Description of the mental world of the parrot in the picture.
By Linda Evans.
The parrot is thinking about which way he will fly, which direction he will take. He is thinking about a prey he wants to catch, and where he can find the best opportunities for catching a prey.
He is thinking about where he would preferably be heading. He knows the region and he has a view of the region in his mind. He knows where the fields are and where the meadows are and where he can find water. He knows what is to be found on the right, on the right there is a bunch of trees. On the left there are meadows and there is water. The fields are in front of him.
He knows that the trees are on the right and I (Linda Evans) am able to sense that knowing. In his mind he has a picture of what the meadows, the water and the fields look like, including the sense of direction, on the left and in front of him. I’m able to perceive that image as well as the sense of direction.
He is feeling enticed by the water, because he is thirsty, and he would like to drink, but on the other hand he knows that a prey is to be found in front of him, in the meadows. He is especially focused on the meadows in front of him.
He likes to eat, he is greedy, he would like to eat all the time. If it was up to him he would constantly want to eat and drink, that is his favourite activity.
He is imagining the various possible preys he may possibly find. He thinks about a worm and a beetle. I can perceive a picture of a worm of about five centimeters long and 3 mm wide. About the beetle I am able to perceive a picture of a flat black body with some tiny paws. The parrot has spatial perception. I can perceive the images the parrot is visualizing in his head.
He is not very fond of the beetle, he prefers the worm a lot more. If he finds enough worms, he won’t eat any beetles, he only eats beetles if he has no choice, when there are not sufficient worms to be found.
On the ground below there is no prey to be found, he has to fly ahead, to the fields, there he can find a prey. He is resting for a while, he is tired and then he will continue his flight.
He’s got a nest, he’s got offspring for which he’s responsible, but he doesn’t worry much about it, because the female takes care of it. He somewhat backs out of his responsibilities, he brings food now and then, and then he acts somewhat superciliously, like, look what I’m bringing along, he really fancies himself when he brings something at all. He knows the female brings in plenty of food (like insects, nuts, seeds, leafy vegetables) and does her very best, is continually flying back and forth to find food for her offspring, so he can set his mind at rest.
She sometimes looks angrily at him when he arrives with a small prey or a nut, some green leaf or a piece of fruit, but he doesn’t care. He prefers to keep the best food for himself, since he’s so fond of eating. Only when he has too much food, or when it’s a poor prey he doesn’t like anyway, or when he’s eaten enough, he’s willing to give some of his own food.
He doesn’t feel like flying back and forth all the time or passionately looking for food for his offspring either. He couldn’t care less. He prefers doing his own things. He wants to be free and doesn’t want to have any responsibilities, he wants to have the opportunity to spend his time flying and looking for food for himself.
When he brings along some food to the nest, then he puts this in the nest. He leaves the feeding of the young to his companion. He doesn’t feel any connection with his offspring in the nest, he can’t bring himself to feeding his offspring himself (putting the food in their beak), he feels aversion to it, he doesn’t do that. He has no feeling of affinity for his offspring, they are like strangers to him, he does his duty and that’s it.
He likes flying in the air at a very high altitude, he can spend hours doing that. He likes flying very far away. When he’s flying he has a view of the landscape below him, there’s the place where the food is for him, where the preys are to be found. He has a profound affinity with the landscape below when he’s flying, since he finds his food and his water there, since that’s what’s keeping him alive.
He’s so keen on flying, when he’s flying he overlooks the fields and he enjoys it. He has an incredible feeling of freedom when he’s flying, it makes him feel as happy as a king. Flying is his favourite occupation, besides eating. Flying high and very fast and then slower again, and then floating in the air. He really enjoys it so much, it gives him such a feeling of bliss, flying is the ultimate happiness, he can keep on flying for hours. The feeling of freedom and joy it brings him is beyond description.
He doesn’t look forward to coming home to his offspring, he stays away as long as possible. Now and then he flies to the nest with some food and then he stays away as long as possible. At night he waits as long as possible, until it’s nearly dark before going to the nest. And then he sleeps somewhere around the nest on a branch of a tree.
The mother stays closer to the nest. She looks well after the little ones. Terrific, that’s one thing less to worry about. Sometimes she looks mad at him, but he doesn’t care.
He has very little affinity with his consort, they produce offspring together, and that’s all. Apart from that there is no bond between them. He doesn’t feel much affection for his companion, he tends to be hard on her. He tends to show her explicitly (by adopting a certain posture, breast forward, beak forward (I guess)) that she doesn’t mean much to him.
He produces offspring, with her every year, that’s just de way it is, he is bound to her.
He basically doesn’t care much about his offspring, he barely knows his young. Once in a while one of his young of the previous years crosses his path while he’s flying, but he doesn’t want to have any contact, he just flies on and pretends not to have seen his young. He doesn’t want to have anything to do with all these young, he feels annoyed by their existence. He doesn’t want to have any bond with them, he wants to ignore them. He doesn’t feel any affection for them and doesn’t want to have anything to do with them. They are non-existent to him.
He knows it is not right, and the other parrots disapprove of this, but he doesn’t bother about it. He ought to – as to what is proper – at least say hello, and make some contact though. However he does as he pleases, he doesn’t care about what the others are thinking.
He wants to lead his own life, without having too much to worry about the others. He is not keen on contact with other parrots, he prefers to be on his own. At times he is (to be found) present in the group, and then he dominates the conversation (he makes particular noises, very loud and incessantly, to show he’s the master, I can sense a feeling of haughtiness and looking down on others along with that). He wants to get all the attention, he wants to push himself to the forefront and the wants to push others behind. (figuratively)
And then he’s gone again, flying on his own, or looking for food, and he stays away as long as possible so as not having to be with the group. He does as he pleases, and he doesn’t bother with the social standards.
He tends to feel nervous, he feels an inner tension, when he’s aware of a prey, and when he has to wait for the prey to appear in a certain position to catch it. And then he dashes towards it, feeling some inner tension due to the danger of the prey being able to escape. And when he lays hold of the prey, he triumphs, and then he goes feasting, and he feels so happy, and enjoys life.
And then he gets thirsty, and he wished the water was in the immediate vicinity of the food. However, that’s not the case, and then he has to make a flight to the water. And whilst on other occasions he likes flying so much, this is a moment at which he flies reluctantly, because he is aching for the water, he would like to drink straight away, and now he still has to cover some distance. Which is unpleasant.
Click here for: