Dove
(see also animals)

The dove has a tremendous wealth of lore and legend surrounding it.  Most of it centers around all of the traditional feminine and mother symbols. . .To the Slavs, the soul would become a dove at death. 

To the alchemist, it was a symbol of sublimation.   To the Christians, it is a symbol of peace, while to early pagans it was a symbol for the yoni or female sexual organs.  It has been associated with female sexuality through such goddesses as Astarte and Isis.  Because of its association with many goddesses, it was considered the embodiment of the maternal instinct.

. . . The dove's song is its most distinctive characteristic.  The voice of the dove is the rain song.  Out of its mourning, it invokes new waters of life.  Its song should remind us that no matter what our life conditions, new waters and new life are still possible.  The Earth is a female planet, and this should remind us that creation and new birth is available to all of us upon it.  The mourning dove helps us to remember that.

Although its song is heard throughout the day, it seems more distinct at dawn and dusk.  These are the "Between Times"--a time in which there is a thinning of the veils between the physical and the spiritual, the past and the future.  The dove can help you to use these times to see the creation process active within your own life.

The song of this totem tells you to mourn what has passed, but awaken to the promise of the future.  It is a bird of prophecy and can help you to see what you can give birth to in your life.
From Animal-Speak  by Ted Andrews, Llewellyn Publications, 1997

  Songs referenced: 

Black-Dove