Samhain Publishing Ltd Weblog

Do You Believe?

Signs. Omens. Portents of things to come. For the Celts and other ancient cultures (and many modern ones) keeping your eyes open for these natural and supernatural clues were part of everyday existence.

I think that may be why peoples who live in close touch with nature tend to have prayers that cover every task, every waking moment of the day. A glance through the pages of the Carmina Gaedelica reveals prayers and charms for everything from getting out of bed to milking the cow in the morning to banking the fire for the night.

It’s easy to close your eyes and imagine a work-weary housewife fervently whispering a charm over her children as she tucks them in at night, or a fisherman keeping one eye on which way the birds are flying.

Even in my urban life, I’ve become aware of and have learned to watch for certain things that tell me to be prepared. For me, it’s birds.

Birds have been my harbingers of things to come, both good and bad, at every major turning point in my life. I’m not talking about the common, everyday robin or sparrow at our feeder. These particular birds are ones I don’t normally see, and seem to be going out of their way to put themselves in my line of vision.

A few examples:

• Early in our marriage, on one of our first of many moves, a red-tailed hawk swooped out of nowhere and glided a few feet in front of my windshield. As if leading the way toward our new house and letting me know everything was going to be all right. Living in that house turned out to be an amazing experience. Since then, a hawk or other bird of prey has managed to make itself known to me whenever we’ve moved. (Which has been a LOT!)

• In labor with my first child, as we drove over curvy, bumpy back-country roads toward the hospital, a pair of ring-necked pheasants appeared standing on the side of the road. I had never seen these shy creatures up close before, and haven’t seen them since.

• When my water broke with child no. two, it was 2 a.m. Yet just outside my bedroom window I heard the distinctive cry of a killdeer.

• A majestic turkey vulture sweeping down out of the sky to fly circles around my husband and his new motorcycle—as he tooled along at fifty mph!

• Most recently, as I mashed the pedal to the floor to reach North Carolina before my father passed away, a wild turkey flew across the road (well overhead, but directly in my line of vision). I lived in prime turkey territory for years; these birds are notoriously shy of people and are seldom seen near populated areas, much less flying in plain sight.

When I saw the bird, something told me that Dad would wait for me to get there before easing into the next life, and I eased up on the gas. Dad and I had several precious days to communicate before he died in my, my Mom’s, and my sister’s arms – as numerous birds splashed and played in the fountain outside his Hospice window.

So what about you? Are omens and signs something you look for ahead of time, or something that you look back after the fact and think, “I would have known if I’d just been paying attention!”

Slan,
Carolan

PS: I will be signing books from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, June 6 at the Cincinnati Marriott North, 6189 Mulhauser Road, West Chester, Ohio, at the Readers and Authors Get Together Conference. The signing is open to the public. Hope to see you there!
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