The dictionary defines a zygote as "An egg fertilized by sperm."
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This natural biological process in humans and animals is the initial reproduction stage.
It is the essence of life itself, the first manifestation of a soul's entrance into the human experience.
The Dali Lama beautifully explains a zygote's intended objective when discussing how suffering can create joy.
After exploding on the scene through the birth canal, we see how suffering can quickly be turned into joy.
A child is born, and another point of attention connects to the rest of the universe.
Some children will remain lighter and vibrate higher throughout their lives. Unfortunately, due to the conditioning received and chemicals, foods, water, and other external forces in the public sphere, the overwhelming majority of the people on our planet have been so conditioned out of their natural state that they are denser, and their waves are vibrating incoherently.
What is needed is a return to the ABCs; Abundance of health,
Benevolence of being and a call to Creation. A return to quiet time and time to go within. A return to healthy grown fruits and vegetables and clean and pure drinking water.
All of this will allow the zygotes to vibrate higher from their earthly beginning.
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There is no irony that at the end of Alphabet Soup for the Soul, we are starting back at the beginning. It is intentional. It shows the cyclical nature of all things.
The Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end!
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Birds
From
Walden
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Birds From Walden
"The birds I heard today, which, fortunately, did not come within
the scope of my science, sang as freshly as if it had been the first
morning of creation." Henry David Thoreau When I moved to Walden Pond, there were many unknowns to discover, both inside and out.
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One of these unknown discoveries is the many different birds that live intentionally and peacefully in harmony, rarely seen in man.
I have arranged some of the most intriguing birds into a series of short articles for your enjoyment.
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to
front only the essential facts of life and see if I could not learn
what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I
had not lived" Henry David Thoreau
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Red Winged Blackbird
The red-winged Blackbird represents rebirth and renewal. After a long winter in the Northeast, this beautiful bird is one of the first we see softly, sweetly, singing spring songs.
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One of the songs is a whistle. A mating call that is accompanied by symmetrical body movement. The dance consists of stretching out large and circular like the sun.
As the deep cooing call comes, the red-winged blackbird spreads its wings in full display, appearing twice as large and more appealing to potential mates.
At first glance, it looks like almost any other blackbird with a bright red stripe sitting above a yellow stripe on the shoulder of the wings.
Once the mating song has been sung, the bird opens its feathers to show its prowess, displaying the fullness of its wingspan and deep colours.
This beautiful blackbird spends most of its day flying back and forth from tree to tree, opting to sit above the crowd wherever it lands.
This stunning and graceful creature directs the traffic of all the other birds around Walden Pond with his unmistakable whistling voice.
At times acting as a radio control tower, the bird can be heard clearing the runway so Canada geese can take off like jumbo jets after swimming.
It also acts as a defender of all nests and will help the other birds in the forest or pond, by distracting anyone who gets too close to them.
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This bird is a leader among birds. One who takes pride in the tribe's protector role, and it shows through the harmony that is seen in abundance around Walden Pond.
There is one particular red-winged blackbird that I have come to adore for its whimsy and innovative nature. On the comical side, the bird keeps flying into the window at the front of the house.
It will start on the ledge and try to fly upwards, attacking the two fake bird decals affixed to the window.
The fake birds are there to prevent real birds from crashing into the window, and this seems to be a counterintuitive approach for the red-winged blackbird.
This beautiful bird will repeatedly smash into and then fall back down the face of the window in a feeble and funny effort.
The innovation aspect the bird shows is in Morse code. How many humans know Morse code? Exactly!
The bird can be seen perched on the metal antenna attached to the outside of the home. Intentionally, the bird starts pecking his message into the metal frame and over the ether, communicating with other birds.
At first, it seemed unfathomable, but after continued observation, it was unmistakable. A message would get sent, and from another antenna 500 ft away, a return message would arrive seconds later.
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Back and forth, these messages would continue. I do not know Morse code, so it is unclear what the birds were communicating, but they were clearly speaking back and forth through metal rattling.
The first time I thought it must be an echo; however, the pecking patterns perceived, differed in length and speed.
In the early evening, with the sun at its back, the bird will sail smoothly toward the feeder, and the effect is, the colourful yellow and red wings appear as a solid orange.
At other times the bird can be seen exiting a tree and diving down to the cattails at the pond's edge, bracing onto a long stock as it bends but does not break. The cattail, with the bird on it, will almost touch the water before turning back the opposite way and then both will sit still, soaking up the sun.
The red-winged blackbird is the initial start to spring around Walden, and next comes the Robin, the official bird of Spring everywhere.
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Red-breasted American Robin
The Robin shows how to care for its young in many ways. One way is by regurgitating its food and putting it directly into the throats of the babies in the nest. The babies are too helpless to feed themselves and rely on the adults of the tribe for food and shelter, a trait shared by humans.
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Upon breaking out of the egg, the baby is extremely weak and tired. They can often be heard chirping for food. Their bodies are so fragile that their eyes are barely open. Even though they cannot fully open their eyes, they innately know that they need to stick their neck straight up and open their mouths to receive a meal from their parents.
The mommy and daddy birds spend their days hunting for worms and foraging the forest to support their young.
Shelter comes from relentless work, and Robins will spend their days finding hay or dead grass to weave and wrap tightly into a perfect nest. The nest is hidden as best as possible. Nests can be found in trees, on top of wood fences, and anywhere that they will be semi-protected by the elements.
The Robin will only stay in the nest long enough to keep the eggs warm. The signature eggs are so unmistakable that Crayola has named a crayon after them, Robin’s egg blue.
Once the babies are hatched, the adult bird will stay away from the nest, not too far away, but not so close that predators can easily spot the babies inside.
After a few days, the robins are ready to leave the nest. They do not travel far, though; they must first practice flying. In the days following their initial departure from the nest, the babies can be seen flying short distances at heights close to the ground.
While the adolescent birds learn to fly, the parents can be seen nearby, happy with their role in the reproduction process. I have 130
been fortunate enough to witness these beautiful button-eyed birds begin to share the joy of nature with the youngest and newest tribe members.
These birds can often be seen looking like stealth ninjas fluttering toward each other. As one bird moves in for the attack, the other jumps a couple of feet upwards off the ground, maneuvering remarkably before torpedoing downward on 45-degree angles. From my observation, whether this is a mating, playing or fighting pattern is unclear. My guess is that it is a game.
This bird signifies renewal and is one of the first of the spring.
By May, the Robin can be seen aerating lawns around North America while digging for worms.
If you see a nest, you may get close up and view the beautiful blue eggs, but please do not touch them, or momma will be mad.