Blue jays are an awesome animal to draw inspiration from. These gorgeous birds have a very strong animal spirit and are infused with lots of great meaning and symbolism. Having a blue jay totem animal can bring you lots of comfort and strength. At the same time, delving into the varied symbolism of the blue jay can be confusing at first as this colorful forest creature can be seen as an omen of many different things and people even often disagree about this or that characteristic of the blue jay.
So, we thought we’d go over the main aspects of the blue jay symbolism and what you need to know if you want a blue jay spirit animal, a blue jay tattoo, or if you’re just noticing more and more blue jays in your life as of late and you’re wondering what’s that all about.
The symbolism of the blue jay
It’s hardly a surprise that a bird as colorful and gorgeous as the blue jay would have lots of symbolic meaning associated with it. Yet, the various types of symbolism people ascribe to the blue jay are far from associated just with its looks. So, let’s go over the 8 main points of blue jay symbolism and what the logic behind them is:
1. Intuition
The color blue typically represents inner peace, awareness, and intuition. So, it’s no surprise that the blue jay is strongly associated with all those qualities, especially intuition. That’s why people often ascribe a lot of meaning to it and suggest that the blue jay’s guidance is followed – because it’s a sign that we should follow our intuition.
2. Living a colorful life
The blue jay is a gorgeous and brightly colored animal, with other jay birds also impressive with their powerful and commanding colors. As such, this cheerful and full-of-life bird symbolizes a life marked with vivid colors and various beautiful experiences.
And it’s not just the blue jay’s color either – blue jays love to sunbathe, they are very physically active and lively, and they always seem like they live life to the fullest.
3. Communication
One of the most significant qualities of the blue jay has nothing to do with its feathers but with its voice. These birds are incredibly vocal and love to sing as much as possible throughout the day. This is why they are often seen as a symbol of open and clear communication. What’s more, they also have the color of the throat chakra.
4. Spiritual awareness
Through their beautiful voices, blue jays are also believed to often bring us warning or clarity about upcoming dangers or major life events. Listening to a blue jay is therefore believed to be very recommended if you want to achieve spiritual awareness and always be in touch with the world around you.
5. Strength of character
Blue jays may not look like it but they are incredibly powerful animals for their size – both in body and in spirit. This is the type of animal that rarely takes No for an answer and has an incredible tenacity for always going after what it wants.
6. Freedom and independence
Birds, in general, are often viewed as symbols of freedom but few fit this symbolism better than the blue jay and its “I’ll do what I want” behavior.
7. Fierce defense of those we love
When the blue jay’s nest, chicks, or partner are in danger, the bird is known to have an incredible fighting spirit, no matter the opponent. Additionally, blue jays are monogamous and mate for life. They form very strong family bonds and are more than willing to give their all in solidarity with their loved one and to protect their territory, regardless of the predator coming after them. So, it’s no surprise that blue jays symbolize fearlessness and courage despite their small size.
8. Change, mimicry, metamorphosis, and adaptation
Blue jays use their beautiful voices not just to sing but to expertly mimic other birds’ songs too. They are so good at it that they can even imitate a red tailed hawk when they want to. So, it’s hardly a surprise that these tricksters have come to symbolize mischief, change, adaptation, and a curiosity for discovering and learning new things, as well as adapting to their circumstances.
When can the blue jay’s spirit and symbolism be of help?
The best time to call upon your spirit animal is when life’s got you down and you need inspiration and strength to carry on. And those are the exact times the blue jay spirit is most useful. Here are some examples:
1. When you’ve hit a dead end
As a spirit symbolizing strength, innovation, and creativity, the blue jay is one of the best animals to focus on when you feel like your path is blocked. The blue jay can inspire us to preserve and teach us patience when we need to remind us to just trudge forward.
2. When you’re in need of confidence and personal strength
The fear of failure can be incredibly crippling and few animals symbolize the overcoming of adversary and beating impossible odds as well as the blue jay. This makes this colorful bird a great symbol to focus on when you need some strength, motivation, and confidence.
3. When you need inspiration
You don’t need a blue jay’s feather to have the inspiration to write, to create wonderful art, or to reach for the success you want in life. All you need to do is call upon the blue jay spirit for a touch of extra inspiration and boost.
The symbolism behind a blue jay dream
Dreams with blue jays can be interpreted in several different ways depending on what exactly were the contents and tone of the dream. Most commonly, people who dream of blue jays experience dreams that raise questions and leave a feeling of incompletion.
- Such dreams, even if frustrating at the time, signify the person’s need for greater spiritual communion. In such dreams, the blue jay symbolizes the elusive spiritual guidance we often need by lack in life. This can mean that you need to find a sacred and safe space where you can rest, think, or work at peace. It can also mean that you need to try some meditation or go to church again.
- Other dreams that can also feel a bit uncomfortable are those of a harsher variety, often bordering with nightmares. Seeing a blue jay in such a dream can be a sign that you are being way too harsh on yourself and on the people in your life. An alternative symbolism is that the environment you’re in is just too bad for you and the blue jay is the sign you need to start changing your life a bit more drastically.
- Another common type of dream with a blue jay is one that has the bird caged for whatever reason. Such a dream has the clear symbolism that you are feeling trapped in your life and you lack freedom and flexibility. Other caged birds in dreams can also share this symbolism but blue jays are the example we encounter most often.
- Lastly, you may also see a blue jay and some other colorful forest birds in your dream behaving a tad too arrogantly and boisterously toward you. Such annoying dreams can have one or more blue jays pestering the dreamer and hackling them from afar.
Such dreams symbolize a feeling of being overcrowded with unwanted advice from people, getting mixed messages, and feeling afraid that someone has put you on the wrong path. In other words – such dreams mean that you’ve gotten some bad guidance in recent times. Such faux blue jay symbols should clearly not be followed lest they lead you further astray.
The symbolism of repeated blue jay sightings
Seeing a blue jay in nature, in your back yard, or in a dream can easily be ascribed to just a coincidence. After all, nothing of what we’re saying should be applied to every single chance sighting of a blue jay. Sometimes a bird is just a bird.
What if you keep seeing blue jays over and over again, however? Obviously, if it’s in the same spot, it might be that the bird simply nests nearby. If you are having repeated sightings at various locations, however, this can be seen as a symbol of guidance and good luck.
The symbolism of seeing a flock or a pair of blue jays
Similar to the above, seeing a pair of blue jays might be just due to them mating nearby. As a symbol, however, a pair of blue jays can be a very powerful double guiding spirit. It can also be seen as a symbol of an upcoming promising relationship with a soul mate that shares your values and outlook on life.
Similarly, encountering a flock of blue jays flying in a particular direction can be seen as a very potent sign of spiritual guidance – that you need to follow a specific direction in your life instead of pulling in multiple directions all at once. The blue jay may be seen as a symbol of independence and strength in some contexts but seeing a flock of blue jays is a stark reminder that even a strong and independent person still needs to work with others from time to time.
The blue jay symbolism across ancient myths and legends
Blue jays can be seen throughout many cultures’ folklore, albeit not as many as some other famous birds such as eagles, ravens, or hawks. Still, as a bird that’s both pretty common and quite captivating, blue jays are used metaphorically and symbolically quite often. Although, it ought to be pointed out that some of these “uses” actually refer to some of the blue jay’s cousins that are native to the corresponding culture’s geographical regions such as the red cardinal or the oak jay.
- For example, there is a legend that portrays the oak jay as an ally of the Devil. In it, the jay bird brings twigs and branches to help the lord of Hell keep its fires burning. What’s more, the jay also catches the attention of Herod during the massacre of the Holy Innocents which allows him to find the child Jesus Christ hidden under a sheaf of wheat. So, the blue jay’s Christian symbolism isn’t exactly stellar. Acts such as these are why Christians say jay birds are condemned to be constantly searching for food.
- On the other hand, jay birds are also mentioned positively in a lot of myths. Among the Celtic symbols, for example, jay birds are known as diligent watchers and sowers of trees and new forests. That last part is likely due to the jay bird’s habit of hiding winter reserves of seeds in the ground and then forgetting some of them there.
- Another myth tells of the jay bird being wrongly accused of a crime by all the other birds. The only one that had the wisdom to stand by the jay bird’s side was the cuckoo who successfully defended the jay and proved it to be innocent. As compensation and an apology for the wrongful accusation, all the other birds gave the bird one of their feathers, hence why jay birds are so colorful today.
- The Native Americans also had quite a few myths about the blue jay, occasionally making it a totem animal as well. They thought that blue jays were related to ravens and that further allowed them to view these colorful birds as tricksters, gossipers, and generally untrustworthy characters hidden in beautiful and colorful coats.
In conclusion
To have a blue jay power animal is a special and very effective connection. The spiritual meaning of these birds is very multifaceted and strong so it’s not uncommon for people to get a blue jay tattoo meaning strength, freedom, loyalty, trickery, spiritual awareness, or any of this bird’s many meanings.
Whichever side of the blue jay’s symbolism you prefer or choose to believe in, there’s no denying that this is one of those animals that continues to inspire people’s imaginations and lives to this very day.