Two Sylvias' Weekly Muse: November 19, 2023

Issue 82

Hello Muse Readers!

If you were to look back over the poems (or short stories or essays) you have written, do you find that your work often makes references to birds? You might note within your creative writing several mentions of hummingbirds, hawks, herons, gulls, crows, eagles, sparrows, owls, jays, etc. It does seem that creative writers are often keen observers of the bird world, and we might frequently invite them into our work—after all, birds abound in symbolism: freedom, fragility, spirituality, messengers, transformation, omens, wisdom, journeying, solitude, transcendence, and isolation.

When asked about her birdwatching hobby, Margaret Atwood responded, Watching birds takes you out of yourself. It’s a flow state. Writing ideas come in sideways during such states. So perhaps it is a form of meditation.

UK psychology professor, Miles Richardson (University of Derby), recently conducted an experiment in which he studied the psychological and emotional benefits of birdwatching. Hi…