The Avian Oracle takes you on a journey into the cultural history associated with birds as well as their function in religious practices, magic, and ritual. Forty-five birds serve as guides to help interpret and personalize the messages they bring and aid you in discovering how to work with their energy for spells, dream work, and ritual, as well as spiritual and personal growth. Great or small, every bird has its own particular wisdom and magic that can enrich your life.
The Avian Oracle brings the reader into the world of birds--their uniqueness and the special affinity humans have with them. For thousands of years, birds have epitomized freedom and served as a symbol of the soul. Because they have been associated with some of the most powerful deities and sometimes represented the Divine, it is no surprise that they touch the soul and bring meaning to people's lives. The book provides background material for understanding the long, historical association humans have had with birds. Regarded as messengers of gods and goddesses, birds were believed to provide information about everyday matters through the ancient art of ornithomancy and many forms of divination. For everyone from Greek and Roman army generals and rulers to ordinary fishermen, birds served as guides that could help in many aspects of life. For the Druids, the Anglo-Saxons, Germanic tribes of Northern Europe, medieval Christian theologians, and Jewish mystics, birds were an integral part of beliefs and practices. Working with
The Avian Oracle aids in uniting the personal with the mystical and magical, the mundane with the sacred.
Sandra Kynes has lived in New York City, Europe, England, and now mid-coast Maine, where she lives with her family and cats in a mid-19th century farmhouse surrounded by meadows and woods. She loves connecting to nature through gardening, hiking, bird watching, and kayaking. Visit her website at kynes.net.
Award-winning photographer and practicing witch
Gianna Rini (she/they) is thrilled to be bringing her designs to print with
The Avian Oracle. As an avid reader and researcher, Gianna's goal is to bring alive the essence of a book through art as well as text. When not at work, she is often known to be hiding under a pile of blankets, sitting in the dark corners of a candlelit room, or surrounded by foliage. She lives in Chicago.
About the Illustrator:
Gianna Rini (she/they) is a queer artist and witch long inspired by the beauty, folklore, and darkness found in nature. She started her magical journey with the tarot as a child and soon found herself expanding her practice and becoming entrenched in the magical world.
Working with digital art, traditional pen and ink work, and photography, her art reflects her travels and the exploration of the natural world around her. As any good chaos-monger, though, she constantly finds herself collecting new mediums, pastimes, and hyper-fixations. Through her art, Gianna hopes to inspire others to look for the beauty in their environments and learn about the myths, legends, and delicate ecosystems that surround them.
Currently, Gianna works as a designer and professional witch in Chicago, offering everything from business collateral design to tarot readings. She is beyond honored to have
The Avian Oracle as her first illustrated deck and is looking forward to continuing her work as an occult artist and illustrator. You can get in contact with Gianna and find more of her work on her Instagram, @DarkFoldeArt or her website,
TheDarkFolde.com.
