Australian Magpie

This Magpie is actually a dear friend of mine.

He used to visit me at the backdoor during lockdown. He would sit on the railing and we'd play a game where we'd bob our heads from side to side, either side of an upright post. I thought I'd take the lens out one day, and this was the photo that returned. Despite his friendly nature, he looks classically evil.

For me, the black and white feathers of the Magpie represent the Yin and Yang. The concept that all things exist as inseparable and contradictory opposites. We wouldn't know light without dark, happiness without sadness, life without death. We tiptoe around the subject, but is death not the gift which gives us life? There's endless stories of people having near-death experiences, and completely changing the way they live as a result. In order to live fully, we must properly consider death.

Have you considered your own death? Do you think doing so would give you a deeper appreciation of life?

When it comes to Magpies, despite their intelligence in interacting with humans, and beautiful song, they're mostly known for their aggressive swooping during breeding season.

Though if we look beyond their aggression, we realise they're just protecting their family. They are standing up to something that is much bigger than them, to protect that which is most valuable. They swoop with courage. They swoop with love. But they also swoop with fear.

And this reminds us of the inextricable link between love and fear, Yin and Yang. Like all opposites, they are interacting continuously. It's never just one or the other.

So we must honour both, especially when people are acting aggressively, because they are likely just afraid. And if we treat their fear with compassion, and remind them that their fears are valid, over time, they can return to love.

At the very core of it, all of our actions are sponsored by either love or fear.

So in reality, in any situation, and in any moment in time, we can ask ourselves with honesty: am I acting out of love, or out of fear?