As an individual of spirituality, you know very well how deeper of insights bird feathers can endow upon us to guide our way through the perils of mortal life.
On such a note, you’ll find black and white feather meanings to answer a lot of your unanswered questions and keep your reality in check at the same time.
From an avian-lover’s point of view, it’s common sense that a feather colored in black and white at the same time should come from certainly toned birds.
Whether the meanings are symbolic, spiritual or recurrent in different cultures, some of it might seem relatable to your present conditions.
So read through them and let the universe show you the way that you never thought existed!
Contents
Black & White Feather: Spiritual Meaning
The spiritual aspects of black-white feathers can actually help you see things for what they are beyond the veils and give you clarity about certain parts of life.
Source: @evgeniya_andreevna
Merger with Laws of Nature
Even mother nature has endorsed the idea of black and white that can be taken as valuable lessons in our lives. For instance, the daylight represents white while the darkness of the night aligns with the black in the mentioned feather. In hindsight, we prefer daytimes over unknowns of the night because that’s comforting.
But in doing so, we’re reaching a verdict that darkness is something negative. And when we try to understand darkness, we turn on the light to cut through it. But instead of wanting luminosity in pitch-black, we should ask for eyes that can see in the dark. Only then we can fully comprehend darkness, and finally be one with all aspects of nature.
Truth Beyond Truth
The way a feather can be both black and white at the same time, this can be stated for truth as well. It’s a reminder that truth is subjective and can vary from one person to the very next on the same, non-trivial matter.
This also places a responsibility on your shoulder to seek for the truth beyond the ones that are presented before you. Reaching the post-truth is guaranteed to cleanse your soul and offer you a closure of such magnitude that everything else would come short of that.
Path Choices in Life
Black and white feathers are like two opposite choices put together into one piece, making you question the paths you’ve chosen in the past and the one’s currently laid before you. It puts some perception to the matters really, on what could’ve been or what could be.
It stresses on the importance of your choices and the aftermath or consequence these are bound to lead to. This can weigh you down if you put too much of your mind into it. Rather, place your confidence on your upcoming paths and let that define who you are.
How We Make Meanings
Black and white are the two binary opposites that are deemed as the foundation for our present day knowledge system. These feathers not only remind you how beautifully complex human minds are, but also hints at the core method of our meaning-making using opposite concepts.
This further extends on telling your soul about the unexplored meanings in-between which we tend to miss out. Such gray areas hold utmost importance in understanding human nature and the ways meanings can be distorted. We must not take that avenue, rather remain pure of heart.
Contrastive Ideas
Another meaning for black and white feathers is the possibility of contrastive ideas within the same concept. For instance, imaginary superheroes like Batman or Wolverine are vigilantes who are saving the weak and powerless from the corrupt – because no one else will.
But at the same time they’re challenging the construction of a legal & judicial system comprising experts of the field to remain just and objective. So should we support their good deeds or find them guilty for trespassing the lines no individual should cross? These feathers will show you such notions in many corners of life.
Cycle of Life
Pay close attention to the black and white feather you may have in your hands. See how the whites suddenly end and blacks begin, and vice-versa. On a bird, such alteration of these two colors carry on and there’s no proper beginning or ending of this pattern.
It reflects the way life moves forward, or should I say travel in a circle. Whether you interpret it as the times of positivity and negativity passing by one after the other, or you think how one generation is born, matured and grown old to make room for new again – it’s up to you!
Black & White Feather Symbolisms
Symbolic meanings of white and black feathers are as significant as their spiritual implications. So don’t skip this section as well if symbolism is something you truly admire!
Source: @nature_rewilding
Don’t Judge Too Fast
We, human beings, are blessed with a lot of good qualities but at the same time are threaded with some negative traits like judging others without properly knowing about them. This is a practice that’s been symbolically deconstructed by black and white feathers with a simple idea – a feather may look black (or white) from afar, but until it’s close by, we can’t be certain of the actual color.
Coexisting without Contradicting
The manner a feather is able to hold both the white and black tones side by side without contradicting another, it symbolically inspires us to do the same in life. Life is about compromising and adjusting to the surroundings for harmony and peace. And such lessons can often be learned from symbolically-rich objects like bird feathers.
Embrace Diversity
From coexisting to accepting diversity – the journey isn’t as easy and simple as it may sound. That’s the beauty of such symbolic thinking with black-white feathers, that it not only indicates how you should go about your life but also helps you grow in the process. You must give it your everything to embrace all of the diversified entities and ideas that surround you to become the best version of yourself!
Learn How to Assess
One of the most crucial things in life we often slip up at is putting our faith in the wrong person or ideology. Although a feather of such opposite colors won’t make an assessment for you about such matters, it can certainly teach you to do it yourself through its symbolism. Remember all the spiritual lessons, gray areas in the middle of black-white and the following wisdom to aid you in this cause.
Change is on Your Way
Whether you like it or not, change is one thing that’s inevitable in all of our lives. It’s bound to happen sooner or later, so I’d say you’ll benefit more from anticipating change or even embracing it. That way, you won’t find yourself torn between holding on and letting go. That is one valuable interpretation we derive from a beautiful instance of a black and white feather.
Biblical Meaning of Black & White Feather
The Bible is always a resourceful scripture bearing valuable messages and insights about uncountable facets of life. Consider ourselves lucky as the Holy Book endows us with some insight connected to black and white feather!
Source: @flower_fairy_blumenfee
Divine Support and Protection
The way white birds embody divinity, black-white feathers implicate the support and protection of your soul from an angelic being. It could be someone you’ve lost in your past who watches over you and guards you from all the evil. Or it might simply mean that you’re in God’s good grace, so you must keep on shunning the bad and keep doing good for the longest time!
Of Good & Evil
The Holy Bible has always informed its followers about the angels and demons that are constantly in action to influence every individual. Drawing from this, the black patch of a feather represents all the demons as opposed to the angels represented with white. And they are in a constant struggle to come out on top for your cause – and it’s yours to decide who should win.
Finding the Perfect Balance
Christianity encourages balance, peace and harmony from a doctrinal standpoint. The religion is more spiritual than the followers often make it out to be and finding balance is a key goal iterated repeatedly. Take lessons from a white and black feather, see how beautifully it’s balancing the two colors, the way the Bible intends you to go about your internal conflicts.
Black & White Feather: Cultural Aspects
Apart from the spiritual, symbolic or even religious aspects, these duo-tonal feathers hold cultural significance worth pondering over, even if it’s not your own culture!
Source: @victorycrystals
African Culture
African tribes are culturally rich and their rituals are often unknown to the outsiders who don’t enjoy learning about new cultures. But black and white feathers aren’t directly connected to their root of attainments, rather it has more to do with the history of colonization.
This feather encourages everyone to recognize the brutal history of colonial intervention all over the world and the epistemological damage done to people of color. Black meaning evil and white translating to good reinforced the colonial values, and thus we must trace back to make amends as much as possible.
Chinese Culture
Two complementary notions in Chinese philosophy called ‘Yin and Yang’ teaches you similar lessons as binary opposites. The shape in black and white is a reflection of bird feathers of such colorization. It states that there’s good within evil just like there’s bad within morality. The final suggestion is that this interaction maintains the balance and harmony of the universe.
Native American Culture
Echoing the death omens of yellow birds in Native America, black and white feathers somewhat reach that question of mortality. Instead of concentrating on death alone, these feathers uphold the balance of death with life and stresses on the point of harmony and balance. Added to that, a tribute to good and evil’s existence is also paid through the symbolic interpretations.
What Birds Have Black & White Feathers?
You might wonder which birds in your vicinity might bear the flag of black and white on plumages. Well, you’d be surprised to know that there are tons of species that can shed such feathers at your doorstep. However, the most common species you might find in your backyard are mentioned below:
- Black-Billed Magpie
- Black-And-White Warbler
- Downy Woodpecker
- Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
- Snow Bunting
- Pied Kingfisher
Each of the birds here are representatives of their groups and distant relatives. With some more research, you’ll be able to identify which bird’s feather you’ve just received. Although, I’d urge you to check with your state’s law first whether it’s allowed to possess one in the first place.
FAQ
Some interesting questions have surfaced on the internet regarding our topic of discussion here. Let’s see what the netizens are asking these days from spiritual advisors.
Q: Do black crows with white feathers exist?
Ans: It may come to you as a surprise but there do exist black crows with white feathers. These sort of rare occurrences are credit of some precise type of genetic mutilation or a consequence of leukemia. Some species have white heads with full black body feathers, so your black and white feather could have belonged to a crow, among other species.
Q: What is the significance of finding a black & white feather near you?
Ans: The significance of finding such a feather can mean a lot of things, but most of them are positive. It can suggest that you need something good in life, find balance in practices, learn to look in the gray areas without settling for an opinion and so on.
Q: Can black & white feathers indicate death or loss?
Ans: Black or white feather alone can indicate death or loss, but when both of the colors are embedded on one feather, it never conveys such a meaning alone. It has to do with opposites referring to where there is death, there is life.
Thoughts
Our spiritual, symbolic and socio-cultural passage of black and white feather meanings reaches a concluding point now.
Out of many concepts that’s been discussed in this article, there are many takeaways to be applied in your daily life, thinking procedure and behavior that can help you for the good.
Spiritually, you’ll be able to learn to balance out your hectic duties with moments of relaxation which are much needed for both of your body and soul.
Cultural significance is equally important and that’s one of the main reasons I’ve put religion and colonization under adjacent categories – to look into the gray area.
Lastly, your emotional growth should never be avoided because it’s an essential factor to move forward with your life in the healthiest manner.
