Ravens as Messengers
I wrote this today in response to a posting of a spirit animal card in one of the groups on Facebook I belong to. Someone commented that the reader's interpretation of the Raven card was wrong. First thing here I would like to say is that they were not. They interpreted the card as their intuition lead them to. There was no wrong in the answer that a raven is a messenger from spirit, so in that vein, I sought to provide the group with a little of my thoughts and research on the raven over the last little bit. Please enjoy.
Ravens have long been associated with the spirit world and as messengers, often in regards to deaths. The message the raven has for anyone differs depending on the tradition and history they align with. Personally I have been coming out of my mediations lately, long and short to be greeted by the raven, often upwards of 30 at a time. Ravens and their small cousins the crow by nature have extensive memories and will often gather after someone has shown a kindness to an individual bird and will also give presents to those they deem worthy of them.
If you follow this vein, it would bring you first of all to Celtic tradition and the triple Goddess Morrigan (Badb, Macha and Nemain) or the witch Morgan Le Fay if you prefer from Arthurian legend. She is considered the Goddess of Battle and was said to be able to shape shift into the form of a raven (King Arthur was thought to have this power to) and the would serve her from the beginning of battle until she lead the fallen to Tír na nÓg. This also is similar to stories of Odin and the two ravens, Huginn and Muninn (Thought and Memory) who would deliver and return messages to him, reflecting the powers of clairvoyance and telepathy. It is also said that Odin’s daughters, the Valkyries were also able to shape shift to the raven and lead the dead to Valhalla. We could also refer to Bran the Blessed and the ravens that are kept with his buried head to protect against invasion. The Scottish goddess Cailleach is also thought to be a raven, and to have a child’s first drink from a raven’s skull was to have them blessed with second sight.
From there we can reference the ravens in the biblical sense as ravens were cursed by Noah for not returning to him when they found land after the flood. It is also said that God spared the raven in this. But then in the book of Job, the ravens feed the prophet Ellijah under God’s command. Even Jesus uses raven’s in Luke to give a message from God. It is also said over and over that God feeds the raven. In the Qur’an it mentions the raven is the creature that taught Cain how to bury is brother. The Hindu deity Shani is often seen riding the raven and she is protector of property and they are thought to be a messenger from the world of ancestors. They are ceremonially offered rice for this duty. In the Middle East they are considered the Father of Omens (Abu Aajir).
Asian culture also has the raven mentioned, usually as a three legged creature when represented in art. In Japanese culture the appearance of this bird is thought to be the will of heaven in human affairs. They are thought to come to offer guidance. In Korean culture the raven is thought to be superior to the dragon. Most times they represent the sun which also aligns with the Greek mythology that the raven is the messenger of the sun Gods, Helios and Apollo. Ravens can also be associated with other Greek gods. In Australian mythology the crow is a trickster and ancestral being. To the Noongar it is the Watcher and is wily and unpredictable.
As someone that lives in the Pacific Northwest I am drawn to the Haida tales of the raven. He is the trickster but is also told as the creator of the earth and the people and teaches how to live a good life. He provided the sun, the moon and the stars as well as salmon and berries to the first humans he found in a clam shell. He often teaches by being the opposite of what he intends us to be. Each First Nations tribe has its own tales of the raven, but yet again he exists.
What is boils down to with the raven is a study of opposites, a traveler between realms that not only sees the now, but the past and the future. He is our yin and our yang, light and dark. Intelligent, wily and yet while seeming to do things for his own amusement, he cares for those around him in ways others would not think to, even cleaning up the messes, we as humans leave behind and reminding us of those messes or darker sides. I do believe the raven is our messenger, not only from our ancestors, but one reminding us that even the darkest parts of our hearts and souls need to see light now and then. The biggest trick we ever pull off is fooling ourselves.
