The peacock is possibly the most beautiful creature of the animal kingdom. Its unique shade of bright blue and the colorful feathers that adorn its tail make the peacock a beloved bird in many cultures.
The symbolism of the peacock has many different interpretations and much has been written about them, but some of the most beautiful aspects of the peacock symbolism have somehow been forgotten.
Peacock as a Symbol of Protection and Enlightenment
When the peacock displays its tail, it looks like hundreds of eyes are watching. Because of this, the peacock has been associated to the all seeing eye, or the eye that sees all actions and all people, meaning that nothing escapes the universal justice.
The peacock is sometimes associated to an avatar, or a person who has achieved perfect virtues after many rebirths in the physical realm, reaching the right to immortality, but chooses to remain among mortals to serve people with their wisdom. Interestingly, Krishna is said to be an avatar in Hindu tradition, and Krishna is depicted as a blue god, just like a peacock.
Cauda Pavonis – Peacock as an Alchemical Symbol
In the middle ages, alchemists believed that they could transform lead into gold by using a process of purification of metals. The hermetic tradition taught that inside each metal there was a golden soul awaiting the right moment to emerge from the rudimentary minerals. Normally, nature would take millions of years to evolve lead into gold, but it is said that alchemists developed a system capable of accelerating the process of evolution of metals by burning away the impurities of the lead.
This whole scheme was inspired by the evolution process of the human soul. The ancient wisdom said that humans go through many incarnations in order to burn the imperfections, until they become golden souls and do not need to be reborn in the physical realm anymore.
Alchemists claimed that there was a moment just before the alchemical mercury was about to be transformed into gold, when the substance became colorful and bright. This moment was called "cauda pavonis" ("peacock's tail" in English), and would correspond to the moment that the human soul, after many painful rebirths, would realize that all colors of nature also exist inside them. This understanding would lead the person to finally see that there is no separation between people and nature, and that everything is one. This is the moment when a soul of lead becomes a soul of gold. The peacock, then, symbolizes this special moment of transformation.
Other Symbols and Meanings
If you're looking for tattoo designs, read Buddhist Tattoo Designs, Meaning and Symbolism along with Egyptian Tattoo Designs, Meaning and Symbolism.
For more symbols and their meanings, read Masonic Symbols, The Meaning of the Christmas Symbol and Ancient Symbols, Deciphering the Universal Language.
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