05/03/2026
Patron Saint of Birds 🐦
“Once upon a time, when women were birds, there was the simple understanding that to sing at dawn and to sing at dusk was to heal the world through joy.”
— Terry Tempest Williams
St. Milburga of Wenlock, 8th-century abbess and miracle-worker, is remembered not only for her healing hands and radiant virtue—but for her deep and mystical bond with birds.
Born a Mercian princess, she renounced nobility to found a monastery in Shropshire. Her life was one of contemplation, service, and the radical defiance of a woman who chose the sacred over the crown. Her sanctity was so profound that birds—wild, winged, and free—were said to answer to her call. When farmers pleaded with her to protect their crops, she raised her hand, and flocks obeyed.
To this day, she is honored as the patron saint of birds. But as with all saints, there is more here than the tale implies.
Birds have long been symbols of the soul, of prophecy, and of feminine knowing. In alchemical and esoteric traditions, there is even a mythical “language of the birds”, a sacred, intuitive speech only the awakened can hear. It is said to be the tongue of angels, the whisper of spirit, the music of those who fly between worlds.
Women, too, have spoken in this language. In dreams. In poetry. In silence and song. Like Milburga, many have chosen flight over captivity. Prayer over performance. Their wings may not be visible, but they light in the presence of truth.
This new piece is a testimony to St. Milburga, her legacy, her lore, her luminous kinship with the birds. She sits in quiet contemplation, surrounded by starlings, thrushes, or ravens, whatever birds may speak most clearly to the soul who beholds her.
It is an artwork for women who remember. Who long for the sky. Who still believe in holy conversation between the seen and unseen.
The art is now available as a signed print in my shop. A quiet blessing in flight.
“St. Milburga - Patron Saint of Birds”
Mixed Media
2025
Matted & Signed 8X10 Gallery Art Print: https://shewhoisart.etsy.com/listing/4300470704
Mini Altar Art 4X6 Gallery Print: https://shewhoisart.etsy.com/listing/4300471718
