Smooth Transitions To Our Tweetie Bird

[rabid1st]

In the early morning hours, around 2:00 am today, our beloved lovebird, Tweety, died. He was 19 years old, which is a remarkable age for a lovebird. And he had been suffering with a painful condition for the last 16 months or so. He went into remission in January, and we thought we had solved his issues, but his condition deteriorated again over the last two weeks. Judging by the continuous screaming, he was in unrelenting pain. Only cuddles gave him some temporary relief. And, of course, we could not cuddle him at night. He went quickly, from serious distress to shock to gone in about fifteen minutes. We called the emergency vet, but they were miles away and said they would only euthanize him. So, he died traumatically, but with me holding him close. His little eye looked up and me and finally closed and he went limp.

We feel like we should have done more, had him checked by someone before the burial...or saved him somehow. But he had a long and mostly good life. In the wild, a predator would have killed him the first night he screamed like that. And most pet birds die within five years.

On the Shaman side of things, I believe death is simply a transition. Energy is never lost, but simply moves from the body to another state. The univese is never wasteful with energy. My SO went out for a walk this evening and a baby bird flopped down in front of him on the sidewalk. He called me and asked what to do. And, well, I've "rescued" baby birds before...and been chided by bird experts for ruining the poor bird's life. The upshot is, you shouldn't move baby birds that have a parent nearby. So, I told my SO to look for a parent. Sure enough, there was a cardinal watching.

SO took a photo of the baby with his phone and I searched it. It was a baby cardinal...and fully fledged. So it was right not to pick it up. Just the universe telling us that life goes on. And, as a plus, Cardinal Medicine says..."You should be proud. Not with ego-pride, but because you do a good life-affirming job. You help others." Thanks for that Tweetie Bird. We needed the sign.

Comments

[auntiesuze.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry for your loss, but it sounds like Tweetie lived quite a life! Perhaps Tweetie had all the birds stirred up yesterday because I had some amazing sightings. A bald eagle landed on the rocky point across the stream and took a bath for the longest time. And the loon (a quite unusual sight in this area as they aren't particularly fond of tidal rivers), still in its winter plumage, took umbrage to the eagle and was calling out warnings to anyone who would listen (I love the haunting sound of loon calls). And I saw an absolutely gorgeous male cardinal at the feeder off our porch - I wish I could have gotten a photo of him.

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Suze. And he did have quite a long life. And he certainly loved us, because birds won't cuddle with just anyone. LOL

Ah, the Cardinal Medicine comes to you as well. You have been having an auspicious week.

Not sure if you know or not...but the word auspicious means "The birds are watching." The Greeks thought Zeus used birds to keep an eye on us all. While, of course, the Judeo/Christian religion tells us, God has his eye on the sparrows.

We don't have loons here, as far as I know. So they've never come in Medicine for me.

But...here you go...Loon Medicine is all about keeping your dreams and wishes alive. It represents lucid dreaming and the re-awakening of old desires. And the Eagle is all about self-esteem and self-confidence. Given that your Eagle was bathing, he probably represented a refreshing of your self-confidence. So, you had quite the spiritual encounter there. A thumbs up from the universe for you, I think. GRIN

[auntiesuze.livejournal.com]

It's definitely been a heck of a week and the birds seem to be confirming it! I did not know that about "auspicious", very interesting. I've seen the eagles a lot lately - they are so, so beautiful and powerful, soaring over the water. But seeing the bathing was quite unusual! The mergansers are always out there playing and splashing, but seeing the eagle do it was amazing (and fun!). Guess my self-esteem needed to have the cobwebs dusted off. :)

The loon sighting was incredibly rare. Though they have been known to appear in this area, my mom said it's been a very long time (maybe 10 years) since she'd seen one here. They prefer lakes and non-tidal waters, so this isn't their ideal spot. Boy, you can't miss that call, though. It's so haunting. Keeping my dreams alive? Yep, that sounds about right. The birds certainly seemed to be echoing everything I've been feeling about this new job and the direction my life is headed. I love getting that confirmation - thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with me! :D

P.S. I don't have a bird icon, so I hope Tweetie can forgive me for using a happy cat. :)