Wordy Wednesday: My Crazy Cardinal

OK...since I have not participated in Wordless Wednesday for a month due to writing Limericks, this Wednesday is not going to be very "wordless", as I have a lot of stories saved up.  Please forgive me.

A few weeks ago, we had a visitor on our back patio...the visitor kept knocking on the sliding glass door but when we would get back there, no one would be around.  This happened all morning until our visitor found a seat in our bonsai tree.

He is a handsome fella, isn't he?
A very vibrant red...which we learned matched his "anger" over the next two days.

You see, cardinals have some major spunk and ours was no exception.  He spent two days defending "his" territory (uh - my backyard, Mr. Cardinal) against well...himself. BOL

It seems he did not like the "ghost cardinal" (his reflection in the sliding glass door) being in his territory and he pecked at it, flashed his tail feathers at it and basically flew around attacking the sliding glass door like a crazy bird.

See for yourself:



Since he stuck around for TWO whole days - got here in the early AM and did NOT leave until well into evening - Ma and I thought:

Is the cardinal trying to tell us something?  Is he some sort of omen?
I noticed that some other pals had seen cardinals recently too, so we did a little research and...well, let's just say that Sweet William the Scot saw one and when we told him one of the symbolic meanings he was none-too-pleased and called me a "soothsayer".  (I guess my timing can be impeccable.)

So, here is what we found out...in no particular order...take whichever symbolic meaning you prefer and leave the rest for someone else.  BOL

Symbolic Meanings of the Cardinal
1.  A big part of the cardinal's symbolism comes from the male's brilliant red color.  The red against a backdrop of winter snow reminds us that warmth, passion and vibrancy are available to us.

2.  The cardinal can remind us to carry ourselves with pride.  He asks us to stand taller, be a bit more regal and step into our natural confidence and lead with grace and nobility.

3.  The red of the cardinal is a symbol for us to recognize the gifts of love and friendship that we have in our hearts to give to others.

4.  Yoga practitioners believe the cardinal represents blood - the life force - which is related to survival, identity, health and security.

5.  The cardinal's red color represents the blood of Christ shed for the redemption of mankind in the Christian religion.  (Here is where Ma and I looked at each other with that "Huh?" look in our eyes...since our crazy cardinal was hanging around during Lent.)

6.  (This is the one Sweet William called me out on - BOL)  The cardinal is a harbinger of faith, reminding us to "keep the faith" through troublesome or trying times.

7.  The cardinal symbolizes vitality - a balance of intuition, perseverance and strength, the cardinal offers safe passage into the realm of personal power to realize one's goals and dreams.

8.  Those who attract the cardinal as their totem are naturally energetic, love life and happily help others where and when they can.

9.  There is also something about the number 12 - cardinal eggs hatch in 12 days, the cardinal is a year-round (12 month) bird - and the number 12 indicates a turn of events in one's life.

Have you seen a cardinal recently?
For the most part, the cardinal's symbolic meanings are quite positive.  Now if only I could figure out which one(s) apply to me and my crazy cardinal.

Happy Wednesday!