What It Really Means If You Keep Seeing Blue Jays + What To Do About It

Blue jays relate to everything from strength to confidence to communication, depending on the context in which you see them.

Van explains that the blue jay's striking blue color gives it a connection to the throat chakra, which relates to authentic interpersonal and creative self-expression. "Blue jays often arrive to tell us that we are not being honest in our communications because we are afraid that if we were to speak or demonstrate our truth that we would not get what we want or need," she explains.

Not only do blue jays mate for life and stay with their mate all year round, but they also have strong family bonds and are extremely loyal and protective. If you've heard the phrase "true blue," which means loyal, Van says, consider blue jays to be true blue—literally and figuratively.

If someone new has come into your life and you've asked the universe for a sign regarding their loyalty or potential, a blue jay showing up is a sign that they'll make a good partner, Van says.

Lastly, blue jays can also relate to being judged, both by yourself or others. Van explains that blue jays are often judged because they're bold and can be aggressive, but "this is a sign of intelligence, strong survival instincts, and family loyalty—not meanness or gluttony."

Depending on the above meanings of seeing a blue jay, there are a few things you can do to heed their message and take action.

If you think your blue jay sighting could be related to feeling judged by yourself or others, Van says to release your own inner critic—and disregard the judgments of others. "If your mind isn't speaking to you with patience, affirmation, and love, this is absolutely at the top of the list of things that the blue jay wants you to work on," she says.

And as far as being judged by others, "If the critics are in the minority and you truly love what you're doing," she says, there's no need to give their judgments any weight. "There are always going to be at least a few critics everywhere we go. The Universe designed you to be who you are, and the world needs you to be that person, not who you think you need to be to please others," Van explains, adding, "If you can recognize that this is what's going on for you right now, the blue jay is very likely here to tell you that no matter how scary it is, it's time to start being real."

And lastly, blue jays encourage us to be confident and strong. If you don't feel you're being recognized in that way, Van suggests spending some time studying the people in your life who have the respect that you crave for yourself.

To see a blue jay and red cardinal together, Van explains, can mean you may be feeling the effects of some oppressive force, which is affecting your expression. (Though not always, she adds, but this is the most common meaning.)

Cardinals (when seen with a blue jay) "often represent feeling oppressed by an authority, most especially a religious authority, institution, or folks who practice that particular religion," Van says. And the blue jay here means you may feel afraid to be yourself because you've been chastised for it in the past by people who had power over your life. 

According to Van, it's easy for people to go down the "It's a sign!" rabbit hole, when in actuality, it may just be that you simply found a feather.

However, she notes, if you're consistently finding blue jay feathers, or you find one in a really dramatic way, then it could be that you need to pay attention.

Sometimes, animals appear to us in dreams with a message, but Van says interpreting these dreams can be tricky, and you should ask yourself if you have any personal associations with blue jays before going with a standard interpretation.

"Dreams are much more personal than we realize, in which case, the symbol is supposed to get us to look at what is going on in our life and ask ourselves if it mirrors what happened in our lives the last time we experienced that animal in the aforementioned fashion. If so, what issues from that time might still need to be resolved?" Van explains.