A week ago the beginnings of a nest were started outside my front door. Then I went away to visit two of my four grandchildren in the upstate. When I returned yesterday this is the completed nest I beheld and wondered what little bird has come to make her home on my front porch? Spring has unofficially sprung in the south and I am happy to host this tiny occupant for as long as she wants to stay. I mentioned to my husband that I wonder if we will ever get to see our house guest as the opening of the front door naturally scares her away.
This morning, shortly after the break of dawn, I quietly opened the door and I got a quick glimpse of a tiny brown blur that flitted from her nest to the nearby red maple by the porch. As she perched on a twig I had just enough time to determine if she was a sparrow or a wren. I wasn’t sure but took a mental picture in my mind’s eye. Later, I verified that she is indeed a wren…a tiny bird known for its great song. I may never get to take her picture or hear her song but I know she will be nearby especially when she lays her eggs.
I love the unique house that wren built! She chose to make her home in a mollusk shell, a Chambered Nautilus, under the safety of the porch roof where no rain can get to her. This shell has been said to be symbolic of life’s unfolding mysteries as it contains the Golden Mean Spiral with each revolution completing a cycle of evolution. The Golden Mean is represented by the Greek letter phi (with the decimal representation of 1.6180) and is one of those mysterious natural numbers that seems to arise out of the basic structure of our cosmos. Phi appears regularly in the realm of things that grow and unfold in steps just as the Nautilus shell grows larger on each spiral by phi. A cross section of the shell of the Nautilus will show the cycles of its growth as a series of chambers arranged in a precise Golden Mean spiral. The continuous curves of the spirals, which are feminine in nature, and the ratios between each of the chambers reveal the intimate relationship between the harmonics of nature and Sacred Geometry (a term used to describe the basic building blocks of the universe). This ancient science explores and explains the physical and energy patterns that create and unify all things, revealing the way that the Universe of creation organizes itself. (reference: 2muchfun.info > nautilusshell)
I am certain tiny wren with a great song is unaware of the metaphor she has brought to my attention but like all beautiful mysteries, I won’t ask why and will simply enjoy her presence with a grateful heart. The house that wren built will soon unfold the fertile mystery of new life and her song of motherhood will join the choir of birds welcoming Spring, birth, and rebirth! I will continue to visit this powerful metaphor during this season of Lent and may even get that picture of tiny wren in her house one morning. If the neighbors see me sneaking around in my bathrobe trying to take her picture, I hope they won’t call the police!
Snippets and Snatches 