Explore the cultures of birds
Many kinds of birds are used in religion as symbols of all different types of things. The first bird that was employed as a symbol was the dove. The dove stood for the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, when Jesus was baptized the Holy Ghost descended in bodily shape as a dove upon Him. The dove was also used as a symbol of peace as it brought a bough of an olive-tree to Noah as a sign that the flood of anger was at an end.
Sometimes in symbolical writing the dove stands for rest: 'Who will give me wings like a dove, and I will be at rest?' (Psalm 54:7). It also stands for simplicity, innocence and love: Be ye therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves (Matthew 10:16) Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled. One is my dove, my perfect one.
The Pelican is also connected to Christ as a result of its tendency to pluck out its breast to feed its young. It is known to be the symbol of self-sacrifice and is associated with Christ.
The Phoenix is a symbol of resurrection and eternity. According to legends this bird has eternal life, when reaching its five-hundredth year it committed itself to the flames of a funeral pyre, only to rise re-born form its own ashes. Some used it as a symbol of the soul of the damned.
The Eagle is a symbol of Christ and His heavenly nature, of renewal by baptism. It is also an symbol of St. John and the Evangelist as the eagle can gaze upon the shining orb of the sun with steadfast eyes, so can Christ gaze enlightened upon the refulgent glory of God the Father. Many refer to the strong eye of the eagle.
In Obeah (witchcraft and wizardry) bird eggs are also considered sacred. They believe that when someone steals an egg he they will keep stealing until their death.
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