The North, realm of the hummingbird, is one of the four perceptual levels through which the Laika engage the world. These levels correspond to the four domains of manifestation of vibration and light: the physical world (our body), the realm of thoughts and ideas (mind), the realm of myth (soul), and the world of Spirit (energy). They’re stacked inside each other like nesting dolls, starting with the physical body innermost, surrounded by the mental body, the soul, and the spiritual body outermost, each enveloping and informing those within.
Hummingbird is one of several important archetypes revered by the Laika as the organizing principles of the Universe. Planted as seeds in each of our chakras, the archetypes grow and evolve based on our relationship with them. Hummingbird is linked to the sixth chakra, or “third eye,” which is located in the middle of the forehead. This is the center where the divine resides within us and where we experience our relationship to everything and everyone — along with our awareness that we are eternal beings. When this chakra is clogged, we can become spiritually arrogant, knowing facts about the sacred but not practicing them.
An awakened third eye allows the shaman to know who he is. It gives him the knowledge of the past and future and allows him to envision alternative destinies. All the desires of one with an awakened third eye come true, and if a number of healers hold the same vision, it comes true for the planet. Elders of the Hopi and a similar council of Inka medicine men and women sit in meditation envisioning the kind of world they want their great-grandchildren to inherit.
As the archetype for the North direction, hummingbird represents the courage required to embark on an epic journey. Seemingly not built for flight, hummingbirds migrate over the Atlantic every year from Brazil to Canada. When we feel we do not have enough time, money or know-how for what we are attempting, we call on hummingbird to provide the courage and guidance necessary for success. Hummingbird never loses its sense of direction or its drive to press forward, and never wonders if it has enough food or strength for its voyage.
When I work with a client who is embarking on an epic journey, I help her to connect with the energy of hummingbird. Once touched by the energies of this archetype, we are propelled on our own epic journey that eventually leads us back to our source, where our spirit was germinated.
Hummingbird’s perceptual state is that of the soul. The language of this level is image, music, poetry, and dreams — it’s the realm of myth, where the soul can experience itself on a sacred journey. In the domain of the mythic, we are all like hummingbird, on a grand voyage and yearning to drink only from the nectar of life.
At the soul level, things are what they truly are: an expression of the sacred. A house is not simply a roof over your head, it’s a home. A spouse is not merely a person you share household and child-rearing duties with, but a chosen partner, a fellow traveler on a great journey. In this state, we are able to understand the importance of breaking bread with others, and how our belly can never be adequately filled when others go hungry in the world.
At the level of hummingbird, we listen below the surface of conversations and hear their hidden messages. We understand illness to be the warning light that something needs our attention, and we don’t treat the symptom alone. If we experience a migraine, we ask ourselves, “What kind of healing is this headache calling me to?” It might be that we need to eat less chocolate, take medication, and stop putting ourselves through stress. It might also be that the way to cure our headache involves a larger journey: Maybe we need to leave an unhappy relationship; perhaps it’s time to move away from a remote rural area where we can’t find work or create a sense of community; or we might need to let go of our disappointment in our parents and our anger at them, along with our fear that we’re becoming just like them. We fix the headache by mending the soul. We see paths that will lead us back to health, and we undertake a healing journey. This is why visualization is so much more powerful than just reciting affirmations.
When we want to ensure that our future holds a desirable outcome, we need to visualize it only once from the perceptual state of hummingbird.
In a future blog, we’ll discuss the fourth level of perception: Eagle. You can read about the perceptual levels of jaguar and serpent in earlier blogs.
Image of Hummingbird by GuideYourPet.
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