Hummingbird Wisdom: A Path to Sweetness, Beauty, and Joy

Hummingbird Wisdom: A Path to Sweetness, Beauty, and Joy

A light tap on my home office window made me look up. I couldn’t believe my eyes as a tiny hummingbird hovered for a second and then disappeared. Immediately, I second-guessed myself. We had lived in the same house for 25 years and I was familiar with the beautiful South Florida birds that frequented my backyard – herons, egrets, mockingbirds, blue jays, ibises, hawks. But I’d never seen or heard of hummingbirds around here. That was about five years ago, and a hurricane had recently passed through so I thought this tiny hummingbird must have flown off track because of the storm. Or had I just been seeing things?

Being a long-time believer in signs from the Universe, I of course looked up the symbolism for hummingbird. Amazingly, it was all about aligning with the path of joy and that’s exactly where I was focused at the time. My youngest son had just gone off to college and as an empty nester, I suddenly had all this additional physical, mental, and spiritual space for myself. It was time to get back to my heart’s true desires, which for me is about living in joyful alignment, being my authentic self, sharing my gifts, and helping others do the same.

Meanwhile, hummingbird sightings became almost comical in my household. That itsy bitsy mischief maker seemed to only show up for me. Each time I glimpsed him or her, it was enchanting and perfect timing, but the magic seemed reserved for my eyes only. “Sure, we believe you,” (wink, wink), my family teased.

So came the first of many lessons from the hummingbirds: You don’t need to see it to believe it. And I want to add to that: Once you believe it, you will see it. Now, five years later, I’ve come to expect and know that between late October and early March, the hummingbirds will be here. In so many ways, the evolution of my connection with my backyard hummers has mirrored the creation of the Hummingbird Wisdom Oracle cards. The magic, beautiful gifts, and messages I’ve gained from these wee teachers over the last several years are not only for me anymore. As the hummingbirds have become more visible to others in my backyard (everyone in my family now sees them!), the card deck has manifested from dream to reality and is ready to be seen by the rest of the world.

A Divinely Orchestrated Partnership

When the hummingbirds appeared in my life, I had already been working on assembling some of the intuitive messages I routinely write/channel for an oracle card deck. Then it hit me as hard and fast as a territorial hummingbird divebombing a competitor – the messages so far were about the magic of the Universe, connecting with joy, and manifesting your desires, and the hummingbird was the perfect messenger to represent the deck.

It was my first go-around as an oracle deck creator and even though my idea received a couple of rejections, the guidance was so strong and clear that I knew I had to continue working on it. I began to wonder if what I was missing was an artist. Not knowing where to begin, I turned to my manifesting technique of writing down my wishes as if they had already happened. I described the kind of artist I hoped to find and threw the publisher in there, too. Then I tucked it away and forgot about it.

A few months later, I started to focus on the cards again and still wasn’t sure what my next step was. I truly surrendered it to the Universe and asked for guidance. Then the hummingbird reminded of another important lesson: Trust your impulses and intuition. About that time, my book, Crossing the Line, was entered in the Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) awards and I had joined their Facebook group, which includes a plethora of conscious creatives and businesspeople in the New Age market. For days, I was getting this nagging impulse to post my question about whether I needed an artist to move forward with my deck. I’m not a big social media person, however, so I brushed it off until one day, I almost couldn’t stop myself from going to the computer and posting it. The impulse was that strong.

Within minutes, I had a response from Yasmeen Westwood. Many of you probably know her by now for her fabulous artwork and Tarot decks, including Tarot of Enchanted Dreams and Tarot of the Enchanted Soul, but at that time, we were two strangers on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

The post exchange was helpful and general in nature, but we wound up chatting more by email. I told her about my hummingbird project and sent her one of the messages. The next day she sent back something she said she just “knocked up” – and it nearly knocked me over. Her exquisite creation was beyond anything I’d ever dreamed up in my mind and tears of joy filled my eyes. I could hear Hummingbird’s spirit whispering: “See what happens when you let go and trust the Universe to take care of the details. Magic.”  

Our partnership has been magical, indeed, and although we’ve yet to meet in person, our collaborations, and more importantly, the ups and downs of life we’ve shared in between, have created a strong soul bond between us. I’m forever grateful to the hummingbirds – and the angels and the Universe – for bringing Yasmeen into my life. 

Oh, and that majestic green hummingbird that graces the cover of the Hummingbird Wisdom Oracle is none other than that very first image that Yasmeen “knocked up” for me. We were both a little flabbergasted and delighted when the designers randomly selected that as the cover image – what a poignant acknowledgement of our divine connection coming full circle.

Playing With Hummingbird ‘MAGIC’

I’ve never had so much fun creating something as I did with the Hummingbird Wisdom oracle deck and I think that’s reflected in the final product. The hummingbirds would say: You know you’re on the right path when it’s filled with fun, flow, and ease. After all, the hummingbirds are all about playfulness and seeking the nectar, or sweetness in life. At the same time, they are courageous, fierce flyers who want us to know that we are all stronger and more powerful than we realize. One of the main messages of the deck is: You are meant to live joyfully and to shine your true colors for all to see.

As the deck unfolded, I realized that Hummingbird Wisdom is an empowering path that helps us connect more deeply with our true selves and fully embrace and enjoy our unique epic journey in this lifetime. We do that by committing to practices that still our minds, open our awareness, and create more inner peace and positivity, which then attracts more of the same to us. Drawing from that and my own personal experience, I was inspired to create the acronym, Hummingbird “MAGIC,” which encompasses some wonderful tools for cultivating a joyful, authentic, and fulfilling life. It stands for:

Many of the Hummingbird MAGIC practices are sprinkled into the guidance in the deck, helping those using the cards more deeply embody the wisdom being offered. I’ve found that regularly incorporating these tools into my own daily practice has been transformational and helped me create a more consistent feeling of well-being and unconditional love for myself and my loved ones. The best thing is that they are so easy to do and can be done anywhere, any time. All you need is an intention and desire to experience more connection and magic in your life.  

Free Hummingbird MAGIC Toolkit

If you’d like to play with Hummingbird MAGIC and start experiencing more peace and positivity, I’ve put together some fun practices and tips to assist you. The toolkit, which is available here, includes: my recorded Divine Nectar meditation; journal prompts to get you in the state of appreciation, gratitude, and celebration; an excerpt from the Hummingbird Wisdom guidebook with extra practices and tips; and for fun, some free inspirational wallpapers for your computer and/or phone featuring artwork and quotes from the Hummingbird Wisdom cards.    

Do you have a hummingbird story?

I know I’m not alone in my fascination with these mystical birds. So many are drawn to the hummingbird not only for its unique size and qualities, but also because like many birds, it often appears as a sign and a messenger when you need it most. Even though they show up more frequently than they used to in my backyard, every meeting still fills me with wonder and delight. They come and go so quickly that it’s always special to cross paths with them. I’d love to hear if you have any personal stories about visits from hummingbird messengers as I’m compiling them for an e-book. Please email me at ellen@ellenvalladares.com if you’d like to share your hummingbird story.

For now, I leave you with this one last piece of wisdom from Hummingbird: Make it a priority to fill yourself with nectar. There is so much sweetness to be found inside of you and in your world. You make a difference when you embrace your own inner magic, beauty, and love.

What's Next?

Stay tuned for Yasmeen’s and my next oracle deck, the Angels of Healing and Hope Oracle, which is releasing early next year. In the meantime, you can find our inspirational art and angel messages in the "Angels of Healing and Hope" private Facebook group or public page.

 About the Author

Ellen Valladares is an award-winning author, freelance writer, and workshop/retreat leader. A native Floridian, she grew up in St. Petersburg and currently lives in South Florida. Valladares believes in the magic of the Universe and over the last 20 years, has taught numerous classes about angels, intuition, meditation, and manifestation. Her most recent release, a mystical young adult novel entitled Crossing the Line, received several awards including a Gold Award for Teen Books from the 2019 Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) Visionary Awards. 

For more information about Ellen, upcoming events/classes, or one-on-one intuitive sessions using the Hummingbird cards, visit her website at https://ellenvalladares.com/ or email her at ellen@ellenvalladares.com. You can also follow her on Instagram at @valladaresellen