Stork

The stork takes on the symbolism of all birds.  It is a wading bird and thus also takes on the symbolism of the Earth layer [see Levels and layers], the Water level, and the Air. 

It is a very key symbol, however, as the stork is a direct symbolic representation of our Higher spirit.  The universality of this symbolism is world-wide. 

Aristotle reported that it was a devastating crime to kill this bird because of its symbolism. The stork was shown as the vehicle of the god Hermes in art and was often portrayed as killing snakes – the snake in this case is the symbol of kundalini energy and the ‘killing’ is not so much killing the experience as ensuring the energy became balanced.  In the Orient, the stork is an enduring symbol of the immortality of the Higher spirit as opposed to the soul and the Taoists use this bird to represent both the Higher spirit and immortality.  In ancient Egypt the stork symbolized the ba, which was the Higher spirit.

Storks and babies

 

In some cultures a baby or tiny seed is also a symbol of the Higher spirit.  It links with the symbolism of the child. 

It is ‘your soul in its purest state’, in effect you have been through the process of purification and you are reaching symbolic Dawn on the spiritual path.  You are nurturing this new you and are well on the way to annihilation – becoming your higher spirit.  And so the stork became linked with babies and the delivery of new embryos, as well as Spring [an alternative symbolism to Dawn].

The Bird with no voice

One interesting feature of the stork is that it has no ‘cry’, no song, no means of vocal communication.  In real life it uses bill clapping, body gestures, and dance instead. Our Higher spirit communicates using symbols not words, every dream is symbolic, every vision is symbolic, if words are used they are only ever used as symbols, as such the symbolism is very consistent with what actually happens.

Storks and chimneys

Finally many stork species nest close to human habitation sometimes on the top of chimneys.  Chimneys are themselves symbolic, we have included the diagram of the Mind and its funnel and chimney with the Higher spirit sitting figuratively speaking on its nest at the top and the ‘smoke’ of thoughts rising up the chimney of our perceptions as they reach towards the Higher spirit.  Prayers heading up to the realm beyond.

The red line [admittedly a bit of a crooked chimney] represents our perceptions heading up to the Higher spirit

 The perverting influence of Christianity

Only Christianity has destroyed the symbolism.  By eliminating the Higher spirit from anyone’s understanding, they then had to invent a new symbolism and so they adapted it by using the stork as the destroyer of evil personified by the snake. Later Christian iconographers associated the stork with piety, purity and resurrection.

And you should rightly ask yourself the question - why?   A very poor contrived substitute for its real meaning.

Observations

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• Armenian Folk-Song - The Stork
• The Healing Wisdom of Birds - Lesley Morris - The Stork
• The Healing Wisdom of Birds – Lesley Morris - The pantomimic dance of the Armenian araghil
• Tom Berman - Storks
• Ursula Kollarin flies