Raven Medicine (aka The Crow)

Yesterday I had treatment at the hospital and being the observant soul that I am, I was walking through a small carpark surrounded by just a hedge fence. There sitting alone was an Australian Raven. I stopped to acknowledge it quietly watching me, and silently welcomed it, and admired it’s beauty, and self assured character. Later in the evening I attended my first night at an intermediate meditation course, and it was not a surprise that our final meditation for the evening was the ‘Raven Meditation’ where we were taken on a journey to seek direction.It was beautiful, and I finished the session flying, becoming the Raven, over land, over water and feeling ‘free’. I also remember it carrying in it’s mouth a blue feather!

I have googled the meaning of blue feathers and the only thing I can find is that it gives mental abilities,  health, connection with spirits, peace, knowledge, communication, and protection. Also psychic awareness.

I thought I would share some insight on these birds, on a shamanic level. I do like these birds, they are very confident, clever and can be ruthless too. If you have read my about me, you will also note that I channelled words regarding this bird –

“Lady, see that Raven set wings to the sky, for he fears nothing of what is veiled, for his sight is within”

I do not know what this means, because it comes from ancient times.

Raven Medicine – Power of Creation, Seeing our True Self, and Change.

Ravens (and Crows) must be understood on a deeper level, they need to be understood through the intuitive senses and emotions – they are messengers from the Great Spirit or Source.People who carry the energy of this bird,have a heavy responsibility to spirit – like they have come to walk the earth and change peoples belief systems into a new awareness of reality. They are often symbolic of seeking new directions in life. When facing a new path you can call upon the Raven to show the true and correct path – they teach use to journey into the void where possibility lives. They are powerful navigators of the darkness or the unknown, their intuitive faculties so strong they learn to rely on it rather than what they just see with their physical eyes.

The Raven can give you the ability to connect with another’s head and heart, to feel true empathy and understanding from the insight out. Spiritual headers and counselors use Raven power for deeper understanding and empathy. They can assist in changing others behaviour and perception, to bring insight, peace, healing and understanding to others, or to offer a different or positive perspective of things, people and circumstances in life, in the essence of Light, highest good and interest of others. Both Celtic and Druid Slànaighear (Healer) and Native American shamans use the energy of the Raven for healing, especially long distance healing.  When doing a healing circle for an absent friend, the energy can be sent in the form of a raven.

In many cultures the Raven represents positively deep magic, the mystery of the unknown, death and transformation, creation, healing, wisdom, protection, and prophecy. It is a symbol of the sun and moonless night and birth giving light in the centre of our galaxy, and the black hole in the centre of the universe, to which we are all travelling to in our eventual extinction. Raven is the fatal touch of the Calleach in winter, the wisdom of Odin, the vessel of prophecy given to a seer, the mighty protector of the Western Isles, and the healing message of an Indian shaman.

Invocation of Raven

by Susa Morgan Black

 

Morgana of the dark moon night

Onyx bird, bold in flight  

Raven, come to us now!

 

Keeper  of the sacred well

Where the faerie spirits dwell

Raven, come to us now!

 

Guardian of the Blackthorn Tree

Home of the feared Banshee

Raven, come to us now!

 

Teacher of warriors, and of sex,

spells that heal and spells that hex

Raven, come to us now!

 

Bean Sidhe by the river bed

Washing shrouds of the newly dead

Raven, come to us now!

 

Twin birds of memory and thought

Who brought the knowledge Odin sought

Raven, come to us now!

 

Raven with his bag of tricks

Always getting in a fix

Raven, come to us now!

 

Stalwart guardian of the Land

The sacred bird of mighty Bran

Raven, come to us now!

Wise One of the Second Sight

Who foretells our human plight

Raven, come to us now!

Raven, Oldest of us All

Watch over us and hear our call

Raven, come to us now!

 

Wolf Song

In dark mists his eyes see more

he sneaks through behind dark winds

and nestles in unlit caves

his ears are upright, yellow are his eyes

this creature sings to all those brave

his howl echoing in northern skies

the moon is set above him

he is aware of its great powers

and whilst at night the moon does conquer

his body moves with nightly rhythms

across the wild countryside, and yonder

hearing the call of a sacred owl

he steps with eery quietness

the wolf is attentive – that is his gift

to be sharp and all seeing

like a scorpion his mind is swift

protective of his wooded homelands

secretive of his nomadic nature

hear the wolf, hear him cry

let him sing his ancestral song

as he moves along by

(The wolf is primitive, wise and beautiful and symbol for Scorpio in the zodiac)

As a TOTEM animal it represents Intuition, Learning, Spirit

Wolf brings :

faithfulness, inner strength
and intuition when he enters our lives.
learning to live with one’s self and to find our inner power and strength.
But to achieve this, we must take risks and face our deepest fears.
Whilst Wolf demands a lot of us it gives us much in return;
a spirit helper that is always there to help
Wolf gives us extraordinary powers of endurance and reminds us to listen to our inner thoughts
and trust our insights.

The Wren (Sacred Druidic Bird)

The words that follow are my interpretations of the mythology of the sacred bird, the Wren, who was once honoured on December 26th (Wren Day) by the old celts each year – later changed by the Catholic Church to St. Stephen’s Day.  This petite little creature is woven in myths of the old pagan ways. It was said that whoever tried to steal wren’s eggs or baby wrens would find their homes struck by lightning and their hands would shrivel up.The Wren was sacred to the thunder god Taranis, who abode in Oak trees and used lightning as a weapon for protection.

The Wren was a symbol of wisdom and divinity, and at New Year an apprentice Druid would go on a quest to find a Wren (quite difficult to see them) in search of wisdom. If one was found, he would be taken as a sign of being blessed with insight for the coming year. Finding this little, and so elusive bird, was a metaphor for finding the elusiveness of divinity in life.

Hailed as the wisdomic creature

druid’s divinity fed by your prescence

upon their quest of a spiritual vision

in millions of moons past residence

your smallness is beautiful, gentle friend

subtle, cheeky, drui-en Wren

you travel on the wings of eagles

to any heights little Wren

legend beholds your wings of fire

for thunder god, Taranis, did heaven send

the Lark gave earth your fiery gift

your burning colours, the Robin did lend

the druids sought you on their paths

whilst tranced nearby a sacred Oak

to see you with the blink of a lid

inner knowledge was your gift to folk

you guard your babes, your unhatched eggs

your druids nest high and sound

concealed, protected by lightening strikes

wisdom you call is too profound

for you say in order to change or grow

we have to hide in safety grounds

to reform our journey in the womb of time

to find and rekindle a gift to astound.

(NJ-95)