Raven Symbolism
Shapeshifting, messenger or omen, blending human and animal.
Inner journeys, dreams, energy to study or learn. Curiosity, hyperactivity.
Healing, Initiation, Protection By being able to travel from this world
to the next, the raven symbolizes also the power of healing - but the
type of healing that comes about through a radical confrontation with
the unconscious, with the hidden, with the Shadow, and with the darker,
potentially destructive aspects of the psyche. The raven's association
with death becomes an association with depth and thus with depth psychology
and the transformative powers of initation - for such a moment marks
to a greater or lesser extent the death of the old self, and the rebirth
of a new self. The raven's connection with healing is reinforced when
we consider it as a bird of prophecy and divination, integral facets
of the healer's arts. The raven could travel to the darkest regions
of the Underworld to bring back visions and oracular instructions for
the seeker and healer. The raven has been seen as an oracle for thousands
of years. The early Irish Druids divined according to their flight and
cries, and as late as 1694 it was reported that a Hertfordshire raven
uttered a prophecy three times. Throughout time, Raven has carried the
medicine of magic. This has been true in many cultures across the planet.
It is sacred, in the Native American medicine ways, to honor Raven as
the bringer of magic. If the magic is bad medicine, the carrier may
be honored out of fear rather than out of respect. Those who fear Raven
may do so because they have been dabbling in areas in which they had
no knowledge, and a spell may have backfired on them. Raven magic is
a powerful medicine that can give you the courage to enter the darkness
of the void, which is the home of all that is not yet in form. The void
is called the Great Mystery. Great Mystery existed before all other
things came into being. Great Spirit lives inside the void and emerged
from the Great Mystery. Raven is the messenger of the void.
In Native teachings the color black means many things, but it does not
mean evil. Black can mean the seeking of answers, the void, or the road
of the spiritual or nonphysical. The blue-black Raven contains an iridescence
that speaks of the magic of darkness, and a changeability of form and
shape that brings an awakening in the process. Raven is the guardian
of ceremonial magic and in absentia healing. In any healing circle,
Raven is present. Raven guides the magic of healing and the change in
consciousness that will bring about a new reality and dispel "dis-ease"
or illness. Raven bring in new state of wellness from the Void of Great
Mystery and the field of plenty. Raven is the messenger that carries
all energy flows of ceremonial magic between the ceremony itself and
the intended destination. For instance, if a ceremony is being performed
to send energy to a disaster area where people need courage and strength,
Raven would be the courier for that energy flow. The intention could
be to allow the people of the devasted area to feel the concern and
support of the participants in the cermony. The norse god Odin has two
ravens, Hugin and Munin ("Thought and Memory") which fly out
over the world every day and report to him the news every evening.
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