Raven Magic

This raven stopped by yesterday while it was drizzling rain. I heard him first and had to find out what creature was making the croaking sound. It's funny how the mind works. Oh, that's big, is it a hawk? No, it's black. Is it a crow? A raven? Quoth the Raven, Nevermore. So of course I also had to go back and read The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe.

After it flew off I noticed it was flying with another ginormous black bird. Turns out the way you can tell the difference between a crow and a raven is the sound they make, the tail feathers, and ravens fly in pairs. 

Anytime I witness some sort of seemingly random experience with an animal, I check out the symbolism related to the animal. Raven is about travel inward to the darkness. I love it. Shape shifting time bender, facilitating transition and transformation, Raven is a wonderful totem. All this time I just associated it with a man's descent into madness over his loss of Lenore. 

How thankful I am to add to that the energy: changing consciousness, honoring ancestors, mysticism, rebirth and renewal, creation, healing, courage, and introspection. I suppose a person would go mad if she never looked inward, into the shadow.