Magpie Totem

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Permalink Reply by Slaying Crow O'Hagan on March 20, 2010 at 12:38am

MAGPIE

Magpie - The Cunning Prophet

Keywords:

Opposites. The Cunning Prophet. Daredevilry. Monogamy. Friendship. Irrational Fear. Material Security. The Protected Home. Spiritual Protection. Hoarding. Change. Omen. Prophecy. Divination. Reconciliation of Emotional or Spiritual Opposites. Wight Attraction. Journeying in Otherworlds. Witchcraft. Bilingual. Multilingual.

General Description:

The magpie is a colourful bird with predominantly bold black and white plumage. They tend are quite noisy, and have one of the most developed 'vocabularies' in the animal world. They are well known for their raucous calls. Magpies are found throughout the world in many different habitats. They are adaptable, and can be found in or around cities, scavenging off food scraps. They are omnivorous, and are not fussy with what they eat. Magpies will eat almost anything, from pine-nuts to invertebrates to baby birds to carrion to berries etc.

Magpies are monogamous, and raise several offspring together in a family unit. They make nests which are well-known for their fortress-like size or strength. They are also known for their habit of collecting and hoarding bright and shiny objects, and using them to decorate their nests or living spaces. Magpies are extremely intelligent, they can be tamed and taught to speak.

Brief mythological associations:

There are many tales on the magpie available both on the internet and in publications. Further research will yield a trove of information on this creature. The magpie has a great many etiological tales and fables associated with it, such as the Finnish folktale of 'why the magpie has a long tail.' The magpie is generally seen as an ill-omen in many western societies, and a positive omen of love in many eastern communities. They are associated with witchcraft, magic, divination and prophecy. They are also associated with wight-lore, and the symbolism of bridges.

Lessons:

Please remember that if this animal is contacting you, it will often be the best resource for teaching you what its lessons are. What I write is only intended to be a guide, it is not absolute, nor is it infallible.

- The magpie teases eagles and other predatory species in front of its magpie friends, in order to win higher status, better mates, and sometimes simply for the risk of it. Magpie represents risk-taking for prestige and daredevilry. It might be time in our jobs or amongst colleages, to take risks in order to win favours. It might also be time to be a bit of a daredevil, and face the fact that sometimes we have to put ourselves on the line around others in order to grow. We can't just take risks when no one's looking.

- The magpie comes into our lives to tell us to focus on our homes, is our home protected? Do we have the luxury of material security? Magpie brings these aspects into focus.

- Magpie is an animal that comes into our lives to tell us that it's okay to have irrational fears. Magpie helps us confront that which we irrationally fear, and does so in a gentle and compassionate manner.

- Magpie, with their dualism of colour and representation in culture as both a good and a bad omen, represent duality and binary opposites. The specific focus on this duality tends to be on a reconciliation of emotional or spiritual opposites. It is time to balance opposing emotions, like anger and compassion, or spiritual opposites, like the mysteries life and death.

- When magpie comes into your life, chances are there are a few wights (spirits) in your life as well. Magpie represents wight-attraction, and might imply a time in your life where you might be more obsessed with faeries, and goblins, or unicorns and dragons, far more often than usual.

- The magpie has long cultural links with witchcraft and many aspects associated with this. In particular, the magpie is associated with omens, prophecy and divination. When magpie comes into your life, it might be time to start strengthening these aspects in your spiritual life, or alternatively it might be time to start paying attention to the omens, dreams and hunches you might be getting.

- Magpie comes into our lives to either represent that part of ourselves that collects and hoards bright shiny thoughts or objects, or to suggest that we might want to start collecting the things we value, instead of leaving them in shopping centres, or in books.

- The magpie is the cunning prophet who comes into our lives in order to help us to use prophecy and divination in ways which are clever and even stealthy. We are able to divine for great personal gain, and the gain of others, with magpie as a totem or a spirit guide.

- Magpie teaches us to take joy in the process of change, to recognise that it is not a laboursome event, but something to look forward to as it will very likely bring a new and exciting nourishment to our spirits, that we would not have had without the change. Let go of the old! Bring in the new! Cries magpie.

- Magpie is an excellent muse for those who are creative with words. In addition to this, magpie - with its complex language of body and vocalisations - represents the significance of voice. It is time to understand the impact of your voice and your speech upon others, and the impact of other people's speech, tone and words on yourself.

- Magpie is a greatly magical creature, and tends to confer spiritual protection upon you once it enters your life.

If you have Magpie as your Totem:

People with this animal as a totem will often manifest traits similar to the animal itself. I work on the philosophy that we only have one totem, and it teaches us lessons as well as representing the core aspects of our personality. Therefore -

- Magpie people make fast, staunch and loyal friends and it only takes a great amount of betrayal to drive them from your side. Magpie people are also very concerned with family cohesiveness, and will do just about anything for their children and their partners, to make sure that their home is running in order.

- Underdeveloped magpie people want everyone to know what they think about them. This can be seen as an almost inappropriate form of divination. They tend not to possess tact when it comes to sharing spiritual secrets with others. This can be a great source of frustration to the people around them, but the magpie person is only trying to help, and over time will learn sophistication in association with psychism, divination and prophecy.

- Those with magpie medicine tend to teach people life and spirit truths in the way they live their lives, and in the council they give through words and writing. Magpie people tend to write down their wisdom, or say it eloquently. They don't often specifically desire to lead intensely spiritual or solitary lives, because family, children and friends are such a high priority.

There will be other ways your totem manifests, and you will recognise them with awareness and communion.

As shadow guide/totem:

The shadow totem is the animal we often fear irrationally, that teaches us things about ourselves that are profound and difficult to confront. Often the traits we fear most within the shadow totem, are the traits that we dislike in ourselves. We must scrutinise why this is, and learn how to work with them.

- People who fear magpie often have a problem reconciling opposites inside of them, they can sometimes fear the truths of their shadow side, and might not understand how the existence of traits like sadism and murderous urges can co-exist with traits that seem to find the shadow traits repellent. Ultimately, different facets of their psyche end up being repelled or vilified. Magpie teaches a confrontational lesson and forces us to accept the black and white inside of us on a level which doesn't deny any side of ourselves.

- Those with magpie as a shadow guide or totem may have problems with prophecy, divination and omens. It might only be a subtle problem, and they might try to overcome it by doing prophecy and divination themselves to try and control outcomes.

- Those with magpie as shadow guide or totem will generally have some very significant lessons to learn about friendships, partnerships and family relationships.

Contacting Magpie:

Like all animal helpers, this animal will only appear when right and appropriate, and cannot be forced to visit you, commune with you, or share messages with you. Remember that you will find methods of contact suggested here are not the 'be all and end all' when it comes to contacting the magpie, and you will find methods here or elsewhere that are far more suitable for yourself. I'm not aware of any particular methods which are less likely to make magpie visit. Invocations, chants, singing, drumming, flute, sticks, dancing etc. are all successful methods. Use of all the elements (with less success given to the element of water) are also ways one can contact the magpie. Magpie will often come to anyone who summons it, but if we aren't ready for the lessons, we may simply misinterpret their wisdom, or miss it entirely.

Permalink Reply by Slaying Crow O'Hagan on March 20, 2010 at 12:50am

The Magpie

Yearly Cycle of Power: Spring
Time of Power: Noon to Dusk
Attributes: Boldness, Voice, Gregariousness, Intelligence, Resourcefulness, Unique Approach to all Things, Eclectic, Opportunistic

The Magpie is one of those enigmatic birds that many people dislike simply because they are enigmatic. There are many birds in the world that are labelled 'Magpie's', but this article will focus on those in the Corvid family (Jays, crows, ravens) of the genus 'Pica'. Birds like the Australian Magpie are completely different and are not remotely related to the true magpies. There are four types of Magpies that can fit into this category: the European Magpie, Black Billed Magpie, Yellow Billed Magpie, and Korean Magpie. There is argument over whether these are all different types of the same species, or if they are different species in the same genus. For the purposes of this article we will treat them as one. The Magpie is a bold bird 18-24 inches long with a wingspan of 21-24 inches. An adult Magpie weighs 5-7 ounces and the males and females look pretty much exactly the same. It is a black bird with a white belly, shoulders, and partial white primary flight feathers. Its extra long tail and some wing feathers are iridescent blue green or teal. The tail is so long that it makes up half the overall length. They live in continental Europe, North West Africa, Russia, Korea, and North America. Originally it was just called a 'pie'. In fact the translation of the French name for the black billed Magpie is 'American Pie'. The Magpie can live 4 to 6 years in the wild.

What people first notice about the Magpie is probably its voice. Magpies make all sorts of sounds form 'Mag! Mag! Mag!' to 'Yak! Yak! Yak!'. They can mimic many other birds, animal sounds, etc. This is very advantageous as by imitating other animals and birds they can make other animals and birds do things. One could imitate a hawk and have a sparrow burst out of its nest allowing the Magpie quick access to a treat. Even beyond this, a lone Magpie has the talent of producing a layering of sound to make it sound as if many magpies are all in one tree. If a predator is around, this makes their task a daunting one. Attacking one magpie is easy, but if it sounds like there are 10 or so, well that's a more difficult task. Another adaptation of the Magpie is its great intelligence. It is one of the smartest birds in the world and uses this to steal, forage, gather food etc. They have a great reputation for thievery, especially of things that are shiny. People tend to think of their 'thievery' as a negative thing, but it’s an unfair judgement as all animals technically 'steal' their food in a way. You either have to forgive the Magpie its transgressions or paint all animals with the wide brush of 'Thief'. The Magpie has used its great intelligence to thrive with the expansion of humans rather than become endangered by it. They welcome the new food sources we provide and seem to expand where there are humans. Magpies are one of the few animals (and the only bird) that has been proven to be self aware in such a way that they can recognize themselves distinctly in a mirror and know that it is a reflection. Magpies are interesting in the way they move sometimes as well. They will normally walk on the ground as their standard ground movement, but when something interests them, they will often hop sideways towards it. It is unknown if this provides an advantage to the Magpie to do this, but it is indicative of their pattern of coming at things from a unique angle.

Magpies are omnivores in the truest sense. They mainly eat insects and small rodents but will also eat eggs, young birds, grains, berries, vegetables. Pretty much anything edible is considered. They have a taste for grasshoppers though and eat many of these. In fact in ancient times they were considered an enemy of the locust. They have been observed occasionally preying upon adult songbirds, much like a hawk. Magpies also will land on Moose, Deer, Bison, etc and pick ticks off them. They mostly eat them, but they have been found to occasionally just move the tick to somewhere else in the forest without killing it. It’s strange behaviour without a good logical explanation. Magpies will often cache food they have found so they can later retrieve it. It is mainly the birds of prey that prey upon Magpies. Owls are an age old enemy, taking the Magpies as they sleep, but also hawks and eagles will take magpies when they can. Humans have also not been good to Magpies. Bounties were often put on Magpies as they were villainized for stealing songbird eggs. Up to 150 000 Magpies were killed this century. The truth of the thievery and its effect on songbird populations is much different than one would think. Sure they steal an egg here or there, but studies have shown that songbird populations actually increase when magpies are in the area. This is likely due to the risk of birds of prey picking them off with the protection of a larger bird in the area.

Magpies are monogamous by nature. They will stick with one partner year after year. If their partner dies, there is evidence they gather others from the surrounding loose flock and have a sort of mourning/funeral service. I have observed this several times and it is quite a thing to see. It almost sounds like they are trying to talk the dead partner back to life. Eventually they will choose a new mate though. They are gregarious birds and keep to loose flocks. In colder weather they will often roost communally for the heat and community. They often go foraging and feeding in small parties as well. Courtship happens in the spring with the males performing elaborate dances with their wings to impress the females. The Male and Female work as a team to create a nest out of a big ball of twigs and mud. The inside is lined with roots, grasses, and hair. Often the nest will even contain shiny treasures that the Magpies have found. Anything to make it a home I suppose. The entrance is often concealed. To the casual observer the nests are a haphazard ball of sticks, but they are actually an engineering marvel taking up to 40 days to create. They breed between March and July with a clutch of 5 to 9 eggs. The Male feeds the Female while she is incubating (16-18 days) and they both share the feeding after that. The young can fly in 3 to 4 weeks and can feed with their parents after a few months. After that they tend to go off to join juvenile magpie colonies elsewhere. Magpies do not migrate. They may move lower in elevation in winter, but they generally stick to the same areas year round. They tend to avoid dense forest or open grassland, preferring the points in between instead.

Researching the mythology with a Magpie is really a tough thing. The Magpie must have had a very important and interesting mythical history before the Christians came along. This is evident as there was a concentrated smear campaign against the magpie after they showed up on the scene. It was said that the magpie represented the devil as it didn't mourn the death of Christ. Both it and a dove sat on the cross - the dove caught the tears of Christ, while the magpie seemed indifferent. The church also started a rumour that the tongue of a magpie contained a drop of blood from the devil. From this, it was theorized that if you cut the tongue of a magpie to let out this drop then it would be capable of human speech. Who knows how many magpies were mutilated as a result of this thoughtless fairytale the church created. The Magpie was associated with prophecy in a way with the following rhyme (which has many variants)

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

This depended on how many magpies you saw in a group. There is some basis to prophecy by numbers as it appears that it was folklore that if magpies were travelling in twos the weather was fair, but in ones it was not. The originating phrase was "A single magpie in spring, foul weather will bring". This piece of folklore has some measure of truth it appears. Magpies do travel in pairs when the weather is fair. Most cultures saw the Magpie as a thief, whether evil or just merry like Robin Hood. In fact, there is an Italian opera based on the thieving magpie ('La gazza ladra'). Gazza actually means magpie in Italian and is the basis for the word 'Gazette'. It’s not all negative though. Many parts of Europe honoured the magpie as it told them of the approach of wolves and armed men. In Korea, they are a symbol of good luck and happiness. In Native American folklore, wearing a magpie feather is a sign of fearlessness in some tribes as the magpie is bold and has little fear. The Magpie is featured in some creation myths as well allowing its tail to be used as a bridge for people needing to cross a river into this world. In ancient Greece, the magpie was associated with Dionysos and intoxication. Also in Greece, the 9 daughters of Peirus were turned into Magpies for boasted that they were better singers than the muses. In Scandinavia, the Norse snow shoe goddess Skadi was associated with Magpies. In a South Dakota myth, all the animals had a race to determine if the two legged animals had the right to eat the four legged ones or if it was the reverse. The Bison was winning, but the magpie was sitting between his horns. As he got close to the finish line she burst forward and won. The Magpie straddles both the inspiration and chaos archetypes.

A Magpie Totem would be a bold person if nothing else. He will be noticed and want to be noticed. On top of this they are very gregarious and friendly. One would think that this would make for a good persona to have at a party, but it doesn't always work out that way. The reason for this is that the Magpie Totem will approach all things in a non standard way. He will have their own ways of doing just about everything in life and this is discordant to a lot of people. When the Magpie Totem works in a crowd of people, he works, but sometimes that discordant individuality will put people off. These times will affect the Magpie Totem as he wants to be noticed and not in a negative way. The Magpie Totem will be very eclectic in his tastes and interests and very resourceful in finding just about anything he puts his mind to. He will always have projects on the go and many of them at once. To the outside observer it will appear to be simple chaos, but to the Magpie it’s not. He will focus on different projects bit by bit until they are complete - ignoring some for long periods before their interests bring them back that way. Magpie Totems kind of pick at things in an opportunistic manner. In love, the Magpie Totem is monogamous and loyal to one mate. He will prefer to have a partner that shares in all tasks and rewards equally. He will be quite caring but still requires outside attention, so it’s best if he is not partnered with a person that similarly needs the spotlight. In essence, two magpie totems in a relationship would not be a good idea. Nor would a pairing with a peacock be a good idea for similar reasons. The Magpie Totem will be quite adept at mimicking sounds and producing interesting sounds. He will have talents for sleight of hand and theft as well. It should be noted that the type of theft a magpie totem engages in is different from others. While a Crow Totem may be good a picking your pocket while you back is turned, a Magpie Totem will look you in the eye, wink, dazzle you with their charm all the while brazenly taking money out of your wallet. It’s a subtle difference, but important. Careers that allow the Magpie Totem to be noticed use their charm, and talents of voice and/or thievery are good. What must be accounted for is that careers where the Magpie Totems discordant individuality is a detractor. Really the entire range of arts careers are good for Magpie Totems including Actor, Musician, Painter, dancer, etc. These careers allow for eclectic eccentricism while utilizing vocal talents and allowing them to be bold and noticed. A career as a corporate spokesperson would be one that appears to be a good fit on first notice, but it is one where the discordant individuality would detract from their success. Corporate jobs are really not a good fit overall as the Magpie Totem would feel stifled being a simple 'cog in the machine'. Being more independent is truly what their career needs whether it is as an owner of a small shop, a performer, a restaurant owner, a travel agent, a writer, etc. Or several of these part time - which would serve the Magpie Totems sense of eclecticism. The important thing is that he is his own boss and does things in his way. The Magpie is a powerful totem to have and if you come across one you may want to watch out. He may charm you with his voice and smile and wink in all the appropriate places, but you may find yourself one wallet lighter.

~Written by RavenDreamer

Permalink Reply by Slaying Crow O'Hagan on March 20, 2010 at 1:05am

Totem Animal: The Magpie

Related to the crow the magpie is an intelligent and adaptable bird. Ancient folklore associated with the magpie suggests that when two or more fly into ones life good fortune is coming soon. Since magpies are opportunists and seldom miss a chance to get something for nothing those with this medicine should pay attention to subtle omens that appear in their life then act accordingly so opportunities are not missed. The magpie asks us to wake up and be conscious in every area of our life.

Magpies are curious and have a reputation for stealing anything that they can carry away. They use whatever they find and teach us how to be resourceful. Magpie medicine people have the ability to succeed in life. Those with this totem are usually eclectic and able to draw on a variety of resources to assist them in their pursuits. Being able to adapt to different situations in a spontaneous way is one of the magpies strongest attributes. Those with this totem often find that their interests are varied which make master ship of any one thing difficult although not impossible.

Magpies are extremely vocal especially in groups. They help those with this medicine learn how to use their voice to attract attention, attain desired goals as well as acquire respect from others. This applies only if this medicine is developed sufficiently. Otherwise the voice and its expression may need improvement for positive results to be obtained. Proper communication is one of the lessons that needs to be learned by magpie medicine people .

The black and white colouring of the magpie associates them to the world of magic, prophecy and witchcraft. They know how to live within the light and the dark simultaneously and understand the pros and cons of both. Magic is symbolic of creation. Occult knowledge must be understood fully before it can be used in a beneficial way. Those with this totem have the opportunity of creating a new and better life for themselves once they develop their psychic gifts completely and use those gifts with pure intention and self less service. Past life ties regarding the misuse of magic are common amongst magpie medicine people. The gift of a new creation will be offered to you only when you are ready. When the magpie flies into your life, get ready, your about to embark into the world of opportunity.

A Magpie totem helps you use whatever metaphysical or occult knowledge you have – no matter how incomplete it may be. The flip side is that Magpie people can become jacks of all trades, but masters of none – dabbling into everything. Be careful to apply your intelligence to the task and take it to its completion.

Magpies have the ability to open up the doorways to the Spirit and Fairy Realms and have been familiars to witches and if you have one as a totem, it might have been your familiar in a past life. If this is the case, Magpie will be at your side permanently, helping you as it did in the past. However, again, be careful of using occult power for quick effects and not taking the time to complete training. Misuse of magic can have dire consequences.

The magpie teases eagles and other predatory species in front of its magpie friends, in order to win higher status, better mates, and sometimes simply for the risk of it. Magpie represents risk-taking for prestige and daredevilry. It might be time in our jobs or amongst colleagues, to take risks in order to win favours. It might also be time to be a bit of a daredevil, and face the fact that sometimes we have to put ourselves on the line around others in order to grow. We can't just take risks when no one's looking.

- The magpie comes into our lives to tell us to focus on our homes, is our home protected? Do we have the luxury of material security? Magpie brings these aspects into focus.

- Magpie is an animal that comes into our lives to tell us that it's okay to have irrational fears. Magpie helps us confront that which we irrationally fear, and does so in a gentle and compassionate manner.

- Magpie, with their dualism of colour and representation in culture as both a good and a bad omen, represent duality and binary opposites. The specific focus on this duality tends to be on a reconciliation of emotional or spiritual opposites. It is time to balance opposing emotions, like anger and compassion, or spiritual opposites, like the mysteries life and death.

- When magpie comes into your life, chances are there are a few wights (spirits) in your life as well. Magpie represents Wight-attraction, and might imply a time in your life where you might be more obsessed with faeries, and goblins, or unicorns and dragons, far more often than usual.

- The magpie has long cultural links with witchcraft and many aspects associated with this. In particular, the magpie is associated with omens, prophecy and divination. When magpie comes into your life, it might be time to start strengthening these aspects in your spiritual life, or alternatively it might be time to start paying attention to the omens, dreams and hunches you might be getting.

- Magpie comes into our lives to either represent that part of ourselves that collects and hoards bright shiny thoughts or objects, or to suggest that we might want to start collecting the things we value.

- The magpie is the cunning prophet who comes into our lives in order to help us to use prophecy and divination in ways which are clever and even stealthy. We are able to divine for great personal gain, and the gain of others, with magpie as a totem or a spirit guide.

- Magpie teaches us to take joy in the process of change, to recognise that it is not a laboursome event, but something to look forward to as it will very likely bring a new and exciting nourishment to our spirits, that we would not have had without the change. Let go of the old! Bring in the new! Cries magpie.

- Magpie is an excellent muse for those who are creative with words. In addition to this, magpie

- with its complex language of body and vocalisations - represents the significance of voice. It is time to understand the impact of your voice and your speech upon others, and the impact of other people's speech, tone and words on yourself.

- Magpie is a greatly magical creature, and tends to confer spiritual protection upon you once it enters your life.

Those with magpie medicine tend to teach people life and spirit truths in the way they live their lives, and in the council they give through words and writing. Magpie people tend to write down their wisdom, or say it eloquently. They don't often specifically desire to lead intensely spiritual or solitary lives, because family, children and friends are such a high priority.

Like all animal helpers, this animal will only appear when right and appropriate, and cannot be forced to visit you, commune with you, or share messages with you. Remember that you will find methods of contact suggested here are not the 'be all and end all' when it comes to contacting the magpie, and you will find methods here or elsewhere that are far more suitable for yourself. I'm not aware of any particular methods which are less likely to make magpie visit. Invocations, chants, singing, drumming, flute, sticks, dancing etc. are all successful methods. Use of all the elements (with less success given to the element of water) are also ways one can contact the magpie. Magpie will often come to anyone who summons it, but if we aren't ready for the lessons, we may simply misinterpret their wisdom, or miss it entirely.

Permalink Reply by Slaying Crow O'Hagan on March 20, 2010 at 1:21am

George Milpurrurr's funeral, Ramingining, 16 October 1998
The dance here is of Gurrumattji (Magpie Goose), one of the high totems of Milpurrurr's Ganalbingu people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kg9u02CwwM

Permalink Reply by Slaying Crow O'Hagan on March 20, 2010 at 1:56am

MAGPIE NIKE - A FIGHTER FOR LIFE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQyXCHGIlkM
THIS IS THE STORY FOR ONE BRAVE HEART. THIS IS THE STORY FOR LITLE MAGPIE CALLED NIKE.
We have found Nike 3 months ago. He was so litle bird falled from a bird's nest. The birdie was scared and injured in this accident. We have take the bird to the veterinary surgeons and they told that the birdie has not big chance for living. Nobody (expect us) believe that Nike will survive. BUT Nike is brave bird ! He has fighted for his life almost 3 months and does not give up.
This is the bravest magpie in the world !
NIKE GO ON !
WE LOVE YOU !

Permalink Reply by Slaying Crow O'Hagan on May 14, 2010 at 5:26pm

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