Keeper of Spiritual Law, Guardian of the Void (and, It Would Appear, the Re-education of Me)…
The Universe Sent Me a Gift of Crow Medicine
It's easy to get very caught up in your own ideas of what needs to happen in life, where you’re heading and what the future should look like. The mind is a powerful and creative force, backed-up by social conditioning, tells us that thinking your route through life is the right and only way to behave. After all when you ‘know’ stuff, you're safe, and therefore in control of your destiny, right!
The Universe however often has other plans and brings us the unexpected. These curve balls can appear as inconvenient and not part of the plan but viewed as an opportunity can evidently turn into the most transformative experience. On May 16th, the Universe dropped in and offered me a gift of Crow Teachings!
Our first meeting
Meet Corvey…
After a full day of mentoring, I nipped out into the garden to water the Californian poppies I’d transplanted the day previously...
And there he was, huddling between the fence and the raised veg beds…. This little bundle of feathers, gangly legs and a beak that’s all too big for his head, took me by total surprise.
He opened his mouth wide and I saw the flash of red! Apparently this is fear response and not hunger as one may first imagine.
First of all, I took a seat nearby whilst looking out for his parents, keeping my tom cat at bay, consulting the God of Google and getting in touch with a local wildlife expert…
Ironically Crow energy has been part of my Spiritual life for more than ten years in the form of Spirit animal, Guide and without a doubt a teacher. It was not lost on me, even with all the practical stuff going on, that suddenly there he was in the flesh! Spirit works in mysterious way huh!?!? This was no meeting of chance.
Folklore...
To many Crow is the keeper of Spiritual Lore, Guardian of the Void, even the representation of Odin! The Celts have The Morrigan, a warrior goddess of War, Death & Fate, crow-shape-shift or flanked by a flock of them. Story after ancient story speak of the Crow as an omen, or, as in some Native American tales, Crow is the intelligent messenger who comes to teach us about ourselves! Sacred Crow Teachings.
Be it physical or spiritual, I knew I was about embark on an unexpected yet interesting leg of the journey!
Night is closing in…
First re-homing attempt!
Anyway, it was going to get dark soon so I eventually popped Corvey on the shed roof under the tree he’d fallen from and went inside. I watched dutifully from the window hoping that his parents would return and take care of him…. Unfortunately, they did not. The Wildlife expert advised bringing him inside as he was too vulnerable to make it through the night alone…
In light of the above, Corvey spent his first night indoors. He cowered on an old curtain, in his hand-towel nest, beneath the make-shift washing basket cage. I discovered very quickly that bird shit and soft furnishings don’t mix! Finally though, at the expense of a hand towel, he was safe and warm!
The next morning...
The following morning, I woke and was a little afraid. What if he hadn’t made it through the night? Maybe my bringing him inside had been too much for his little heart to take? What will happen now, he can’t live under a washing basket!!! I could pace around the hallway all day or get a grip! I decided on the latter...
Basically, I donned my big-girl-pants, took a deep breath and opened the lounge door. He looked straight at me!‘He'd made it!’ What a relief!... My relief was followed by feeding, cleaning up, feeding, cleaning up, feeding… you get the idea. I managed to find a big cage on a resale site and one kind soul sent us a donation…. It looked like the Gods had given me everything I’d needed to support Corvey and the journey had begun… the learning curve very quickly became vertical and the insights came thick and fast....Without doubt the Crow Teachings were underway.
Crow Teachings…
For years I’ve always considered myself as quite connected to Nature. Camps, retreats, fire ceremony, forest work, all coupled with working with the Four Directions, the elements and the plants, yet until now I’d never really worked with the animals. This reminded me of a Brene Brown quote: "I love the human race, people however, nah, not so much."
I was similar with animals, and if I’m honest, they always scared me a little bit. Animals, however, have always been pretty keen on me. At a friends house her big dog would sit on my feet, her cat near my shoulder on the back of the sofa and bird after bird would land on the conservatory roof. I’d sit very still and rather wide-eyed as my friend would laugh saying…. “Look at you, Dr Doolittle, they love you!” The feeling was not mutual…
Anyway, here I am, Corvey in tow, spirit having plugged an ethereal HDMI cable into the back of my head to ensure the messages get through and the teaching began.
How connected to nature are you?
Pavement Poppies
I opened the lounge curtains on the second morning of Corvey's residence, it struck me just how, in reality I'm more disconnected from Nature than I'd previously cared to admit. I paused to allow this thought to sink in. "I’m manipulated on a daily basis by the environment I’ve created and now Corvey was being subjected to it too'! In a word I was shocked!
How many of us wake with the rising sun, retire with the setting and in between know how to source food, find clean water, build shelter, light fires?
I've gotta tell ya, I’ve done a bit of the above, but on a daily basis, with my survival dependent on it, how long would I survive? How long would any of us survive? And how pleasant would that survival be?
Via an unremembered internet platform (sorry) I recently heard an aboriginal man describing Western Culture, on account of our disconnection from nature, as being ‘three days deep’… meaning after three days of not being able to fulfill our most basic needs, the shit would begin to hit the proverbial fan!
Please consider this- food comes in plastic packages, power comes down pipes and cables, the mind is distracted by shinny things, etc, etc, etc, it's important to acknowledge the potential outcomes for all of this in relation not only to our consumption but also our natural sacred connection? How disconnected from our instincts are we? How disconnected from Nature and Mother Earth are we? Moreover, how disconnected from our bodies are we with all these external distraction and 21st century comforts?
How can we love and care for something that we are not connected to?
All is not lost...we can become balanced again
You have time. You may think you don't but in truth you have a moment to stop and smell the roses, both literally and figuratively. There are 5 minutes in the day to sit consciously, to reflect, or place your toes in the grass, sand or sea… It is still possible to feel the heartbeat of Mother Earth in the wild places… her rhythm is slow, strong and reverberates with deep wisdom. We can consciously reconnect to Her at any time, she is ALWAYS there. My favourite way to connect with Her is to make offerings... berries, libation, mandalas, even menstrual blood... I show Her love as she shows me love. A beautiful Mother, daughter relationship of reciprocity.
Remember the question above about love and connection? When we love and connect with something, we care for them. Strengthening your relationship with planet is key to saving her and you.
Give yourself the gift of time, without delay, go outside, sit, admire your view even if your vista is not picturesque. There is beauty everywhere and you will feel better for it. See what you can sense, hear and feel… does your body have a message for you? What is she or he thirsting for? Does nature have a sign or symbol to gift to you?
In due time these moments of contemplation and connection will bring you an answer you have been searching for. Allow the Natural world and your connection to Her to do their magic. Starting small is all it takes and is the road to falling in love with her and hopefully yourself too.
Big love, Charlotte & Corvey - Crow Teachings, Crow Medicine xxx
To find out more about Charlotte's work, aside from temporary 'Crow Mumming', take a look HERE