Hello, Crow.

Twa Corbies by Arthur Rackham

There is a story, an undercurrent to the world, and sometimes we are made aware of it in interesting ways.  It is what sustains my belief, rather than any tithes or words, books or chapels or promises to keep- though those are important in their way.  Rather it is the belief that things fall in place for a reason, and that the simple seemingly trivial actions of our days can echo in strange concurrence.

There is a facebook game where people give you a number, which represents your age.  For that number you answer questions about where you lived, who you loved, what you did, what you feared or wanted- things like that- then post your current age and corresponding answers.  It is interesting to see how lives turn out- and what people where like at other times.  Frannie gave me an age- 25- and I wrote about being a new mother, afraid of the landlord and the wolf of poverty at the door, working many jobs, living in Boone- and how that now, at 49, I am a woman, artist, scholar, wife, mother- still with many jobs, and fearing the inevitable consequences of student loans and the like.  But that is not what is important- what is important is that if someone 'likes' your post, you give them an age and they carry the game on.  And that is what I did, and that is where the undercurrent of belief comes in.  (First note:  I have been working waking to dark for the past two days on online school, it is odd that I took a break to play this game, odder still that Frannie gave me a number- why? I don't know, she doesn't tend to play this time of game either.  And then for the people who responded to see my post and respond- out of 700+ 'friends'....and now, for scene two.)

One of the people who liked my post was a former student, one of my black sheep students who was sent to me because no one else could tolerate him in class.  I gave him a number- 11- and he sent me a message, because what he wrote was to private for the world of facebook.  He told me of the death of his mother and the struggle of being raised by his father and step-mother, which eventually led to him protecting his little brother, the step-mother being institutionalized, and the brothers cast into a shuffle of living place to place.  In high school he acted the ass, even though he is fiercely smart and talented, and lived wherever- mostly with a girlfriend in a camper behind her house. He spoke of how his life is now, how he regrets his behavior (which was mischievous  not malicious and was forgotten long ago) in school, how he has a place of his own, a car, a job, a girl he loves, and how he is turning back to his talents and writing and drawing.  Creating a life of his own.  And then he told me about a dream and asked me a question.  (Begin scene three).

His dream (and we are talking sleep-dream, not aspiration dream) was a lucid dream.  A bridge in the fog, a crow on the bridge, and two phrases spoken- one remembered, one not.  He asked me if I knew anything about crows as a symbol?  Are they important or not?   

Crows and I are old friends.  Seems I've always loved them, but I did formally study them as well- as birds in Ornithology way back at Edinboro- the first birds I cared for live were captive crows, the first taxidermy I did was a crow.  Years later at ASU I studied the crow as a cross-cultural psychopomp, writing papers for Literature, anthropology, art.  And I've kept up the awareness, more or less- so yes, I do know quite a bit about crows.  And this is what I told him:

The Crow is powerful, the voice between the worlds. A psychopomp (which is a term I taught you all in class but is mostly forgotten as in 'those weird things the art teacher goes on about'). Anyway, the psychopomp has two important jobs: to escort the dead between worlds and to carry messages from the spiritual realm to the physical. Psychopomps are found in all cultures, all religions, ancient and modern- and the crow is one of the key players worldwide. Crows are tricksters, both lucky and wise, and are independent spirits. They belong to neither the 'good' or 'bad' 'sides'- but are actors of their own volition. As mythological creatures, they are typical of crossroads spirits- they like mischief, food/drink, material things and their deep knowledge is hidden by their antics. (Remind you of anyone? Mirror, mirror). In Jungian psychology, the crow is recognized as a communicant between the unconscious (collective and personal) and the self. Riddles and secrets- the appearance of the crow in your dreams in such a distinct way is not to be ignored. Crow's statement is curious, and taken with a grain of salt- he is telling you "I'm not going to tell you that you are dead." Which could mean a number of things, depending on how you take it. My perspective is that you are in transition- not material death but a choice to choose. Crow- or anyone- abdicates the power to direct your life, what you select to bury, reanimate or nourish- you have the power to choose as you will. *That* is not a common realization- most folk feel like their lives are their chains, and they have to drag everything around with them always. Get to know crow better- suggested reading (right up your alley) is to visit the following fictional but true crows: Matthew in Neil Gainams Sandman comic, the first Crow movie (but more importantly Jay O Barrs first comic if you can find it- the rest of the movies are crap, and the comic is a rough first effort- the drawing sucks in places- but the story is excellent). The poetry of Ted Hughes (who was the British poet Laureate for a while, and the husband of Silvia Plath) Neil Gainams 'American Gods'- a huge novel. Charles de Lint's 'Someplace to be Flying' (and most of his other books). Others. Mythology wise, Raven/Crow is important in Native American religion as a trickster, world-starter, psychopomp. Norse- Odin has his crows with him always (memory and mind/thought). Christianity- Noah first sent a crow to find land- the crow found the land and 'claimed it for himself'. African religions- crow is associated with Legba, Guede and Baron Samedi, trickster guardian of the cross roads and the dead. In Asia, there are three legged crows that carry the sun and messages.... and on and on. 

Anyway, what happened here is that *I* remembered crow as well- and the incredible power we all have to choose.  "We forget that what we forgot isn't meaningless"- a quote that I will do well to remember.

How is this going to play out?  I don't know, but I feel as if I played my part.  The right question at the right time, and the answer to that can change a life- or at least create a current in the river.  Is curious strange this world of ours, and we would do well to listen to its stories.