I've recently found it very therapeutic to collect feathers. I remember as a child I'd find feathers all the time and put them in my hat, or my hair etc. I'd even hard the end in my mouth even though it tasted yuckies, I'm one with the wind. Lately I've found the interest again but it's hard to find quality feathers in winter as they're usually all wet and tangled when you find them. About 6 days ago I found a beautiful purple feather in my front yard. 6 days ago I was going through a lot with my partner and I picked up this feather as a sign of sorts. It was just too beautiful and I don't know what it came off. I lost it though. I stuck it into my styrofoam worm farm like a small magpie feather I found and it just vanished into thin air one day. I've no idea where it went I searched and searched. It broke my heart really. Well we got some really good news from the doctors so maybe the feather had already played it part, maybe it was a lucky purple feather and now that it granted us luck and life, it's flown for someone else to find. That's what I hope. I was just outside before and saw something sparkle in the moonlight. It was a white feather. I have a feeling it is from a white eagle. magnificent! I don't know what I'm doing with all the feathers I'm picking up, I only have 3 but I think I'll probably dye them and make my own dream catcher or something significant to me. yeah.
I LOVE feathers! I've almost always kept any feathers I find, or I have stood them up in the ground where I find them, for some reason...but anyway feathers are special. I made a wreath several years back that hangs on the front door...all around are white feathers with hawk feathers and darker feathers accenting around and at the bottom. I may post a picture of it. The white feathers in this wreath are a mixture of found goose feathers and the dark ones are hawk feathers and other different dark feathers I've found. edit: I didn't finish what I started up there - the white feathers are a mixture of many good feathers I found at a local lake park and white feathers I bought at a craft store.
I just told my partner about the purple feather and why I was upset when it went missing. She understands now. I never told her what I thought it meant to me. She thinks it's the sweetest thing ever.
I love feathers too and I keep all of them I find. If I'm careless my cats eat them; sometimes for fun I'll just give a feather to them. My favorite are crow feathers. They are special to me for many reasons. Once I found on sticking straight up in my yard and Lynn hadn't been here that I know of, lol That feather meant for me to find it! I have another crow feather in the visor on my car. I found it in a parking lot. I have about five of them, I think, attached to my staff along with crystals and other magickal things.
I did all of that too as a kid! Usually pretended to be an indian with it. I made and used several bows as well. It was not just about having a bow and arrows to match the look: it actually had to work But now that i think of it... the bow and arrow stuff was at least as much inspired by Robin Hood.
I really like birds, and feathers too. I don't collect them, but as a kid I remember my father and I always picking them up if we found them. So lovely
I love feathers but am always a little too freaked out about diseases like avian flu to collect them. I used to pick up every feather I saw until I fell prey to fearmongering I do collect moss, interesting rocks and sticks, flowers and other such natural materials
somewhere there is a bird that shed each of those. i consider it a special kind of a gift too, when we stumble upon something like that.
I have zero concerns or qualms about bird diseases. Actually the thought doesn't even occur to me. Maybe it's my European ignorance, but I don't think there's any ill birds where I live. It's too high and too beautiful to be a haven of birds with diseases. Only the strong birds live here.
I should have died many many times as a kid through unsanitary things like picking up the wrong stuff in nature etc.
I have a few goose feathers from when we had geese. I was going to make pens but never got around to it. I miss the geese.
I think that's how you build an immune system. Eating worms and playing in mud. Hehe. I should have died in the ocean when I got caught in a rip tide once. Mountain girl don't know anything about rip tides. Well it took myself, my mum and some others out a long way. We could still touch the ground so we never realized. Then there was no ground. My mum grabbed me and told me to swim and don't look back. So I swam straight the middle of that rip tide. They say you shouldn't do that, you should swim to the sides. I swam right up the guts. I got out and told some people on the beach that the group of people needed help. They went out and saved my mum and the other people. I don't much like the ocean after that, I decided that I couldn't breathe under water, the ocean was no place for me. Besides all you find there are boring seagull feathers.
I think it is SO cool that you collect feathers. I had a long show box years ago where I kept a few that I decided to keep. I had never gotten into that before then because I was told not to because birds supposedly can carry diseases. I'm wondering if there are special liquids one can put on feathers they would like to keep just in case the feathers are contaminated. I've learned two Native American folk lores. #1 -- If a feather is in your path, it means good luck #2 -- In some tribe, it's traditional for a male to place a feather in a female's dwelling space where she can see it if he's interested in her romantically.
