Me, Myself, and the Crows
For Earth Day, I revealed to the world my Earth Senses. One bird in particular that I did not mention, however, was the crow. I was going to, but I could not just slightly mention them-- they need an entire article because of their significance in my life. I have a few stories about them. We have a paradoxical relationship. One of wounding yet healing, and one of magic and tricks.
They were one of the first bird totems that I noticed a year ago. Before proper meditation upon their energies and medicine, they were frightening to me because of their darkness. Crows are all black, and black is darkness. Mostly what I found about the crow symbolism is about their mystery and trickery. At first, this was my exact experience.
It was June of 2016. I worked during the evening, and I wanted to grocery shop before my shift. My son, however, was not having it. Instead, he was having a tantrum so severe that I only made it to the cusp of Walmart because I refused to take him into the store like kicking and screaming.
We returned to the car. I unlocked it, put my son in his car seat, and we were both just ready to go home. His tantrum wore me out, and he finally quit crying once we returned to the car.
I put the key in the ignition and attempted to turn it, but it locked up-- the key straight up would not turn. I repeated my efforts, and I was completely frustrated after several tries.
Then, I stepped out of the car, turned around, and where customers return their carts in the parking lot sat a crow.
Its presence was powerful, and the birds was so black. This was the first time that I saw one up close and personal. I'll never forget seeing its feathers. Instead of one black mass as we perceive them to be, or one void of flying blackness when we see them in the sky, I saw its feathers individually laying on top of one another. The crow's beauty was irregular, but fascinating. To this day, the way its feathers laid on its body is burned into my mind. It flew away almost immediately after my eyes gazed upon it.
That day was complicated, but I made it to work and was on time. I felt like somehow my son knew that it was best we not be or stay there. The mystery, though, resides in the next day when we went to get the car. After I left that day, someone tried to turn the key again, and it still would not work.
BUT the next day, the car started with nothing but a putter from the engine. When we went to get the engine checked, everything was normal...
This was my first experience with the crow. Although mysterious and mischievous, their magic cannot be denied.
Later during the year is when I purchased my Animal Speak book, and I learned a little more about the crows. I learned that when they "caw" and when there are multiple in a group, you must pay attention. They are warning you of something. This happened to me at all of my past jobs.
In one instance, I was joining a co-worker (he was underneath my position) for lunch, and it was not necessarily what I should have been doing. Management frowned upon fraternizing at that place. The last instance of our meeting though is when a murder of crows showed up relentlessly cawing. I told the young man about the warning and significance of them, and I was questioning him right then and there. I said, "Are you not good for me?" and "What are you up to?" The next day, I received an angry call from his girlfriend. At this point, I knew I should listen to their omens.
I began growing accustomed to their magic, mystery, and significance.
Now, these have all been negative experiences, but there are positive experiences with the crows. They accompany me when I travel. They have consistently been with me during my trips for training with my last job, and also when I travel in-state to Logan county and once to Morgantown.
I write in my "nature notes" how many times they caw out to me. When I was leaving Morgantown, they woke me up with three caws, and recently they woke me up with seven.
A specific time I remember before leaving for Morgantown was when a crow was cawing outside my house, but this time, a hawk was kind of chasing it too. This happened another time with pigeons--a crow was cawing, flew to a tree to join two other ones, and then when it flew away, my pigeon flew with it-- I'm talking right beside the crow.
Because of these negative experiences, I at first feared the crows. I felt that they tried to intimidate me, especially when they were in groups. This may still be the case today, but when I see other birds with them, like the hawk and pigeon in these cases above, I realize that I am protected by multiple medicines of all of those birds. At that point, Nature tells me that I'm not just a victim to the trickery of the crows. So, Nature has my back. She is absolutely amazing.
Recently I bought a piece of art that looked like a crow for my front door. The tag from the store said "blue bird," but the piece's beak said to me "crow." I bought it signifying that I honor the energies, as well as peace and honor-- to let them know that they will not intimidate me, but I will always respect them and expect the same.
Birds are significant as, legend goes, that angels come to Earth as birds and are the messengers of the Heavens and God. They do have wings, after all. :)
I hope you enjoyed my story of the crows. There will be more to come; I'm sure of it.
In light and love,
Britta
