Crow

The other night, I was thinking about Dead Crow in my sleep and trying to remmber the story.  By morning I did and where I found it.  It is in Jamie Sams and David Carsons Medicine Cards book...

'There is a medicine story that tells of Crow's fascination with her own shadow.  She kept looking at it, scratching it, pecking at it until her shadow woke up and became alive.  Then Crow's shadow ate her.  Crow is Dead Crow now.'

Crow is a gatekeeper who stands at the entrance of the Void, the supernatural.  Crow is Keeper of Sacred Law and as such can bend the laws of the Universe.  Crow is Protector of Ancient Records and these records were kept by the women.

The Void is not a concept that it is very easy to collect information on.  It has so many other uses as a word, within games, to describe emotional states to just name a couple.  But the Void is another word for the Great Mystery.  It is where all creation, all magic, all time, everything, comes from.  To walk in the Void is to change your consciousness, and who knows what you will bring out with you?

In my Dreams, maybe I visit the void.  Time bends for sure and space.  I visit other places, other times, sometimes just for a good story, or so it feels, sometimes for learning.  Raven and Crow are very similar in their characterisitcs in that they both work with the void, but Raven is more strongly associated with Creation and Magic.  Raven is the Messenger, while Crow is the Gatekeeper.

As the keeper of Sacred Law with the ability to bend these Laws, Crow is a Shapeshifter.  This art includes doubling - being in two places at one time, taking on another physical form and becoming a fly on the wall to observe what is happening far away.  I don't claim to be able to do any of this outside of my dreams but within my dreams sometimes I am a fly on the wall, sometimes I am someone else.

Recently I had a dream where I dreamt with a sick relative of mine.  It was different from other dreams I have had because I knew the person I was with and also because it is the first dream I have had where I have dreamt within a dream.  I have no doubt that on some level I was there to help with his fear of death and to show him how to leave, when the time is right.  This was a sobering dream for me.  Is it any wonder that I find Crow Medicine slightly daunting?

The Sacred Law is different from Human Law.  Quite often our laws, in an effort to be fair to all and to be applied in the same way to all, mean that punishment does not fit the crime and take account of all circumstances.  Sometimes Human Law just misses the point.  Sacred Law never does and is not bent and twisted by human culture.  Crow people have to walk their talk.

I like that Crow is Protector of Ancient Records.  To me this is Ancestral History and Stories and it is no problem to me at all to look after this because I am very interested in it.  My methods are currently a little academic though.  There are other ways to bring back lost stories which I have not begun to explore.

I think overall, my biggest problem with Crow is dealing with Death and communicating with the Dead in the way it seems to be calling me to.  This all links up into my issues with ghosts.  It is all one big knot.  And it is why when I feed the birds, it is Magpie who I still want to win, not Crow.