Blue Jay Symbolism & Meaning (+Totem, Spirit & Omens)

Blue jay symbolism is a powerful learning tool. A blue jay indicates that you need to communicate more clearly and it also tells you that you need to take a closer look at the people you are dealing with.

In the book Sacred Signs & Symbols: Awaken to the Messages & Synchronicities, author Sherrie Dillard says that she saw blue jay feathers often while dating a man. She later found out that the man in question was also seeing someone else simultaneously. 

Thus, the recurrent sighting of a blue jay feather could mean that you may are surrounded by tricksters and mischief-makers, so be alert! In this guide, we will study the symbolic and spiritual meaning of blue jay so you can protect yourself from such negative episodes.

Table of contents

• Blue jay Symbolism and meaning
• Blue jay Native American Symbolism
• Blue jay Christianity Symbolism
• Blue jay Celtic Symbolism
• Blue jay in Dreams
• Blue jay Encounters and Omens
• Blue jay’ Mythology and Folklore
• Blue jay Spirit Animal
• Blue jay Totem Animal
• Blue jay Power Animal
• Blue jay Tattoo Meaning

Blue jay symbolism and meaning

Blue jay bird meaning – A blue jay begins life as a blackbird and turns blue as he grows older. In adulthood, it is a blue crested bird that is larger than a robin and has white spots in the wings and tail. Their bellies are gray and they appear to be wearing a necklace of black feathers.

So, what do blue jays symbolize? Blue jays symbolize noise, loudness, shrillness, mimicry, mischief, and changeability. They are noticeable for their shrill cries. 

They are also known to annoy other birds around them with their loud cries. They also help other birds by loudly announcing the presence of a predator or a hunter.

Blue Jays can easily mimic the call of red-tailed hawks and utter many other notes. Their transcendent meaning is an understanding of your ability to communicate or being annoying.

The blue jay is a bully at bird-feeders. He tends to scatter the other birds away and keep the seeds for himself.

In literature too, the blue jay meaning is of ill-repute. Nosworthy (2) explains the meaning of jaybirds as ‘The Jay signifies a loose woman. The Italian word puta means both jay and wanton. Shakespeare and his contemporaries were both aware of these meanings’.

Related: 12 Tips on How to Attract Blue Jays to Your Yard

Blue jay Native American symbolism

Since the Blue Jay is a North American bird, it lacks the symbolism of the Old World birds. However, it is featured in many Native American myths and was especially important to the Chinooks, Sioux, and the Coast Salish tribes. 

The Coast Salish tribes are the Salish speaking Native Indians. They believe that the blue jay is closely related to the raven. In their mythology and folklore, the Blue Jay replaced the Raven as the trickster figure. 

In the same tribes, in the bygone eras, the maternal uncles of Haida boys would make their nephews eat the tongues of Blue jays to help improve their climbing abilities. Such practices of magic are common in traditional cultures.

In one of the Native Indian mythologies, blue jay was a trickster figure that worked with foxes and coyotes. Native Americans believed that although this bird was beautifully colored, it was not trustworthy. They associated Jay with ‘bad power.’ 

Blue jays were considered to gossip and looked upon as noisy, arrogant, prideful, and selfish birds. Since the birds were believed to lie and cheat, the Elders believed that seeing a blue jay around the house meant that there were jealous people praying against you in a bad way.

Related: 5 Best Blue Jay Feeders That Actually Work

Blue jay Christianity symbolism

A question most people ask when it comes to the topic of blue jays in the bible is: is a blue jay a sign from heaven? 

There is no direct evidence in the Bible stating that a blue jay is a sign of good luck or a heavenly sign. However, there is a widespread belief among devout Christians that seeing a blue jay in one’s home or yard is a sign of good things to come.

According to Christianity symbolism (4), a blue jay tells you to be persistent and to fight no matter how hard a given situation may seem. It means that even God’s people could find themselves in the grips of people or situations beyond their control, but, like the Blue Jay, one should persist and not give up until the very end.

Blue jays are common in Great Britain and parts of Europe. They have a harsh voice and a restless disposition. When tamed, they can also imitate a variety of sounds. Jay has a wide swallow and is very rapacious. 

The biblical meaning of seeing a blue jay is to communicate well, persist, and plan for the future. It may also symbolize protection and fearlessness.

Blue jay Celtic symbolism

The blue-crested jay was one of the earliest creatures to be created in a number of North Indian and European myths and folklore. It was believed to carry messages between dimensions. Being a member of the crow or raven family, it was believed to be a trickster. It can mimic other creatures, especially the hawks.

The blue jay is secretive about its nest and often flies unseen, betrayed only by its shrill cries. They are known to store their food, especially acorns. This is symbolic for people to plan for the future.

In Europe, Blue jays were believed to be linked to the Great Oak trees. They helped in the revival of the Giant Oak by seeding. Therefore, Celtic people believed these birds to be souls of Celtic Druids forever planting their sacred seeds, the great oaks.

Some Celtic and American stories state that once the Jay was actually larger in size and that he trapped by humans and harnessed to a plow. The jay broke free and asked the Great Spirit to make him smaller so that it would never be enslaved again. That is why it is believed that Jay has black features on its chest – the mark of the plow.

Blue jay in dreams

According to Llewellyn’s Complete Dictionary of Dreams, all birds seen in the dreams are messengers from the Higher Consciousness and other dimensions. Since the Blue Jay is highly talkative, it means that seeing one in the dreams may be related to communication.

If you have seen a blue jay in your dreams or have had recurrent dreams about blue jays, then there may be a situation where you need to speak up. Your spirit guides may be asking you to open the channels of communication and not withhold your emotions and feelings. This may be needed for the greater good of all. Jay’s brilliant blue color is also linked to the color of the throat chakra, which is also linked to communication.

Seeing blue jay feathers is an indication that you must be careful who you trust. There may be lying or deceitful people around you. Jay also tells you to form long-lasting and trusting friendships and to invest yourself in your family and community instead of going outward. 

Dreaming often of a blue jay symbolizes that you have connected with your higher consciousness or have inner wisdom. Your dream may be telling you to be vocal and communicate, be happy like the Jay, be more trustworthy, plan for the future, and be careful of who you let into your circles.

Blue jay encounters and omens

Many people wonder what does it mean when you see a blue jay?

Jay’s strong family bond may be inviting you to look into your own family situation. It may be asking you to stop diverting your energy into areas other than your family. 

The jay may be asking you to trust immediate family members and close relatives rather than trusting non-family members. The trust may be extended to one’s community members as well. Jay may be asking you to be more alert when dealing with people who are not in these immediate groups. 

The blue jay and the oak tree are also closely linked. The Steller Jay, which is another name for the blue jay, loves to make its home in the Oaktree. So if you see a Blue jay and an oak tree nearby, it symbolizes fertility and everlasting life.

The color of the blue jay is similar to the color of the throat chakra – blue. This means a focus on communication. The Jay may be asking you to speak up what is on your mind. 

And since the color blue is associated with spirituality and higher consciousness, the spiritual meaning of blue jay birds may be a coaxing for you to follow higher ideals and nourish your spirituality.

Blue jay mythology and folklore

According to Hindu mythology, if you see a blue jay to the right side of a person with worms or insects or bone in its mouth, or flying around in the sky, then the person/traveler will soon gain wealth.

According to non-classical mythology (5), an animal-like deity of the Chinooks (named Bluejay) was a mischief-maker and a braggart. 

His opponents threw him into a river after he lost to them in a contest of archery and supernaturally turned him into a blue-jay bird that would continuously sing ‘whatsetsetsetse.’ 

They cursed him that he would be viewed as a ‘bad omen.’ This is one of the reasons why some people feel blue jay omen is a negative one.

In Aztec mythology, the story of the Aztec war-God is also rather similar to that of the Chinook Blue Jay. It recounts how the war-God of the Aztec tribe was guided by a Bird to lead the Aztecs to the valley of Mexico by means of a peculiar call.

In Roman-Greek folklore, the winged Mercury god was also a figure rather similar to the Chinook Blue Jay. Also, like the Chinook Blue Jay, this God was fond of practical jokes and mischief. 

Blue jay spirit animal

What does a blue jay symbolize? A blue jay spirit animal encourages you to speak your mind and not keep things bottled up. You can even be a bit sassy, but do not take disrespect or verbal abuse from anyone. Fight for yourself and your rights as well as for the greater good of all.

A blue jay tells you to speak up since closed mouths do not get fed. Seeing a blue jay means that the Universe is signaling you to ask for something you want and ask it right now! He is telling you to stop sweeping things under a rug and not to procrastinate anymore about an issue that is eating you up.

The answer to are blue jays mean could be yes; after all, these birds eat the young of the other birds. So, a blue jay also tells you not to be destructive; instead, take charge and be direct but do not hurt anyone in the process.

If you are wondering what does seeing a blue jay mean, then understand that the Universe is asking you to know your limitations, back-off when needed, but also to use tact, especially while dealing with tactless people.

Blue jay totem animal

Blue Jay totem animal (6) is a powerful ally in your fight against someone who is hurting you, or your family, or business. 

Blue Jay totem animals represent power and aggression when it comes to guarding their territory. So call upon a Blue Jay totem animal if someone is bullying you or when you need to establish your boundaries and speak your mind.

If you are constantly seeing Blue Jays around you, then it is an indication that you need to speak up for the greater good of all. It is time to find your voice. It is time to clearly establish what is and isn’t acceptable – especially if you are verbally disrespected.

Blue jays are also called ‘seed spreaders.’ They may have even been responsible for repopulating the great oak trees after the last glacial period. 

Thus, a blue jay represents encouragement and a message of ‘standing as tall and strong like an Oak tree.’ Together, the oak tree and seeing a blue jay reminds us to be courageous and bold, adaptable, and flexible.

Blue jays love to store food for the rough weather ahead and that means that they remind us to always plan for the future as well.

Blue jay power animal meaning

When Blue jay power animal turns up (7), then be careful: for it is trying to unmask someone who may be trying to deceive you. You can also call on your Blue Jay power animal when you are feeling threatened or intimated by someone or feel that someone may be trying to dupe or cheat you.

A person having a blue Jay as their power animal is strong, fearless, and talented. They are the type of people who won’t back down from any challenge. Blue jay power animal also represents an individual having knowledge about the psychic and metaphysical things. They are excellent mimics and can re-produce just about any sound and can mimic or impersonate anyone.

The significance of a blue jay is that one needs to develop a plan as to how to use their talents and gifts and develop a plan by taking careful action about those talents. Rather than just dabbling in the spiritual realm, one must choose a path and go as far as you can with it.

The meaning of a blue jay is that if a situation is triggering fear in you, go ahead boldly and courageously and attack it. If you have taken up multiple projects, select one or two of them and go ahead with them.

Blue jay tattoo meaning

Many people use guidance from the Universe before selecting their tattoo. So, if you have been seeing a lot of blue jays or have been finding Blue Jay feathers nearby, then it may be a blue jay sign from heaven for getting a blue jay tattoo.

A blue jay tattoo looks attractive. The blue jay tattoo meaning also symbolizes positive meanings like talent, change, changeability, or a person who is talented and open to change. 

Some of the negative meanings of Blue Jay tattoo are noise or loudness, a trickster/mimic nearby. Generally, though: Blue jay tattoos are a great way to show that you are a talented person.

Is there a reason why you chose the Blue jay tattoo? What made you attracted to these birds? 

Often, when a person dreams about a Blue Jay, it means that they have attained Inner Awareness or were able to tap into the Higher Consciousness that is inherent within each of us. That is what the crest of a Blue Jay represents. So go in for a Blue Jay tattoo having a crest.

It is best to discuss your vision with your tattoo artist before settling on the design since different blue jay tattoo designs can mean different things.

The takeaway

Blue jay symbolism may mean many things. It mainly symbolizes communication, trust, loyalty, deceit, inner power/wisdom/ higher awareness, etc. A blue jay may be asking you to pay close attention to the nonverbal clues, assess your main gifts, and choose one or two projects and finish them. You may call on a Blue Jay when you feel threatened by a person or situation.

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