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Post by ladyanastasia on Apr 11, 2008 12:05:32 GMT -5
Raven-Bran: healing, Initiation, Protection
Druid Animal Oracle Information
Bran offers initiation, protection and the gift of prophecy. What is meant by initiation in practice may be as formal as actually undergoing an initiation ceremony, or as informal as, for example, being initiated into the mysteries of a new post of profession.
It marks the death of one thing, which gives way to the birth of another.
The power of the Raven can also bring you the very deepest form of healing, which is achieved through a process known as “the resolution of the opposites”-giving you the possibility of resolving conflicts that have long lain buried in your unconscious or perhaps in your past.
Drawn reversed, this card suggests that you should become aware of the forces of destruction that exist in your life and in the world.
However much we might wish that the destruction did not occur, we know that without destruction there cannot be construction and recreation.
The Raven speaks of the knowledge of the dark and difficult aspects of life, which is hared for us to understand.
Sometimes we, or our lives, must go through a process of disintegration and darkness, in order to emerge in to the greater light of a new morning. To a great extent our fear of the dark is worse than whatever it is that we find there.
Drawing this card reversed may mean that we can now come to terms with our own destructiveness- a rage that has perhaps been buried for years- knowing that we have the protection of the Goddess.
Deeper still, it may mean that we can come to a resolution of the conflict of opposites- experiencing the reality that in darkness there is light, and in light darkness.
The Tradition of the Raven
I have fled in the shape of a raven of prophetic speech -Taliesin
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Post by ladyanastasia on Apr 11, 2008 12:07:31 GMT -5
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Post by ladyanastasia on Apr 11, 2008 12:07:57 GMT -5
The Raven
Ravens have a long history of myth and lore associated with them. In some native tribes they are known as the "keeper of secrets." They hold the teachings of mysticism and magic. Ravens are linked to the void, where universal secrets are stored. Their inky black color is the color associated with darkness. The darkness is a place where unconscious fears live. Raven, a master magician, embodies the energy of transformation and shows us how to eliminate our inner demons.
Ravens are the largest songbirds in North America. They are extremely intelligent and are clever mimics. They incorporate and mimic calls of other species and can teach us how to understand the language of animals. They have also been known to learn some human words.
The raven knows the mystery of life. They have an intimate association with death and rebirth. Because raven would feed on the corpses of the dead hanging on the gallons, early European settlers feared this bird and considered it to be an ill omen. In truth, however, raven should be respected not feared.
There are many stories in native cultures about this illusive black bird. Shamans know the power of an unexpected piercing sound in altering consciousness. Ravens exercise this power, emitting a variety of sounds and can aid us in shifting our consciousness into various dimensional realms. This is one reason why the raven is known as a shape shifter with magical powers. Anyone with raven as a totem can expect continual changes and spiritual awakenings throughout their life.
Raven picks its students according to their accumulated wisdom. It flies into a persons life carrying the energy of magic and healing. If it decides to settle in and take up residence, it will stay as long as necessary to aid you in transmuting your karma then return you to the light. It will push, prod, and lead you into the discovery of your multidimensional self and reunite you with the secrets of the multidimensional universe. Those with this totem should remember to meet raven, not with fear, but rather with an appreciation for the teachings that it holds.
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Post by ladyanastasia on Apr 11, 2008 12:08:32 GMT -5
Ravens are the largest songbirds in North America. Their bodies are covered in rich black plumage, which shines with an iridescent bluish color. Though often mistaken with crows, ravens are much larger and their croak is more raucous. Ravens are intelligent masters of mimicking the calls of other animals and have also been known to mimic some human words. They are good at finding food and communicating with other ravens where food is located.
It is their natural talent of recycling, which has gained these birds a bad rap. They do a good job cleaning up nature by eating dead animals. Ravens further recycle by using the same nests year after year, and bringing in new materials for repairs if necessary. These birds build their nest in large trees or the sides of cliffs where they usually lay 4-5 eggs. They don't wander far from where they were raised and will only get a new mate if one of the pair dies.
Ravens are known as the "keeper of secrets" in several native tribes, and are the teachers of mysticism. They have been wrapped in a wealth of myth and lore throughout many cultures and ages. Their black color and diet of dead animals associates them with the vast void of darkness, which is representative of the unconscious.
Raven flies to us with heightened awareness and greater understanding of our consciousness. It is with this new perception that we begin seeing into the hearts of others and experience their feelings. Raven asks us to experience the transformation it brings within our multidimensional self, and be reunited with the mysteries of the universe so we can expel our inner demons.
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Post by ladyanastasia on Apr 11, 2008 12:10:55 GMT -5
Crows and Ravens carry very similar medicine. What applies to Crow applies to Raven as well.
Ravens must be understood more at an intuitive level however for they are the gatekeepers to the void of Spirit where there is no form or structure, but fluidity and constant change. So when someone speaks of Raven medicine, it is more easily understood through the intuitive senses and emotions. It is also more easily to describe Raven medicine as it is expressed through those who carry it.
It is said that people who carry Raven medicine also carry a heavy responsibility to Spirit. It as if these people have come into this Earth walk in order to help others break through old paradigms and belief systems into a new, more expanded awareness of reality.
Ravens are Heyokas, tricksters, in Native American mythology they taught the people both the right way to live through example of what not to do as well as bringing many blessings. It was Raven who stole the sun from a monster who wanted to keep the world in darkness. Thus Raven people have a duty to confront their own monsters and demons in order to bring greater light into themselves. Once they are well on that path, they find themselves being asked to turn time and again to those who are in need of their assistance and have in fact at some level called out to Raven for support and protection.
Those who carry Raven medicine often feel that their lives are not their own but belong to a greater cause or higher plan, and though they may not understand fully where they are being led, they know they have a special destiny to fulfill. Sometimes this destiny fills them with a sense of loneliness, even sadness, for like those with Wolf as a totem, these people know they walk alone.
It is not that Raven keeps us from those of like mind, nor does it mean they do not have family or friends, rather it is from a sense of knowing that one is to be a rebel, a trickster, the joker in the deck, to go forth and do that which others would call crazy or foolish so that the earth and all who inhabit her can continue to expand and evolve. And to do that no matter the consequences.
Raven is also about shapeshifting and mysticism. A shapeshifter is one that knows that this Earth walk is an illusion and that one, if one believes it, can travel through space and time in the blink of an eye to appear in any form that is appropriate to bring help and healing to another.
Many who carry Raven medicine often appear younger than their years, another ability of shapeshifting. Raven medicine is both very Neptunian in that it feels very intensely what others are truly thinking and feeling, and Plutonian as it sees that which most would prefer to ignore. Both are crucial for learning how to shapeshift either the self or reality, for shapeshifting is the awareness of other levels of reality besides this one. For if a person refuses to see what is how can he or she change anything?
Raven teaches us how to look at what we are experiencing in a whole new way and thus adapt to what is while working towards a more positive future. Ravens are clairvoyant, they carry messages from Spirit to those who are willing to hear and follow through on what they are shown. That is why so many Raven people feel isolated and alone, they know at any moment Spirit may call upon them to leave everything behind in order to work for the good of the whole. This is why when a Raven person makes a friend, they are loyal for life as they understand the true value of friendship and want to honour and enjoy every moment they have with those they love.
Those who carry Raven medicine often have powerful, life altering visions at key points in their lives. Ravens are said to be fond of crossroads as that is where their energy can be utilized by those who are seeking a new direction for their lives. When facing a new path it is often wise to call upon Raven medicine to show you if that is the true and correct path for you or not. This is not to say that the right path will always be easy, for Ravens in their role of guardian and protector of all they survey are often called upon to help set something right or bring it back into balance.
Ravens also teach us how to journey into the void where all possibility lives. If you look into the eye of a Raven it is the gateway between this world and the next, the place where all of our hopes and dreams live. Raven knows how to carry us there and shows us the proper path to return so that we may manifest that which we have found in the void. Moving into the void and returning to one's reality also brings more awareness of how to deal with the shadows in one's and others lives. Raven people are powerful navigators of the darkness, for their intuitive sense is so strong that they learn to rely on it rather than what is just before their physical eyes.
Ravens are very alert. They are constantly on patrol, watching over their territory lest Owl move in and hunt them in the night time. Thus Raven medicine can also teach us, like Crow, how to defend and protect that which we value and cherish. We can call upon Raven medicine to insure that no predators make a tasty meal out of something we have worked hard to create. When there is an intuitive sense that something is not quite right it is important for those who carry this medicine be especially aware and alert when they get the proverbial red flag. Even thought the Raven person may not understand why they are picking up what they do, nine times out of ten they are spot on and so need to honour their insights intuitive awareness.
Raven says _ I watched Spirit create the entire Universe out of the void, it's very being. Thus was I taught by Spirit how to create magic. Raven people learn early on that what they focus on becomes their intent for their life experiences. Raven knows that Spirit created everything by setting an intention to do so and then spoke the word that it was done. Spirit taught Raven how to speak many languages so that Raven could teach humans how to both create magic and understand the different levels of reality and beings that inhabit them as well as understanding each other and all other beings who share our home. In magic, intention is everything, in creating or shapeshifting reality intention is everything. Then one must only speak the words "it is done" for it to be brought forth out of the void. What is desired is simply awaiting our awareness of it.
There is something very mystical and otherworldly about Ravens and the people that carry their medicine that makes them both hard to define. They are fluid like Neptune yet all penetrating like Pluto and in fact many Raven people I have known have had both planets prominent in their charts.
In closing, there is a story about Raven that comes from the native peoples of British Columbia, Canada. It is said that Raven was flying along a beach and saw a Clam shell. Never having seen one before Raven became quite curious and wondered what was inside. Raven tried to break it open with his beak to no avail. Finally he carried it high aloft into the sky and dropped it onto a rock. The Clam shell broke open and humans emerged from it, representing all of the different races that we know today. Raven was so shocked, never having seen humans before, that before he knew what was happening, all the people had run away to where they are now. And I think that is why Raven was given such a heavy duty by Spirit, to watch over those that he set free. Perhaps this also helps to explain why Crows and Ravens are found the world over. They must tend to that which they helped bring into being.
There is a good message here for us too, to be careful of what we create and bring into our lives as we are given responsibility over it by Spirit. It may appear to leave our lives at different times, yet it is still our creation and we must feed and nurture it as we can in order to fulfill our own individual destinies.
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Post by ladyanastasia on Apr 11, 2008 12:11:34 GMT -5
Crows & Ravens As Totems
Crows and Ravens are from the same family and the only real physical difference between the two is their size. Ravens tend to be much larger and are found mainly in wilderness.
Both Ravens and Crows associate with Wolves as well so those who have these birds as Totems are also likely to have Wolf as a Totem as well.
Crows and Ravens are extremely intelligent. They can learn to use tools, develop complex communication with humans and other species. They are wonderful for psychic protection and will literally mob together to drive off negative energy from those they care for. They are also called thieves in that they will nick jewelry, coins, watches, anything shiny that catches their attention.
Those who carry Crow/Raven medicine once they become attuned to it, can begin drawing what they need and value into their own lives. They also have the ability to teach others how to learn to value themselves and others, to go for the gold, the best in one's life and to be open to receive from the Universe. Crows/Ravens are also well known for their curiosity and intense exploration of anything that catches their attention. So when Crows/Ravens or people who carry their medicine show up in your life it can indicate that now is the time to explore those things that have recently caught your eye or that something new is about to enter your life that is beneficial for you so pay attention! Crows/Ravens are always on the lookout as part of their survival mechanisms and it behooves us to also pay attention when they appear as the Universe is trying to tell us something.
Crows are very social and band together for the good of the group so this is an indication that we need to work with and cooperate with others of like mind in order to bring about blessings for all beings. Crows and Ravens look out for one another and they also warn other animals when danger is near. Frequently they drive hunters mad because they are always warning Deer and Elk that the hunters are near! When a Crow or Raven is shrieking loudly near you, check around to see if someone or something that could be "harmful" is in the area. Of course when they call like that it can mean many things yet over time once you work with them frequently you will begin to understand what their messages mean to you specifically.
If you hear a Crow calling at night, that is a MAJOR heads up as night time is Owl time and Owls are enemies of the Crow. Owls prey on Crows at night when they are in their nests and so Crows are especially careful to be quiet when night time falls. This is a good message for those who carry Crow/Raven medicine: if you sense a predator might be near, be silent and still and wait for the situation to pass. Taking no action at those times is the best course of action. Some people who carry Crow/Raven medicine also carry Owl medicine as well. In fact, if you have one bird as a totem in actuality you may have a whole flock of birds as totems!
Crows are also associated with magic and mysticism as Ted Andrews covers very well in his book "Animal -Speak" and the "Animal Wise Tarot".
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