Ducks-a symbol of versatility?

 

Perhaps I’ve chosen  an unusual symbol. But hey, folks have often said  that I come up with an unusual take on things.

So here it is:

1.  Versatility is a good thing.
2.  I want to be versatile.
3.  Ducks are versatile.

“What’s that you say?”

Yeah…I know it’s quirky. But ducks are adapted to the 3 worlds in which they live: earth, water, and air. Are you resilient in your surroundings?

 

I can remember in my “back to the land” days the ducks that made their home on our pond when we lived in a octagon log cabin out in the country.

Now I often go by McNary Refugee on my way to the Tri-Cites and love that we’re on the migration path for ducks and geese. Seeing hundreds of them in their “V” flying formations is awesome!

And yesterday, driving by a small local pond right here in town, I was treated to the sight of a number of ducklings being herded by their “mom.”

You are, no doubt, familiar with the image of their cute feathery bottoms sticking up in the air as their heads disappear under the surface of the water. Perhaps you’ve even taken a moment to wonder what they see in their underwater world and if they will resurface with a water bug in their beaks.

As we observe them, we can see that ducks (and ducklings) are denizens of their three worlds:

The world of air,

The world of water,

The world of earth.

As such, they adapt themselves to be able to swim, fly, and walk, and they seek and find nourishment in more than one place. They walk (waddle?) over the ground eating vegetation and bugs, and they fly in the air to travel long distances relatively quickly. Equipped with feet that are equally good at paddling and walking, as well as wings to fly, ducks seem to be comfortable in just about any natural environment.

They are symbols of versatility and can inspire us to explore our own ability to adapt and find nourishment in a variety of places.

The next time you see a duck bottom, you might be inspired to examine your own ability to both float on the surface and to dive beneath it.

In many spiritual traditions, water symbolizes the emotions-to duck our heads into our emotions means we are able to surrender our minds to our hearts, to go into the watery realm of feeling and see what there is to see, often coming to the surface with nourishment and insights.

At the same time we share the duck’s ability to get solid ground under our feet by connecting with the earth on which we live simply by walking on it.

And finally, when we reside in our spirit, we can fly above the mental, emotional, and material realms, free of the ties that bind us to this earth. We too soar and glide and swoop on the unseen currents of air.

 So what do I do with this “symbol?” I play with it.

                I choose to be “grounded” and alert to my environment. I do what needs to be done here and now.

I enjoy “diving into” my interior world of feelings and thoughts, always looking for joy and insight.

And I choose to “soar above” my situation and see it from a higher perspective, knowing that I am uplifted and supported by something that I can’t see, but that I know is there.

So, I am curious. What “mundane” or unusual things have you found

useful as symbols,

     as reminders to you about who you are,

          or what your are doing,

               or why you are here?

Tags: ducks, symbol, versatility