Itsy Bitsy Etsy: Proud Peacock

Peacocks are notably a symbol of materialistic desire and pride, but the symbolism of the beautiful bird goes further than this common conception. Peacocks often times eat poisonous plants, unaffected, giving them the symbolic traits of incorruptibility and immortality. In Greek mythology the Goddess Hera was said to have placed eyes on their feathers, manifesting them with wisdom and knowledge. Hinduism sees the peacock as a representation of kindness, patience, and good fortune, denoting the qualities of their Goddess Lakshmi. In China and Japan, the peacock is sacred to the goddesses of mercy, Kwan-yin and Kwannon. Buddhism beliefs connect the wide spreading of a peacock's tail with openness and acceptance, also connecting their ability to stomach poisonous plants with the ability to thrive through times of suffering.

"In jungles of poisonous plants strut the peacocks,

Through medicine gardens of beauty lie near.

The masses of peacocks do not find gardens pleasant,

But thrive on the essence of poisonous plants,

In similar fashion the brave bodhisattvas

Remain in the jungle of worlds concern.

No matter how joyful this world pleasure garden,

These brave ones are never attracted to pleasures,

But thrive in the jungle of suffering and pain."

~"The wheel of Sharp Weapons", written by Dharmaraksita

There are many other visions describing the significance of peacocks, stories from the Sufi's, Christians, Others from Hinduism, but one thing is agreed upon throughout all these tales, the magnificence of a peacock is undeniable.

In honor of Halloween I am creating a series of blogs to give others costume ideas. With a little creativity this Halloween your costume can be more than the common white-bed-sheet-ghost. There's nothing keeping you from gathering your costume piece by piece. This gives the excitement of the holiday a little more attention and allows expression to be unleashed submerging you entirely in the experience. On Etsy, there are countless of artists putting their time into what they love to do. Here are just a few that present the feathers of immortality. If you see something that you love, click the link below the picture to see the artist's shop.

Strut your stuff in these peacock designs this Halloween: