Cardinal Moon

We are winding up February with a beautiful, bright Full Moon!

In keeping with this year’s project of bird moons that connect with Spring Bird, I chose the second full moon of 2021 to be the Cardinal Moon.

Cardinals never fail in pulling our attention to them. Their bright,  red feathers signal us to look at them and notice their vitality, which stands in stark contrast to achromatic winter. Their whistling bird song demands that we listen. We drink them in. They make us smile. They remind us to pay attention, to watch, to listen, and to be our own signal makers within our own lives. What do we have to say? What do we have to show?

On a personal note, cardinals are representations of my deceased grandfathers. Since I never really knew my grandfathers, a cardinal sighting is also a reminder that my ancestors are with me – even the ones that I have never met. 

I think I have told this story before, but during our first year at Spring Bird. There was a cardinal that would sit on my neighbor’s car who parked  in the street as they were building their home. Not only would this cardinal sit on her car, it would greet us as we drove down our driveway – following us home. 

Cardinals are bright, vivacious birds that never fail in inviting us to pay attention.

Happy Cardinal Moon!

#imagedescription An illustration of a male and female cardinal perched on bare branches with a small moon in the distance. The branches are black. The background is composed of black and white sheet music. The birds are vibrant red watercolor.