Feather
This may associate with the bird from which it came. It would therefore be different if it were a chicken feather or an eagle feather. In which case look up the bird of origin. In general however, a feather suggests a thought, an aspiration or ideal. Or an incrimination, white feather. Sometimes it is a symbol of achievement as a feather in your cap, or as used by Indian chiefs to represent courageous deeds or help given to the tribe. But a feather may also suggest something that is moved by every tiny puff of wind, every passing change – a feather blowing in the wind. See Birds; Eagle
In many cultures feathers represent the quality or beauty of the bird from which they come. So an eagle feather would represent strength, pride, fierce protectiveness, spiritual insight etc.; a peacock might represent beauty, self aggrandisement. So a feather might mean you have achieved the quality it depicts. In India they symbolise spiritual awareness; a black feather might depict the unconscious, or ability to explore it; a white feather in the past was associated with cowardice, but might also represent purity and wider awareness. Feathers also represent the ability to fly, to aspire, to lift up ones life from beliefs or fears that limit you; something easily blown by the wind – so non resistance, insubstantial.
White feather: During the two world wars, white feathers were given to men suggesting they were cowards because they were not fighting in the war. See colours for possible meanings for other colours.
In Britain during the First World War it was often given to men out of uniform by women to shame them publicly into signing up. In the United States armed forces, however, it is used to signify extraordinary bravery and excellence in combat marksmanship
The meaning obviously depends upon how the feather or feathers appear in the dream. Other associations might be suggested by the way feather is used in common language.
The wearing of feathers – other than in ladies hats – lets others know what qualities you have, what skills you have, or what remarkable deeds you have done. So the feathers of an American Indian brave would have a similar significance.
Because the peacock could shed all its beautiful feathers and then grow them again, early Christians saw it as a symbol of resurrection and immortality.
Example: Margaret dreamt there was a whole lot of downy little feathers falling from the sky and covering her, like snow. The sky was full of them. She had been watching a baby eagle very high up in tree tops flying from tree to tree. She felt it was looking for it’s mother/ parents. Then a man had caught the baby eagle by a string around it’s leg and Margaret was appalled and said to him, ‘You can’t do that. You must let it go.’ Then the feathers started to fall and Margaret felt that any moment now the irate parent eagles would arrive. They didn’t but she was with her back to a wall sheltering as best she could.
While we explored Margaret’s feelings and memories connected with the dream symbols, she told me that her man friend prodded an old childhood pain which he didn’t know about. Margaret and her son had been with him and his mother for a good weekend camping. She told her son he could go play in the park while they packed the car and they would pick him up on the way out. They were all in the car and drove to where the son was and called him, he saw them and started to run towards them and then the man friend drove the car forward as if to make out they were leaving him behind. Margaret burst with pain and anger.
Example: I had a strong fantasy of the human head that had been cut off coming alive. It was me and what I had done to myself, torn my body and head apart trying to find a solution to my pain. Then I saw flesh on its cheeks. Then it was like a native mask made of various things, and feathers. The feathers predominated in the fantasy. The mask kept breaking up, leaving only a few feathers, as if it or I were all nothing. I remember saying – “There is not even a mask, it’s just a few feathers!”
With enormous certainty I realised that there was no cure for my sickness and I had struggled in vain. It was a tremendous blow – and I gave up. I mean I gave up hope, everything, and simple lay there and my whole body and mind became still.
Then I had a vision of one feather tied to a twig by piece of wool, blowing in the wind – a feather blowing in the wind. This was very stable and persistent in the fantasy. Everything resolved back to the feather blowing in the wind. It seemed like a Red Indian symbol, perhaps tied to the suspended body of the dead, but I could not understand.
Then it came to me that I had to listen in deep stillness – not think, not seek to understand, not struggle, just listen. My whole being entered into silence, gently listening as one might listen to the rain falling on a lake. Then suddenly it was known – the feather blowing in the wind – the sound of one hand clapping – the essence of human existence. Open against the sky – emptiness – enormity. I was healed.
Feather blowing in the wind: Suggests the caprices of fate; the strange contradiction of human life with its helplessness, and yet at the same time the wind and space the feather moves in suggests the infinity of the cosmos which is fundamental to our existence.
Feathers flying or falling: Possibly refers to a fight situation – feathers were flying.
Growing new feathers: Becoming a new person; undergoing great personal change; growth; in the past this was seen as a sign of resurrection or new birth.
Idioms: ‘feather in ones cap’; light as a feather; feather blowing in the wind; feather bed; feather ones own nest; birds of a feather flock together.
Useful questions and hints:
What do I feel about this feather and what does it suggest to me?
Do I connect this to a special talent or skill in my dream?
Does it indicate an achievement, as in ‘feather in my cap’?
Am I feeling blown about like a feather in the wind?
See Techniques for Exploring your Dreams; Questions; Life’s Little Secrets
Comments
in egyptian tradition, the [white] feather is a sumbol of Truth = Maat. The heart is weighed against the feather of Maat when one dies – to symbolism the weighing of the person’s integrity in life…
See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/dream-beliefs-dreamed-dreaming-dreams/
I dreamed that I picked a White feather from a bowl, what does that mean?
You have not given enough information for me to understand your dream. Things to remember when writing to us with your dream:
· Write down anything that you think might have triggered the dream or links with it in some way.
· What you associate/feel about any person, animal of object in the dream is immensely important. See Working with associations
· Put in any insights you have about people or animals in your dream – it has to be the character of them as they appear in the dream.
· Please let us know your age and gender.
· Describe any emotions expressed or indicated in the dream.
I had a dream where I was asked to travel somewhere to do a task I did not want to, and during the journey I bailed and ended up in this building with others who had bailed on their journeys. But the building wasn’t a safe place and there were people chasing us, and at some point I finally found a place to hide and it was there that I noticed these dark brown/black crusty things on my leg. I went to swipe them off when I realized they were connected to something inside my leg. I pulled and plucked and thats when these long white feathers came from. My knee. And they were these beautiful white feathers but they were speckled with little drops of my blood.
I had a dream last night that I had pain in the palm of my right hand. When I looked down at it I saw what appeared to be a thin, black splinter. As I looked closer it began to push itself out of my skin. I gently pulled, and with some pain, out came a small, black feather with a white shaft. It looked somewhat damp with with a few white particles on it, but quickly dried to reveal a sparse, shiny feather with a fluffy bottom. It was followed by several more of the same feathers, some smaller, some bigger. I was not afraid or surprised, just curious. I woke up immediately after with unexplained pain in my hand. What could this possibly mean? Thank you!
I had a dream that peacock feather is growing from my left leg near ankle,and was so careful about that feather.i want to know about the meaning.
i dreamed that … … but actually i dreamed during day time ….. i saw a peacock who was standing on the top of the building in front of my house ..and was very big in size… wind was blowing , thunderstroms … i was seeing that peacock …literally i was too scared that time … was did’nt able to move….. ( i want to know that what type of dream is? is it good or bad ?? )
Dear Ekta – What you experienced while dreaming during day time is what we call “the dream process breaking through”.
See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/hallucinations/
As you can read in this article it could be that something is pushing for attention in your life; it is a means of giving information from deeper levels within you.
The way to deal with such information is the same as you can do when it would have been a night time dream.
In India the peacock – the national bird of your country – is a symbol of spiritual awareness.
This wider awareness is also reflected in the “day dream” you had, because the peacock is standing on the top of the building.
One of the sources of the spiritual is that we have a sense of something, or an experience, that shows us a very different view of our life and the objective world than we usually arrive at through our sense impressions or our inherited cultural views.
So the storms or emotions in your (inner) life can then be seen from a much more inclusive view. Or your personal situation is seen as a part of a continuing and cosmic process. This dignifies and integrates your life into a greater whole, and can remove the sense of tragedy.
To get a deeper feeling understanding of your inner peacock that can see you through stormy times you can try “Being the peacock”; http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-on-your-dream/#BeingPerson
Anna 🙂
I had a dream that peacock feather is growing from my left leg near ankle,and was so careful about that feather.i want to know about the meaning.
a beautiful woman came to me in my dream and gave me an eagle feather and said this is not something done very often if at all then smiled and left. I tried to ask why I was given this sacred gift.
Dear Curious – Unfortunately your name does not reveal if you are male or female.
If you are male the beautiful woman in your dream may be a symbol for your anima;
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/archetype-of-the-anima-jungs-view-of-the-female-in-the-male/
The eagle feather may symbolise the gift of intuition.
Albert Einstein once said: “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.”
“this is not something done very often if at all” may reflect the former resistance you have had towards giving and receiving this gift that was actually yours already from the start; http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/the-archetype-of-the-self/
So the answer to your question “why you were given this sacred gift” may be that you have learned to be more open and receptive.
See also http://dreamhawk.com/inner-life/using-your-intuition-1/
Anna 🙂
Hi,I saw cut wings of crow soaked with blood hanging on a wall in my dream.I want to know what does it symbolizes
I dream about a white feathers
I dreamed a white bird was flying towards me buy its left wing was covered in blood
I’ve been praying a lot about tapping into my spiritual gifts, last night i dreamt about a beautiful strange black bird sitting on a high utility wire in my back yard. It sat there forever then when it took off into flight it released a long trail of its tail feathers that were all sorts of colors floating in the air which expanded and opened up really wide like a huge colourful flying kite. What does this mean?
I dream of black feather in the sky was wondering what it means
Denise – A black feather might depict the unconscious, or ability to explore it.
So how about starting to explore your dreams yourself? 😉
See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/exploring-a-dream/
and
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/dreams-the-magic-mirror-of-yourself/
Good Luck!
Anna 🙂
Hi, when birds leave feathers they are a GIFT. It is very sad to see the ignorance on this planet regarding the mysticism of the animal and bird kingdoms, and the wealth of wisdom they wish to share with us. My ongoing prayer is that man finally shed his stupidity and allow himself to realize that he does NOT rule this planet or have ANY answers for our ongoing evolution. the ONLY way we will and can evolve is through the Divine Feminine presence within everything, including man…..!!!!! but it seems that even now, 2,000 years after Christ, he still has NOT learnt his lesson… what will it take for man to learn….??????
I’ve dreamt i’m lying in bed and there is a window on my right. i can see tiled roof tops and tottering along are two huge black cockerels with a red head and really long black tail feathers.I’m telling my husband look he’s saying hush but the birds here me. one hops in and gracefully walks around my upstairs before leaving though the front door. the other is standing on my chest quite agessively.at this point i feel powerless then I’m screaming at my mothers who died 25 yrs ago?? even this morning i’m seeing these two black cockerels.
hi, i have always had a spiritual pull, and recently been trying to find out who my spiritual guid is, i was in a very deep meditation, asking my spirit guid to come forward, when i had a clear vistion of a blue and yellow bird facing me at head hight, flapping his wings almost as if startolled, the bird then turned and gracefully flew away from heading to the heavens.
i have retried to meditate and nothing, and i was told my spirit guid was an native indian man.
please can you help me to understand this image, many thanks xx