Spirit Medicine of Flickers - A New Rhythm is Coming Your Way

A flash of orange, an impossibly fast yet perfectly rhythmic tapping, a loud, not very musical call from across the yard.  Some people view them as pests, some as amusing, some as a sign of your life taking on a new rhythm.  I have always liked flickers, and had a profound experience with one the other day, so was inspired to look deeper into their meaning.  Turns out I like them for good reason!

My encounter was not a happy one for the most part.  We have spent many hours and dollars trying to get the neighborhood flickers to nest in the box we bought for them as opposed to trying to get through all the wire mesh at the top of our house.  The constant knocking on the wire was driving our dogs crazy, and after a year of them not giving up, we decided to offer them a great condo with a view.

Amazing flicker photo by Craig Johnson; borrowed with respect

The first year the starlings fought the flickers and won, taking over the nest.  Don't get me started on starlings... The other day I heard him knocking in the general area of the flicker box.  Excited, I looked around for him.  The knocking continued even though I could not see him anywhere.  Turns out he was stuck inside the pillar facade on our front porch.  Hours later and a hole in our pillar, a very tired and scared flicker finally gets free.  Towards the end, he was actually helping me make the hole from the inside; me chipping away from the outside and him pecking from the inside.  It was if he knew I was making a hole for him to get out.  Unfortunately when I look in the hole, to my great sadness I see a dead flicker. 

The next day my husband removes the deceased flicker and seals up the top opening with mesh, and proceeds to find a dead flicker in all three pillar facades.  Greatly saddened and so relieved I saved at least one, I knew there was a message here (besides the poor design of the pillars!)

Flickers are master percussionists.  As a member of the wood pecker family, they have perfected the use of drumming with their beaks.  They can call a mate, designate their territory, and very effectively create a nest hole to perfect size.  They keep a clean nest and share the responsibility of parenting.  If you too have a desire to provide for and protect your family, Flicker might be your power animal.  If you feel you need a little help in that area, ask Flicker to assist you!

Woodpeckers symbolize change coming to you - a new rhythm to embrace.  They say to listen more clearly, to both the obvious and subtle changes that are occurring around you.  They ask you to use innovation and your smarts to come up with a solution to your current challenge.  Keep trying different ways to get the outcome you need.  They also help us find the rhythm of Mother Earth.  Feel it in your heart, and let it flow up your feet.  If a woodpecker comes into your life, they are asking you to step up and help heal the earth.

Flickers have a specific message.  The bright salmon/gold color under their wings and tail, the red streak on their head, and the black streak at their neck all have significance.  ​​They spend more time on the ground than most woodpeckers, making them even more connected to earth and sky energy.  The red on their head symbolizes the connection of our upper chakras. Red stimulates creativity and physical stamina, needed to embrace the change flicker says is coming your way.  The crescent black shape at his chest symbolizes a new moon, also a time of change, of newness.  Since it is at the heart this change will go deep into your core essence.  The orange-gold color that flashes as they burst across the sky represents strides forward in your intuition, coming in dramatic and memorable ways.

They have 2 toes in the front and 2 in the back of the foot, helping them balance perfectly on the sides of trees (and my house!)  Ask Flicker to help you find the balance within your growth and even daily activities.  Flickers are non-aggressive birds, finding balance in all things.  For example, I just filled the feeders out back, and while the scrub jays are fighting among themselves, the flicker waits patiently on the fence, and simply swoops in, takes some suet, and moves back out of the way.  How can you simulate that in your life?  I know it is a lesson I can get some help with!

​This is just a start of what Flicker means, here is a great article to learn more, and here too. What I like about the message is that it has so much depth about change coming my way.  Flickers are action oriented and speak of immediate yet balanced and calculated change.  I feel like I have been waiting for this and with the dramatic way Flicker came to me, I think that says the time is now. 

What Can You Do with This Information?  READ HERE about how to actually use animal spirit medicine in your life.  As I am typing this, the flicker is literally knocking on my house.  Not stuck thank heavens, but still trying to get through that wire mesh!  

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Blessings of Balance and Newness to You,
Claire