Issue #27 The Magic Heron Newsletter – What bird teaches us how to avoid having a heavy heart?

Welcome to the 27th issue of The Magic Heron Newsletter, a fortnightly newsletter with a focus on journaling, writing, and learning nature’s wisdom through midlife. 

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Texas, February 27, 2022

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Hi there !

Are you ready for spring? I am! I’ve been working out of bed for a few days because of an arctic blast that rolled through. I just can’t get warm in the living room where I usually work when it dips down to single digits outside, so I crawl under the covers and work from the lap desk. 

While I was in bed, I kept hearing chirping out the window and there on the bare lilac branches were a few sparrows. They seemed to say, get up and do your work! But I was like, I am—under the covers! Since they were prodding me, maybe this will be the last of the deep cold and we can move into early spring and be more active. 

I’ve been working long hours on the new book, Homemade Spice Mix Recipes

62 Easy to Make Spice Blends and Seasonings for Vegetables, Meat Dishes and Fish. It is in the final editing phase and then I will publish it on Amazon in the next week or two. 

The Herbal Academy has their “Becoming an Herbalist” course for free through March 3^rd. If you’ve been wanting to learn more about herbs, this is a great time to start and it’s free to boot!

This week’s Newsletter Spirit Animal is the Sparrow. Read on to learn what this chirpy little bird symbolizes.

This week’s Newsletter Spirit Animal

Sparrow Symbolism and Meanings:

Closely associated with people and their buildings, sparrows are found in cities, towns, suburbs, and farms. They prefer to live close to human settlements and the constant supply of food. 

Sparrows move in clusters and derive power and protection from their numbers. They are content as a clan and share with us the message of safety in numbers. 

The sparrow is always productive, reminding us that idle hands and idle minds should be avoided. Coming into spring is a reminder too, that it is time to awaken to the next phase of your goals and planning—taking action. 

The sparrow is always busy gathering food, foraging for her nests, and gathering for her young. She is a master of flight and camouflage, teaching us to use creativity, to think outside the box, in solving our problems. 

She represents higher thoughts and ideals, beckoning us to keep our burdens light to avoid a heavy heart.

Sparrow Symbolism:

• Joy
• Inclusion
• Creativity
• Simplicity
• Protection
• Community
• Resourceful
• Hardworking
• Vigilant
• Productivity
• Friendliness
• Contentment

Sparrow guides us to have a joyful, lovely, and happy life, work hard and not sit idle. So start putting all your winter planning and goals into action now.

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Recently Published . . .

New in the Etsy Shop!

1. Letter writing – Sea Turtle Watercolor printable stationery – digital download

2. Letter writing – Sunflower Burst printable stationery – digital download

3. Stingray and Sea Plants — Watercolor — Printable Letter Writing Paper — Stationery

New Books!

1. 50 Ways to Eat Sardines: …a recipe journal

2. 50 MORE Ways to Eat Canned Sardines: . . . a recipe journal

3. Salmon Patties, Cakes and Burgers: 25 Best Fish Patty Recipes

4. Coming soon….. I’m in the final stages of editing the Homemade Spice Mix Recipes book! It will be published in the next week or two!

Blog Posts

1. New on the blog! Freebies and Resources Page – if you are looking for free printables, online courses, or are interested in learning how to start your own printable side hustle, check out the resources on the freebie page. 

Freebies and Paid Printables and Online Courses

FREE Herbal Course

1. FREE—Becoming an Herbalist Mini Course—enrollment closes on March 3^rd.

Interesting links . . .

Here are some interesting links I came across on my ventures through Internet Land this week that I thought you might enjoy

1. Easy Winter Health Formulas

2. Gardening By the Moon: How Lunar Planting Deepens Your Relationship With the World You Live In

3. 17 Types of Sparrow Birds That You Should Know

4. Bird Nesting Facts & Behaviors: When Do Birds Lay Eggs?

***I use Mountain Rose Herbs for ordering all the herbs I use. Every order I’ve received has always been fresh and gorgeous. Click here to order the herbs you need for your teas, infusions, spices, and other ingredients for your kitchen:

Mountain Rose Herbs

Journaling Inspiration . . .

1. The Benefits of Keeping a Work Journal

2. How To Start Journaling Daily: 13 Brilliant Ways Toward Success

3. Ancestor Cards—How I Did It

4. The Elusive Perfect No Sew DIY Junk Journal Binding Tutorial

Random Nature Fact . . .

The Giant African Swallowtail is one of the largest butterflies in the world with a wingspan of 9.8 inches. It is also toxic. It gets its toxin as a caterpillar when it ingests the leaves of Strophanthus gratus, a thick woody liana that grows in the treetops and has flagrant flowers. 

The plant has a high concentration of ouabain, a cardiac glycoside that is extremely toxic. This toxin has been used by the Somali tribe to poison hunting arrows. A concentrated ouabain dart can bring down a Hippopotamus causing respiratory or cardiac arrest. 

Nature Journal Video . . .

Nature journaling can connect us with nature but our most direct connection with nature is through our food. By combining nature journaling with foraging and food preparation you can enrich that connection even more. In this episode of the Nature Journal Show I bring my nature journal on a clam foraging trip and try to document the entire process from clamming at low tide to prepping the food into a delicious meal. This type of nature journaling obviously takes aspects of recipe sketching and sketchnoting and reportage.

1. Foraging and Nature Journaling a Recipe

Nature Journal Prompt . . .

Use the picture above to practice drawing in your nature journal and noticing details about this animal.

Lifespan: 4-5 years

Scientific name: Passer domesticus

Weight: 1.4 oz

Speed: 28 mph

Habitat: forests, meadows, grasslands, deserts, desert edges, woodlands, cities, parks, suburbs, backyards, farms, orchards, manmade structures

What it eats: grains, seeds, insects, commercial birdseed mixtures, will eat discarded food

What eats it: cats, snakes, raccoons, crows, grackles, jays, hawks, gray squirrels, red squirrels, will hunt sparrows or raid nests for eggs and nestlings

Did you know? 

The adaptability of sparrows is amazing! In some places, sparrows live their whole lives in warehouses. And others have been found living in a coal mine—2,000 feet underground!

What I’m watching . . .

1. We have loved the 1883 series and will be watching the last episode of the 1^stseason tonight. The writing is excellent and the music gorgeous. It pulls you in from the 1^st episode.

1883 | Official Trailer | Paramount+

What I’m reading . . .

1. I’m going back through my books on journaling and rereading The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. She helps you establish a journaling habit of writing “morning pages” every day that I’ve used for years.

What I’m listening to . . .

1. If you like background nature sounds either for working or sleeping, check out this channel on YouTube: 

KDeKay Sleep Sounds

Quote I’m pondering . . .

“The Promised Land always lies on the other side of a wilderness.”

~ ~ Havelock Ellis

Questions I’m considering journaling on . . . 

How can I follow Sparrow’s advice to keep my burdens light to avoid a heavy heart?

Journal Prompt . . . 

How has journaling surprised you? Did unexpected things come up during your journaling sessions?

Happy Journaling!

. . . Shanna

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I’ll be back on January 30th.

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Links

Shanna Lea Author website
Books on Amazon
Magic Heron Creations Notebooks on Amazon
Magic Heron Creations Etsy Shop

. . . Shanna Lea Author

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