mirror, diamond, donkey, crow

Last week I was walking in the front field when something shiny caught my eye. It was a diamond-shaped shard of mirror. I picked it up, intrigued with the diamond shape as well as the mirror itself, which didn't appear to have been buried, but was so clean it looked like it had been dropped from the sky. I immediately thought it might have been a crow's special treasure. I picked it up and brought it inside, and it's been sitting on my desk ever since.

Today, I took it out to take a photo in daylight, and not only is it a treasure, it's a magical little mirror. Click on the photo and see what is inside!

Sometime later last week I was out buying beet pulp shreds and noticed this little smiling donkey. I decided he wanted to come join my sandplay miniature collection, so he hopped in the cart and ended up coming home with me. But instead of taking him upstairs to my sandplay garret, he too ended up on my desk.

Here he is outside looking at the herd:

At some point after arriving on my desk, which is very crowded and necessitates my constantly shifting things to make room for other things, the donkey ended up by the diamond mirror, looking something like this:

I became mesmerized by the little smiling donkey gazing into the diamond mirror. So I left them on my desk that way for several days, just letting the two things lend their magic to my workspace, and to my daily life.

At some point I decided to do a little research into the symbolism of the diamond shape. I found that the diamond shape appears in every culture, and generally represents clarity, ascension, and wisdom - of a kind that transcends everyday life.

The diamond shape also represents breakthrough and enlightenment, as well as awakening, epiphany, new beginnings, and connections to the mystical.

In alchemy the diamond shape symbolizes creativity that is expressed via the four elements: fire, air, earth, and water, and how funneling creativity through these four elements leads us to our true creative purpose.

In Native American culture, the diamond shape symbolizes wind, and is considered a protective emblem which represents life. The four sides represent unity, freedom, eternity and balance.

If you combine this diamond shape symbolism with that of the mirror, you get all of that plus reflection, illumination, and again, enlightenment.

The donkey symbolizes versatility, intelligence, determination, stubbornness, spiritual dedication, undying faith in the creative force,  and the willingness to take on the responsibilities and burdens of others.

A lot to think about and absorb, which is why I let these two sit together on my desk for several days. Each time I looked at them I felt rejuvenated and inspired.

So today, I had a little time and wanted to photograph these two. I put them on my windowsill thinking the morning sun might be enough light to get a good picture. It wasn't, so I left them there and turned back to my desk to do something else. Within a few minutes I heard an unusual bird song, one I have never heard before today. It repeated several times.  I looked out the window and there was a big black crow, walking in circles right outside my window, arching his neck as he made the first three notes of song, and then lifting his beak into the air for the last plaintive note. 


I wondered if the crow had seen the diamond mirror and come to let me know it had once belonged to him.


I'll probably never know if that crow dropped the mirror in our front field, and I won't know if he spotted it in my window and came to reclaim it. But I do know all of these things - the sequence of finding them and their finding one another - are a gift. The diamond, the mirror, the donkey, and today, the crow. 


What has popped into your life in an unexpected but wonderful way this week? I think we all have encounters with symbols and synchronicities and if we stop and make time for them, they have a lot to say.