Animal Powers
For being such a hippie at heart I certainly have to laugh at my arms length relationship with animals. I adore them from a distance! I don't know, I've just never been one to cozy up to a ball of fur but that doesn't mean that I don't have a love of animals. My kids seem to have the same approach to our counterparts in this world. They smile from ear to ear when they spot a squirrel but ask them to pet a dog and oh boy, they back off about ten paces in a heartbeat. I always wished I was better at befriending animals but hey we are who we are, right?
Beyond the occasional trip to the petting zoo or nature center my kids don't have a lot of hands on experience with animals. But that doesn't mean that we aren't in awe of them everyday. The beautiful thing about children and artists is that imagination is always working overtime to make every situation a potentially magical one! And that is exactly the case with the feather pictured here...
This feather, and many others since , holds what we call "animal power". We make a game of it although I know our play most certainly has a rich history. It is believed in many cultures present and past that animals hold deep insights and are often times messengers of some kind, bringing gifts to those that are able to tap into their spiritual powers. The artist in me is well aware of this otherworldly connection but with the kids, exploring this knowledge on the surface is all we need to bring a bit of magic into our day.
Once my son picked up a blue jay feather in the woods and I quickly looked up the symbolism of the blue jay on my phone. He then inherited those "powers" for the rest of our walk (or until the feather slipped out his pocket back onto the ground). Some of the characteristics held by the blue jay are intelligence, curiosity, patience, and heightened imagination. Perfect!
Other ways to take on "animal powers" are to spot a rare one while out (for us that might be a dragonfly, owl, snake, etc.). Or perhaps find one that appears in the shape of a cloud! What if you hear the sound of a frog? Was it speaking to you? What did it have to say? There are so many ways to connect to animals and tap into the way they inhabit this world (and others!) if you just open yourself up to imaginary play...
Here is a great article from "Mother Natured", that will help kids begin to classify their finds:
And animals most certainly have Super Powers too! http://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/10-animal-superpowers.htm
Book for adults on the amazing power of animals:
