She is small but her vibration of beauty is as large as the day is bright. The Hummingbird Spirit Animal Totem teaches us that locating joy within yourself is the only defense you ever need.
Ranging from the size of a finger to the size of a bumblebee, this humming creature co-evolved with the flowers and lives on the sweetness of life. Hummingbird’s only protection in this big, random world is the power of her pure vibration of beauty. When you are happy you are strong. Happiness is a choice. The beating of the Hummingbird’s wings is in perfect harmony with her powerful, yet tiny heart. Her medicine teaches us how to match our heart’s desires to our body’s actions. Earth’s smallest bird teaches us how to pay close attention to the vibratory sensations of feelings we experience every moment and to simply move towards that which feels enjoyable and away from that which feels painful. What you focus on is what your life becomes. If you focus on the things you lack you will live in the experience of lack. If you focus on all you have and all that you enjoy, your life will become enjoyable. This is the law of vibration. She asks us to focus only on what makes us happy and what we find beautiful. This is a medicine of the heart and it speaks of harmonizing heart waves before harmonizing brain waves in any exchange.
How does what you are feeling- feel? Are you enjoying the way you feel? You do not have to continue feeling what you are feeling. You are not a prisoner of your inner life. Like hummingbird, you are a hovercraft who can move in any direction and fly away from negative experiences. Your experience is your choice. We do not live in a mandatory universe. We live in an open and ever-growing universe where all that is changes. This basic vibration of change is our true nature beyond our body, name, gender, or race. We are ultimately the motion, the vibration of change itself. Hummingbird is always asking that we dust ourselves off and return to our inherent state of luminescence that is indestructible and always only seconds away from our reach. Happiness does not occur automatically and it is not possible for the universe to impose joy upon us. We must choose happiness consciously and, in so choosing, we experience the indescribable pleasure of freedom.
Sugar is a vital nutrient for Hummingbird’s survival. Her pebble-sized heart beats so fast that she requires high-energy nectar to sustain her intensity. Her biology does not allow her to stay still for long. She must zip and zoom across vast expanses on a moments notice and this lifestyle demands close attention to energy conservation. Her high-energy flight keeps her on the verge of starvation each night and her lessons teach us the importance of eating well to fuel our bodies as we venture forth into our passions. Healthy food keeps the party going. Putting effort into finding and preparing good meals will make colors brighter, sounds crisper, and mobility more spry. The Hummingbird Spirit Animal Totem is a master of conserving energy and she only spends her time on the essentials for a happy life. Conserving energy is a mental process that involves placing your attention on that which is beautiful in your environment. If you find it difficult to find beauty in your current situation, the act of searching for it will inevitably lead to finding it. What you focus on is what comes to be. It is not possible to control your thoughts. But you can choose to replace them with a different thought. And so, when seeking to improve your inner life clarify to yourself what you would rather be thinking and feeling. Say it aloud, or to yourself. The act of clarifying will redirect your attention. If the chatter in the head is too loud, find an activity that will move you into physical concentration. It is within your power to define the quality of your experience. Follow the vibrations of enjoyment as you figure out how to live. The universe wants your joy.
We do not live ‘in’ the universe. We, ourselves, are it. All life is the creator of all life. We, the descendants of Earth, make all that we see around us. And the power of our thoughts expands that which we are. It is the grace of Free Will that enables us to chose how we wish to feel and live. The Hummingbird Spirit Animal Totem asks us to observe the quality of our feelings. She does not ask us why we feel them. She does not have any interest in understanding why you are angry, sad or frustrated. Analyzing a problem gives more of the same problematic energy to your experience. When we attempt to ‘understand’ or ‘work through’ dark difficult experiences, we often unwittingly focus on the very pain we are trying to dissolve. If in the midst of conflict, either with yourself or another, Hummingbird’s vibrational medicine suggests that you clarify what you would rather feel. When negative feelings are your focus your very focus creates more of the same negative focus. Likewise, when you place your attention on higher vibrations you create positive experiences. Hummingbird says it is time to focus on the positive. Let negative thoughts flow by and do not place your attention on them. Hummingbird medicine reminds us of the hover-craft nature of our being and of our ability to dodge and fly fast away from negativity.
When Hummingbird Spirit Animal Totem is out of balance she speaks of forced optimism, addictions, and an excess of sugar. Requiring others to meet you in your same mood conflicts with the natural law of free will. If you’ve been pushing optimism onto other people you are actually vibrating a strong energy of judgment. To achieve vibrational harmony with another person, this medicine advises that we shift our attention away from how we think they ‘need’ to be and accept them as they are. Each person is free to choose how they wish to experience life and no one is bound to anyone regardless of how many years may have gone by together. We are all free, always. Substances are taken because they are fun and it is our basic nature to seek that which is fun. Having fun is the reason we are alive. Hummingbird medicine does not place judgment on the use of substances. She only asks, ‘Is it still fun?’ If an activity is no longer fun but we find it difficult to stop engaging in it, this medicine suggests that we focus on the underlying reason why we took up that activity to begin with. Like thoughts, compulsive actions cannot be simply stopped. They must be replaced with a different action. Find another activity that brings the fun. When a flower is empty it is time to move on. Changing physical habits must be changed using physicality. It is not possible to think yourself out of an action. You must make a different action so make it physical.
Hummingbird is always asking, ‘What do you want?’ It is not possible for you to stop wanting. It is not possible for you to stop having goals, hopes, and desires. Wanting is inherent in our biology and wanting is why we are alive. Whatever you want you can get. It is a Natural Law. You only need to specify what you want and the giving, malleable universe will usher forth what you desire. When you find that you do not get what you want it is because there is an ambivalence or resistance to receiving what you want. Or there is an impatience for being on the journey as life unfolds a path towards your desires. The larger the desire, the more material must be negotiated towards you. Another reason for not getting what we want is because wanting burns. Not having does not have to be a painful experience if you open to the fact that the Universe is on your side and only seeks to unfold to you that which you desire. If you find it difficult to hold onto your desires Hummingbird has another lesson. This little bird is no pacifist. She is a Samurai swordsman and she knows how to fence. If you’ve ever watched Hummingbirds at a feeder you’ve witnessed the swordplay that occurs as both drive forth with their desires. The pursuit of happiness must be aggressive but it is not competitive. Hummingbirds do not cause actual harm in their efforts to get what they want. They dodge and deflect. They maneuver and negotiate. They dance.
Defining what you want to do in life, from what you want for dinner to the craft you wish to master, is the most important issue to clarify at all times. When you clarify your desires, small and large, the world around you is given clear instructions and the materials of Earth begin to arrange themselves per your specifications. When we are uncomfortable with what we want we are blocking the vibration of desire that will bring what we want to us. Wanting creates hope. Know what you want, speak about it often, and enjoy the process of how what you desire makes its way to you.
About the author
Jess Hagan offers life guidance in person and remotely from Los Angeles. To learn more visit Urban Healers Of LA