physicalism.
“Each science has a sort of attic into which things are almost automatically pushed that cannot be used at the moment, that do not quite fit …We are constantly putting aside, unused, a wealth of valuable material [which leads to] blocking of scientific progress.” Kohler:
What a lovely article! I remember the time we were staying in a remote cottage in Wales. My brother had died the previous year and it was the day of his first birthday since his death. I woke up to the sound of tap-tapping from somewhere. On and on it went, so I crept downstairs and there at the kitchen window was a Magpie tapping its beak against the window repeatedly, as if to say, ‘hello, I’m here.’ Such synchronous happenings feel so personal when one is grieving, like a direct message from the loved one.
What a lovely piece. The title struck me immediately as on Thursday I saw two dead magpies under a tree and another one today, a few roads away. I mentioned it to someone over lunch. Sadly, likely human interference.
I regularly experience minor “coincidences” or some sort of pre-cognition. They are never massively significant, but I take them as a nod I am in the right place and as such, I find them reassuring. Something more major is that every house I have lived in has had multiple connections to someone that I have known or come to know in my time there, always without me being aware initially. Hard to explain but I have a sense now that I will live where I am meant to and I need not worry too much about it. Perhaps the ancients could make more astrological connections than I am able to that explain some of the fateful elements of our lives.
There is considerable variation in the lyrics used. A common modern version is:
One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret never to be told.[1]
A longer version of the rhyme recorded in Lancashire continues:
Eight for a wish,
Nine for a kiss,
Ten a surprise you should be careful not to miss,
Eleven for health,
Twelve for wealth,
Thirteen beware it’s the devil himself.[2]
The rhyme “One for sorrow, two for joy” is a traditional nursery rhyme originating from British folklore, often associated with magpies. It is believed that the number of magpies seen predicts the weather or one’s luck. For example, one magpie is said to bring bad luck, while two magpies are considered a sign of good fortune. The rhyme has various versions, with some extending to include additional verses predicting different outcomes based on the number of magpies seen.
Wikipedia
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Wikipedia
Magpies: Counters of Fortune
Few birds are surrounded by as many counting rhymes and superstitions as the magpie, particularly in British folklore. The most famous rhyme—”One for sorrow, two for joy”—continues with different numbers predicting everything from marriages to journeys to secrets. The superstition is so ingrained that people still instinctively salute a lone magpie or look for its mate to avoid the foretold sorrow. In Korean culture, magpies represent good fortune and happy news, with their chattering believed to herald the arrival of guests or good tidings. Chinese tradition similarly views magpies positively, considering them birds of joy and good fortune, particularly when they appear in pairs. These divergent interpretations demonstrate how the same bird can develop entirely different symbolic meanings across cultures, though all recognize the magpie’s distinctive appearance and behavior as somehow meaningful and worthy of human attention and interpretation.
Birds have long been seen as messengers of the divine, carrying messages from the heavens to the earth. Their behaviors and appearances are often interpreted as omens, which can guide individuals in making decisions or understanding the future. Here are some common interpretations of bird omens and their potential real-life implications:
Black Crow: Often associated with change or transformation, a black crow may indicate a need to prepare for upcoming changes in your life.
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Owl: Known for its wisdom, an owl sighting may suggest that it’s time to trust your intuition and embrace the unknown.
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Hummingbird: Embodying joy and love, a hummingbird may indicate that positive changes are on the horizon.
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Eagle: In some cultures, eagles are revered as powerful spiritual guides, symbolizing victory and imperial power.
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Raven: In Norse mythology, ravens are known for their intelligence and ability to carry messages, often seen as harbingers of death or bad luck.
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These interpretations are subjective and can vary based on personal beliefs and the context of the observation. It’s important to consider the specific bird species, its behavior, and the circumstances surrounding its sighting to gain a deeper understanding of its potential meaning.
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Beautiful posting! Touches on the magic of nature. You had a charmed up bringing.
I used to live in the middle of a lot of acreage. We could tell when the weather was going to change based on bird behavior.