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The Healing Wisdom of Birds – Lesley Morris - Stork

medicine; fertility, family dynamics, ancestry

family: Ciconiidae

diet: frogs, insects, small birds, lizards, rodents

habitat: open farmland, marshy wetlands

The stork has an interesting mythology, conjuring up images of familial unity and fertility. Who doesn't remember the story of babies being delivered by storks when our Parents really didn't want to discuss the "birds and the bees." It is one of those archetypes that has secured its position in our minds and imaginations for decades.

The stork is a wading bird, standing 40-50 inches tall, with a 69-71-inch wingspan. They have long been considered emblems of parental care, and have been observed for centuries in their nests (often close to human habitations themselves). The stork family includes herons, egrets, ibises, and spoonbills, which should all be studied closely for their similar qualities and mythological associations.

They are symbols of fertility and the return of spring, and are strongly connected to the family as loving, nurturing parents. Stork medicine embodies changes in family dynamics and the structure of the family unit as a whole. If stork has come as a spirit guide, the energies of family and home will become of utmost concern to you. The stork will return to the same nesting site every year, which expresses a heartfelt loyalty to the home. This bird may portend a time of reconnecting with your ancestral roots and the foundations of your family structure.

The stork has no means of vocal communication, using bill clapping, body gestures, and dance instead. As a spirit guide and teacher, stork will show you how to use your actions to communicate your thoughts and feelings. It is a time to express your truth through the things that you do rather than what you say. If you are a parent this should be reflected in the examples you set for your children. The stork holds the ancient knowledge of sacred fertility dances, and reminds us that we all have the power to dance our truest desires into creation, a lesson also seen in the teachings of the grouse. You may need to look at alternative methods of strengthening your physical body by means of dance and/or yoga practices.

The stork is usually viewed as a symbol of good luck, and represents a life-long commitment to familial values.

In ancient Egypt the stork symbolized the ba, which was the unique character of every human being, or the [Higher spirit]. The old legend of the stork bringing babies comes from several ancient beliefs. It may be the old beliefs among the ancients that the souls of the unborn waited in ponds and marshes until their birth. Storks, being wading birds, were a natural choice as the bringers of new babies out of the waters of life. Another possible explanation for the myth is that many stork species nest so close to human habitation sometimes on the top of chimneys.

In ancient Greece, the stork was associated with the goddess Heraas the protector of nursing mothers, and Aristotle reported that it was a devastating crime to kill this bird. The stork was shown as the vehicle of the god Hermes in art and was often portrayed as killing snakes. This symbolism continued into Christian times, where the stork was viewed as the destroyer of evil personified by the snake. Later Christian iconographers associated the stork with piety, purity and resurrection.  In the Orient, the stork is an enduring symbol of longevity, and the Taoists use this bird to represent immortality.