Medicine is defined as “anything that improves one’s connection to Great Mystery and to all life. This would include the healing of body, mind, and of spirit. This medicine is also anything that brings personal power, strength, and understanding. It is the constant living of life in a way that brings healing to the Earth Mother and to all of our associates, family, friends, and fellow creatures. Native American medicine is an all-encompassing way of life. ~ Jamie Sams and David Carson, Medicine Cards, p. 13.
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June 8, 2020 (fourteen days after Floyd died)
I prepared the following email about Crow medicine the weekend
before George Floyd’s death, the arrest of 4 former police officers,
peaceful protests all over the world, destructive riots in several cities,
potus’ dangerous antics, the initiation of broader public discourse on racism,
discrimination as it relates to law and order in our society, and clearly a time
pregnant with passion and opportunity for massive positive change.
Why Crow? It didn’t make sense to me at the time but it sure does now!
Also, as an aside, while I was writing the original email,
crows spoke to me the whole time from our backyard.
When I stopped writing, the crows stopped speaking.
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May 23, 2020 (two days before Floyd died)
For a couple of weeks now crows have been visiting me every day.
And they have been speaking loudly. I finally decided to pay attention.
I pulled out the classic book, Medicine Cards, to see what it has to offer.
This book has ancient Native American wisdom for 52 different animals.
It also has interpretations for each animal; each is also given a one word headline.
As examples, the headline for Eagle is Spirit, Deer is Gentleness, Elk is Stamina.
The headline for Crow is Law.
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Crow is the Keeper of Sacred Law. Human law is not the same as Sacred Law. More so than any other medicine, Crow sees that the physical world and even the spiritual world, as humanity interprets them, are an illusion. There are billions of worlds. There are an infinitude of creatures. Great Spirit is within all.
If Crow medicine appears you must pause and reflect on how you see the laws of Great Spirit in relation to the laws of humanity. Children are taught to behave according to the rules of a particular culture. Most orthodox religious systems create a mandate concerning acceptable behavior within the context of worldly affairs. Do this and so, and you will go to heaven. Do thus and so, and you will go to hell. Crow medicine signifies a firsthand knowledge of a higher order of right and wrong than the laws created by human culture.
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Crow is an Omen of Change. Crow lives in the void and has no sense of time. The Ancient Chiefs tell us that Crow sees simultaneously the three fates – past, present, and future. Crow merges light and darkness, seeing both inner and outer reality.
With Crow medicine, you speak in a powerful voice when addressing issues that for you seem out of harmony, out of balance, out of whack, or unjust. As you allow your personal integrity to be your guide, your sense of feeling alone will vanish. Your personal will can then emerge so that you will stand in your truth. The prime path of true Crow people [is]….to be willing to walk your talk, speak your truth, know your life’s mission, and balance past, present, and future in the now.
In seeing what is true, you may need to weed out past beliefs or ideas to bring yourself into the present moment. Crow speaks of needing to remember that Divine Law is honoring harmony that comes from a peaceful mind, an open heart, a true tongue, a light step, a forgiving nature, and a love of all living creatures. Honor the past as your teacher, honor the present as your creation, and honor the future as your inspiration.
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The group of birds in the photo is called a murder of crows.
Photo by Barbara
Outside my bedroom window
Minneapolis, MN