I adore hummingbirds. The thrill of watching them return every spring fills me with boundless joy and happiness. When I travel I am so pleased to see hummingbirds in so many different parts of the world. There are over 300 species of hummingbirds. They can fly forward and backward, up and down with such great speed while swiftly beating their little wings; they can even hover in the air.
This year a ruby-throated hummingbird was the first to start buzzing around where my feeder usually hangs. I put it up quickly because I know that this beautiful bird just flew 2500 miles or more on the northern migration to the Rockies for the summer. Some continue all the way up to Alaska and fly back to Central America for the winter months. Hummingbirds are fiercely independent; they seem to love freedom as they fly everywhere with joy.
The symbolism of the hummingbird is rich and significant. It is telling you to lighten up, love, be joyful, independent, be more playful, and follow your intuition. It is telling you to expand your joyous energy in all directions. The hummingbird is a symbol for accomplishing that which seems impossible. If you pay attention it can teach you how to find the miracle of joyful living in your own life circumstances.
Native Americans paid close attention to the iridescent colors of the different types of hummingbirds believing that miracles, endurance, healing and great joy came from their colors, flying speed and strength. They made many of their prayer sticks and chants asking for rain and blessings around hummingbird medicine. Call on the hummingbird when you are feeling down, negative, harsh, distracted or worried about the future. The wisdom of this little bird is profound and a great totem to have. If it is your totem you are fiercely independent, generally positive, extremely sensitive, need time to yourself and to be outside everyday no matter what the weather conditions.