Of all animal totems, the Blue Jay power animal jumps out at me as being the most in tune with the entrepreneurial spirit. If you have started a business, or are thinking of doing so, this bird can inspire you!
I’m going to write about the Blue Jay power animal because that’s the type of jay we have in my neck of the woods (Michigan’s Upper Peninsula). If you live out west you may be more familiar with the Steller’s Jay, which is in the same genus, Cyanocitta. Both share many of the same characteristics and sport beautiful blue coloration. There are other types of jays, too. They are all members of the Corvidae family, which they share with crows, ravens and magpies.
Here are a few ways in which Blue Jay power animal symbolism resonates with entrepreneurship:
- Communication. The Jay’s blue color is associated with the Throat chakra – your communication center. Not only that, but Jay has a penetrating voice and is not afraid to use it! Some people may think it is obnoxious, but Jay performs an important service by sounding the alarm against predators. When you start a business, think of your Blue Jay power animal. Don’t feel shy about self-promotion. You’re doing the world a service by sharing your gifts! You can’t help anyone if they don’t know you exist. (By the way, Jay’s voice isn’t always raucous. He is a songbird, and makes a beautiful gurgling flutey call in addition to his famous jeer. He is also a master imitator, and will mimic hawks and many other birds. Just like smart businesspeople take ideas from many sources.)
- Taking action. Jay doesn’t just sound the alarm. He follows up with swift, decisive action, often driving off predators many time his size. Whatever you do
in your business, you’ll find that things won’t happen just by talking about them. You’ve got to beat your wings to earn your rewards! - Shiny objects. Blue Jays love shiny things and will incorporate bits of foil and other treasures into their nests. It’s common for socially conscious entrepreneurs to feel guilty about enjoying the beautiful and pleasurable things in life. Blue Jay tells us it’s A-OK.
- Being resourceful and prepared. Like all corvids, Blue Jay is an opportunist, and highly intelligent. Jays eat a wide variety of plant and animal foods (although they have a special fondness for acorns.) Blue Jays have a special pouch in their throat that allows them to carry more food than their beaks can hold. They will also store food in caches to enable them to survive periods of scarcity. If you run your own business, you would do well to emulate your Blue Jay power animal and stash away an emergency fund to get you through the rough patches. 😉
- Networking and partnerships. Blue jays are highly social. They often mate for life and both parents cooperate to raise the young. Jays will often congregate in large flocks, and they communicate with each other through a wide range of gestures and vocalizations – rather like a bunch of businesspeople at a conference!
Finally, the Blue Jay power animal has a connection with higher thought and clarity of vision. And here’s something awesome to consider: its habit of burying extra food is thought to have helped replant our oak forests after the glaciers receded from the last Ice Age. A fitting symbol for the regenerative role the entrepreneur who is truly aligned with her higher purpose plays in society, don’t you think?
About the Author:Â
Ona Christie Martin is a writer, artist, energy worker, marketing consultant, and serial entrepreneur who helps awakened souls achieve crystal clarity on their purpose in life and business. To lean more about working with her, schedule a discovery call with Ona here.Â
Hey, perhaps you could give me some insight into blue jay behavior. Last year we had a nest of bluebirds. I began feeding them meal worms. At the end of the season when the bluebirds had moved on, both the robins and the jays discovered the meal worm feeders. Obviously they love them. The robins wait patiently for the worms. On the other hand, the jays not only recognize me, they recognize my car and they will follow it. If the feeder is empty, a jay will fly right up to the kitchen window to squawk at me. He or she looks me right in the eye- very direct communication.
As relates to my specific question – recently I’ve been finding shiny paper-type or foil objects on my deck. The objects are small, like a gum wrapper or a small piece of foil-lined paper or actual foil. In other words, lightweight so a bird could carry these objects. Our gates are locked and we have a big German shepherd, (who the birds appreciate because this is prime hawk hunting territory and all the birds know that when the dog is outside they are safe from the hawks), so I doubt a person is getting into my yard and dropping shiny stuff on my deck- plus my deck is nowhere near the boundaries of my yard. It’s not as if someone can toss an open gum wrapper over the fence onto my deck. And we only have neighbors on one side.
Could the jays be leaving these shiny objects? Is this possible? Lately I’m wondering- since I’m finding them daily- if they are leaving them in exchange for the worms I feed them. If they want to put them in their nests certainly they have every opportunity to return and pick them up. But they don’t. Thanks!