White Feathers

A few weeks ago, I was on the internet and saw something about what it means when you find a white feather. Because I never see white birds (other than Seagulls at the beach), I thought the chances of coming across a white feather seemed slim, so I didn’t pay much attention to it. I quickly forgot about it and continued with whatever I’d been looking at or for.

Several days later, I took my dog out to do her business, and when I looked down, there it was—a single, pristine, white feather. I stood there looking at it and thinking how curious it was that I’d seen that thing about white feathers on the internet just a few days earlier. I say “thing” because I don’t even remember what I saw: it could have been a photo or a meme—I honestly don’t remember. Of course, as soon as I was back inside, I looked up the meaning of finding a white feather. The next thing I did (knowing that I’d be writing about my find) was go back outside and snap a picture to post with this blog entry.

When I went online, I found that different cultures have specific meanings associated with encountering a white feather; fortunately, they are all positive and represent things like purity, justice, honesty, love, and divine protection.

In Ancient Egypt, the belief was that when a person died, judgment was made by weighing their heart against a white feather, and if the scales balanced, heaven eagerly awaited that individual. If the heart was heavier, let’s just say that, hopefully, that individual was a fan of extreme heat.

Certain Native American tribes believed that white doves acted as messengers between our realm and the spiritual realm, and the appearance of white feathers warded off negative energy and symbolized spiritual protection.

Celtic symbolism says that white feathers are good omens that bring blessings, while Chinese culture views white feathers as symbolizing eternal bonds in romance and friendships. In Christianity, white feathers signify fresh starts, hope, divine guidance, and protection.

Some also believe that coming across a white feather signifies that your spirit guides/guardian angels/deceased loved ones are close by, providing encouragement, protection, and peace.

I’m not a superstitious person, but when given a choice between believing in coincidence versus a positive “sign”, I call it a sign because I like to think that the universe is sending good things my way. And with this whole white feather thing, I’m not feeling picky about cultural beliefs, either—I’ll take all of the good stuff the different cultural beliefs offer up, thank you.

Sometimes, even though it may seem silly to grasp onto and believe in things like fate, omens, or signs, I don’t see any harm in letting yourself believe in the benevolent ones—especially when they are telling you that life is good, spectacular things are heading your way and that the universe has got your back.

As for me, I’ll take all the good energy and tidings sent my way, including the ones that (believe it or not) were brought by the Northern (red) Cardinal that visited yesterday and today.