Conference of Birds

        Conference of Birds is a about several birds around the world gathering around to find who their leader/king is. The hoopoe, bird wisest of all the birds, suggests to the other birds that they should find the legendary Simorgh. Each of the valleys that the birds cross are Talab, Eshq, Marifat, Istighnah, Tawheed, Hayrat, Fuqur and Fana. By passing by these valleys shows to the birds the true nature of God. The Tala symbolizes yearning, Eshq symbolizes love, Marifat symbolizes gnosis, Istighnah symbolizes detachment, Tawheed symbolizes unity of Gof, Hayrat symbolizes bewilderment, Fana and Fuqur symbolizes oblivion in God and selflessness. When the birds reach Simorgh they only see their reflection and nothing else.

By using the terms by Jung...

"the self": unify consciousness and the unconsciousness. each of the birds represent a human archetype (self). The main point we see in this reading is that eternal happiness can be achieved through divine love and can only be attained via sacrifice of "the self".


"the shadow": traits within the birds. Each bird has a special significance. The hoopoe symbolizes love, parrot is immortality, and peacock is an alliance with Satan. The peacock shows dark side which represents "the shadow" from Jung.

"the anima": feminine image in the male psyche and visa versa. This represents dreams as a way to communicate with a person. The hoopoe shows love and is the leader to the rest of the birds. The hoopoe communicates with other birds and guides them. Hoopoe shows love which represents "the anima" form Jung.

"persona": how we present ourselves to the world. In this reading we see how each of birds are presented as a special significance. The hoopoe symbolizes love, parrot is immortality, and peacock is an alliance with Satan. When these birds reach Simorgh they realize nothing more than their transcendent totality. The birds see their own reflection when looking at the lake which shows that the lake represents a way for the birds to present themselves to the world. As the birds realize the truth that the idea of God is an idea intrinsic to most interpretations of Sufism.