42. ~ Heron ~

The great blue heron is a cousin to a bigger bird, the crane. It has a wonderful long neck and mingles well with the swan family. When it flies, a flat s-shape loop is the formation that appears because it folds its head back over its shoulder. It is also know as the 'great white heron.' They have long rounded wings. They live near water sources such as marshes, swamps, lakes, ponds, and seacoasts. They live to be fifteen to twenty years of age. The great blue is most active in the morning and at dusk. They are solitary birds and they prefer to hunt alone. The great blue heron has 'seven' different calls. There are also 'seven' different species of the heron. They eat fish, birds, snakes, frogs, crayfish, dragonflies, etc. Their enemies are raccoons, red-tailed hawks, bear, and sometimes eagles. The great blue will stand still while waiting for its dinner. They stand approximately four feet in height and they have a wingspan of about six feet. They like to nest high in the tree tops. Perhaps you have seen them resting on the crown of a cottonwood tree? To discourage an intruder invading their territory, they will throw up on them. The great blue is known to stand on one leg for long periods of time. Some conclude this is due to the design of the heron's brain allowing one half of its body to sleep, while the other half stays alert. Others believe they stand on one leg as a means of camouflage, but apparently no one truly understands why they do this!

Medicine:

Heron medicine teaches us the gift of emotional understanding. Their medicine reminds us to stick our neck out in personal issues, which we are passionate about. They teach us to be long in our patience. They tell us it is time to be still inside ourselves, until we regain our balance. Heron medicine reminds us to trust ourselves to be strong in self reliance and self determination. A great blue suggest we need approximately seven weeks to seven months to try and solve things on our own. The great blueteaches that although we may not appear to be in control of our personal affairs, we really are. It is just that we have our own unique way of handling things. The heron asks us to remember that only we know what is truly best for our own life. The heron teaches us to silently take assertive action. The medicine of the great blue heron indicates one is trying to make peace with a great 'blue' mystery in our life.