Waking up while birds singing is one of the most relaxing, moving, and divine things which human can experience. It is not the accident that a small carving of a bird that was found in a cave in Germany turned out to be one of the oldest works of art ever seen.
In the “Book of the Symbols” (Taschen) book, we can read that the sculpture is only two inches long. Nevertheless, it is compelling in its simplicity. It makes us realize that 30,000 years ago, someone was able to switch between two worlds. From the outer world of senses to an inner world of imaginative visions. Something pushed the carver so that he began to shape a piece of ivory into a new form, an image of a bird. It was the move into a creative act that made us human. Similar things happened when we take a look at one of my other previously written posts about the stone.
For me, the birds (no matter if they are called city pigeons, crows, falcons or eagles) are the symbol of other natural laws. For thousands of years, they were symbolically linking heaven and earth.
Moreover, birds were seen as a symbol of the soul and the breath of the world. They live everywhere. We can find them in every remote part of our land. What’s most exciting, birds are among the most intelligent animals. Ravens, for example, can create sophisticated tools with their beaks and claws. Birds have their small talks and possess a sense of humor. When prisoners are coming back to society, straight from the jail, they feel as free as a bird. In our imagination, we leave our ordinary world and become the spirit free and peaceful as a bird. Throughout history, birds seemed to be seen as a heavenly messenger, who can contact Gods. The dove, for example, was the symbol of the Holy Spirit. Previously mentioned morning birds’ singing calls us to our lives.
Birds are my companion practically in my every photo journey through the streets of not only the Warsaw but also the other cities and places.
Not everyone loves the birds – doves, which I observe very often, are often considered to be a nuisance. People try to poison or even shoot them. Humans do it because they see doves as “flying rats.” For me, the same as the trees, they represent nature in the city landscape. Thanks to them, we can remind ourselves that out of city walls, there are a lot of divine creatures who wait to know them.
