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. And in fact, when I first began writing this I was told that this was what was needed at this time. 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. When I was a child I was told _ when you see a Raven say - None of your tricks today brother/sister Raven! Only fruit_. What was meant by this was asking Raven to bring abundance and blessings rather than turning your reality on its head and having to learn things the hard way. Seeing a Raven carrying food in it's mouth was considered to be a good omen in my family as it meant that Spirit was sending the message that all would be provided for. Even today when I see the Crows with food in their mouths I have found this also applies to them.

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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