To get a better understanding of the word brood I looked it up in the dictionary….
Brood
. to sit on and cover eggs, as a fowl, for the purpose of
warming them and hatching the young; or to sit over and
cover young, as a hen her chickens, in order to warm and
protect them; hence, to sit quietly, as if brooding.
1913 webster
Then I looked up the keywords of duck in Animal Speak by Ted Andrews….Emotional Comfort and Protection.
Because of its connection to water, it (duck) is linked to the feminine energies, the astral plane and to the emotional state of humans……For those with duck as a totem it may reflect an inability to feel comfortable with most people in your life. It may reflect a need to find comfort in your own element and with those of life mind and spirit…….Ducks can sometimes remind us to return those parts of ourself or those activities that we feel safe and comfortable….All ducks have a grace upon water, and as a totem they can help you handle your own emotions with greater grace and comfort.
These two different areas of searching for clues has helped me immensely in understanding this symbol.
Are these ducks patiently waiting for their creative ideas to hatch out into the world or are the eggs expectations for the future.
Sitting on eggs is where we could be when we are deliberating on something before we move on it. Sitting on eggs also requires a lot of patience, where we need to blend in graciously with our duck pond to secretly protect what we wish to someday bring out into the world. Our material world (firm boundaries) as well must be comfortable and secure from the elements and from known predators (negative people). This will give us peace of mind that our brood (future plans) will be well taken care of. Now we can add those finishing touches to our creation!
With this symbol I can see someone peacefully withdrawing to a place or room they feel most comfortable with and pursuing their individual dreams, talents and skills. Something they would like to one day bring out into the world. But if their place of privacy is not pleasing or secure, it may be more difficult for them to find a sense of harmony and peace within their environment.
One negative aspect with this symbol could be holding in and not freely expressing our emotions…..perhaps from our analytical side repressing our imagination. This is when the female duck should let the male sit on the eggs and laugh and play with others in the pond.
tink