Tūī

Description

Tūī

Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae

Essence: A love and commitment to explore life in its totality; liberating expression; warriorship; clarity of action; face to face fearlessness to those that hold authority; desire and creativity; the joy of communication and expression.

Use: Use when there is a loss of duende, an essential quality of life force; when feeling defeated and over-ridden by another; when there is an inability to communicate what is important; when constantly on the alert and unable to settle.

Description: The plumage of the tūī is iridescent green with purplish-blue and black feathers. Around its neck are white shafted filamentous feathers that curl around the back. Tūī have a white tuff of curled feathers at their throats. Their voices cover a wide frequency range, from bell notes to raucous coughs and melodious song. They can mimic cell phones, backing cars and even the human voice. Tūī play an important role in the ecology of the forest, pollinating plants and disseminating seeds. At communal feeding areas such as kōwhai trees, hierarchies are common, one bird defending a flowering tree or food source against all other birds. They eat nectar, fruit and insects, particularly cicadas and stick insects. 

Meaning: This remedy wakes us up. It opens up the chest so that you want to breathe and take in life. It contains a cheeky awareness, a curiosity about what is happening in the world. It opens us to experience joy and defends us from how others might perceive us or influence us with their projections. I see the tūī’s love for combat, their feathers flying, wings and beak in the midst of a head-on encounter.