The Lark's Message
The symbolism of the lark has been popular in literature, song and mythology as well as in some of the religions of our world for a very long time. All species of larks occur in the old world and also in northern and eastern Australia, but the only true North American one is the horned lark. It carries this name because of the black stripes underneath its eyes. The meadowlark also inhabits North America, although it is more closely related to the starling, it is nonetheless regarded as a lark. The habitats of these birds vary widely and many species seems to prefer dry regions.
The cheerful little creature, singing its heart out whilst ascending into the sky, sometimes stands for daybreak, like in Chaucer’s ‘The Knight’s Tale’: ‘The bisy larke, messager of day.’ And Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29: ‘The lark at break of day arising, from sullen Earth, sings hymns at Heaven’s gate.’ Watching the lark’s typical behaviour, it is not surprising that the bird has often been associated with lovers and the observance of love, and also with church services. Sometimes daybreak took on a religious colouring, for example in Blake’s visions of the Daughters of Albion, into a ‘spiritual daybreak’. On other occasions it appeared as a symbol of humankind’s passage from Earth to Heaven and from Heaven to Earth. For some of the Renaissance painters, for instance Domenico Ghirlandaio, the lark symbolised Christ.
Larks are known for their melodious song. They only sing during their upwards flight, unlike most other birds who only sing when perched. This way of singing reminds us to look for cheerfulness and joy in our earthly existence. Larks are also very good at mimicking other birds’ songs. Maybe this is why larks have represented messengers in mythology and the older religions of our world. In Lakota/Dakota myth, larks were the messengers of the God Itokaga or Okaga. This God represented the south wind. South is the direction of the Sun, the bringer of light and warmth that gives and supports all life on the Earth and the meadowlark is associated with all these things. It is also believed to act as a woman’s medicine that brings the gifts of beauty, fidelity, happy marriage and fertility. Encountering a meadowlark is believed to be a bringer of abundance and a rich harvest, and is therefore good news.
All birds are messengers from the world of spirit. The bird’s behaviour is one of the ways the wisdom of the Great Mother tries to tell us something about ourselves and our predestined pathway through life. To me, the lark represents the human spirit that like a stone drops from the Heavens, the higher levels of life, and form there descends into Earth life. Just before crashing into it and being killed by it, this bird shows us how the spirit is capable of catching itself. Becoming aware of its true nature again, it realises that human beings too can grow wings of a very special kind and sing. And so, with a song of praise the spirit ascends to the higher and highest levels of life. Jubilantly it rises towards Heaven to be reunited with God and healed. Lifetime after lifetime we descend to Earth life and at the end of each one of this sojourns we go home and ascend into the world of spirit.
When the lark enters our field of vision, the way it is doing here, it has a special message to convey. The creature asks us to refuse to be dragged down and crashed by earthly concerns. It invites us to recognise them for what they truly are, namely studies that will only continue until every one of their different subjects has been sufficiently absorbed and understood by us. The lark then brings us a reminder to unfold our wings to lift ourselves above Earth life and perceive a greater view of the whole of life, so that with a song of gratitude and thanksgiving in our hearts lift not only our own spirit and soul, but those of our whole world, into the heartmind of God, the Heavens.
Some larks have a crescent shape across their breasts, which is thought of as signifying the lunar qualities of the bird. Astrologically, the Moon is linked with the concept of the small earthly self and its personality and the lark can be an indication of the inward journey that is necessary for the discovery of the hidden self, whose symbol is the Moon, with its light and dark invisible face. This goes hand in hand with the lark’s ability and our own for singing. As this activity can be a reflection of our deep inner self, some people believe it should only be done in private. For the exploration of this part of our nature the lark encourages us to practise letting the song of our heart and soul rise into the heights.
So, let’s have a go at this and through it tune our hearts and our innermost transmitter/receiver station into the frequency of the Angels, who are in charge of us. It has always been their task to bring the Great Mother’s wisdom and truth to us and our world. The Angels know the plan of life and us intimately. They are the ones who decide how much of the Divine wisdom and truth should be revealed at any given time.
They also have the power of granting us the gift of understanding, inspiring us and showing us how we can do our share of making our world a more peaceful and enjoyable one for all its lifeforms. Every small effort one of us makes to rise above the desires of their lower earthly nature is an invitation to the Angels to fill our hearts and souls, and every other cell and atom of our whole being with the love and wisdom of the Great White Spirit, of whom they are as much a part as we are.
Recommended Viewing:
• ‘The Lark Ascending’
This article is a chapter from ‘Leaving Addictions Behind’.
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