The Dream Listener
  • Home
  • The Shamanic Dream
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Email List

The Healing Presence, and Silence of the Crows

2/18/2020

0 Comments

 
Someone this morning shared how the presence of a crow, who stayed on a yard fence for a week, after the death of her mother, gave her comfort, feeling the presence of her mother through the presence of the crow. Two days ago I was walking companion Border Collie Mandy, and as we came to the the intersection of two neighbor streets, behind our home, a crow silently swooped down from a tree to my right, and dipped down over our heads, over the top of my head, possibly six feet above it. It then arched back up a little higher and landed on another tree, on a limb close to Mandy and me. It sat there in silence. This corner was the corner of a house in which a neighbor had passed over in the last couple months.

It was a strange "passing over" my head of the crow, as it was high enough not to feel the wind from its wings yet I believe I had felt the "energy" of its wings brush and fluff the space above the top of my head.

As Mandy and I rounded the corner of this tree and the neighbor's yard, a second crow came flying over my right shoulder and our heads and silently landed in the same tree. As I looked above, still walking, a third crow silently flew over head and landed in that tree. All three silent!

I stopped; we stopped, and watched them a while. Their silence was penetrating, as also feeling wide in the shared space of the corner of the yard and the "t" intersection of those two country lanes. I saw a fourth crow on the ground in a yard across the street on which we now stood, quietly, pecking the earth, feeding itself, seeking  hidden morels in the grass. 

The three crows in the tree moved sparingly, appearing to enjoy our company, as we we enjoyed their presence. Not much was needed to be said.

Eventually I thought I should say something before we went our way, as they also appeared to be listening or maybe just expecting something. You just get those feelings at times – as I now hear a crow outside my window cawing, possibly, probably, verifying this observation and comment as I write.

So, I told the crows things such as: how good it was to have their company; maybe I told them, how good they were looking with their black sheen; and thanking them for coming and visiting us, and spending quiet time with us at that time and place. Almost as if thanking them, now that I think about it, for being "guardians" of this space, watching over it.

They "protect" the silence - but also like to hear the human voice, sparingly as I have learned - only speaking themselves, cawing - at the right time and place.
0 Comments

Why are Crows like little Shamans?

2/15/2020

0 Comments

 
WHY ARE CROWS LIKE LITTLE SHAMANS?
Traditionally, and universally, shamans exist to meditate between heaven and earth, to mediate between human'\s and nature with the ancestors and spiritual overseers of the heavens, devas or angels. So shamans in their higher forms see in visions and travel in their subtle or dream bodies to the inner worlds, the mid-world and higher heaven to learn, intermediate, and bring down or back knowledge and energy for our collective work on earth.

Crows have, in the animal world, somewhat similar functions, given by the Creator.

Such abilities of the crow are reported by seers, shamans or mystics. The ability to see "above" - and below - and to travel to the inner worlds, those of the angelic and ancestral worlds. This is why they need and have, as part of their purpose, smart little brains with deep nature intelligence, so much so they are some of the most intelligent animals on earth, and have immense multi-step problem solving abilities, as science has demonstrated.

They are conduits.

We can think of them as a supply line, or an electrical line, a fiber optic line. Or better, a messenger, like the mail person delivering the mail. The mail man or woman may deliver the most pertinent, important, even critical message; but, not know the content of the message in the envelope, or the purpose of what is in a package, such as a "healing ointment." Or, the crow, like a porter at a door, a door into our inner consciousness and worlds, may announce the coming or presence of a "guest", inner or outer, or the visitation by an important loved one, deceased or living, dreaming.

Or, maybe, like Aumakuas may do, announce the inner visitation of a greater spiritual guardian of a land or place.

Yet, the crow in the hands of, or as a carrier of - a "vehicle"so to speak - of a spiritual guardian, a true shaman or deva-angelic being, can be infused with even greater wisdom, knowledge and power than some or many of its peers. (More about this later, hopefully in other stories, and the role of the Hawaiian Aumakua knowledge, and yogic knowledge of such things).

I recall a story, a most powerful experience when my most prominent visiting crow - a messenger crow, who often visits our home and land - kept cawing, distracting me with a repetitious caw, which droned on and on, while I attempted a restful meditation. Finally, partly of frustration perhaps, or from an inner urge of soul, I decided to listen, and I realized he was delivering a message, or announcing something I was not aware of, so I went deep inside.

I let myself be pulled into his direction, inwardly, and outwardly in his direction. The subtle energies of my body and consciousness stretching out through the rooms of the house and into the woods of the front yard, where the crow sat in a pine tree.

There near the crow, in massive soft-energy form and now in my presence was my deceased - from this earth - companion Golden Retriever Andy, who had "returned home". He came back to the place he was raised, nurtured, lived and served most of his life - to our land, his land and house, our place, and came to be in my presence, our presence, to visit, and to share his inner light and joy of his life in this place, with us and with this world.
0 Comments

What Do You Do When the Crows Call You?

2/14/2020

0 Comments

 
What do you do when the crows - or a crow - caws, outside your window or door?

If you ignore him or her, he or she will ignore you.

If you go outside, and the crow or crows fly away, they weren't talking to you.

If they stay, but are somewhat at a distance, they may be merely amused or checking you out from your appearance into their "space" - of that moment - and intrusion into their conversation.

If they fly closer to you, and tease you with "silence" they are "listening" to you.

If they fly close and chatter one way or another, especially looking your way, or do strange or unusual actions in front of you to get your attention they are telling you something.

Listen!
0 Comments

Who Speaks for Nature?

2/13/2020

0 Comments

 
I recall a quote years back about pollution, specifically that of pollution in the air and its detriment to us and the natural world. It was a striking quote.

Surprisingly the statement was from St. Hildegard of Bingen, who died September 17, 1179. The pollution she addressed was from human bonfires for cooking, clearing vegetation, etc. She was a mystic in tune with nature, writing books on medicine, herbs, and the mystical journey. She was a counselor to great leaders of the time. Contrast this with the level of pollution we now create, and the effort it will now take to protect earth's creatures, the elements around us, and that of the children.

We "wound" nature and then we expect it to take care of us.

We think it doesn't know it is us, wounding it.

We think our collective ancestors - those who have the power, lucidity and ability to watch over us - do not know who is wounding nature and us through our connection and oneness with it.

If we truly love nature, grow to respect it in its fullness, we will seek and find true leadership for our nation and for this world.
0 Comments

Catching Up with Crow Talk!

2/5/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
This morning as I was working at my desk, I heard The Crow calling in the pine trees in front of hour home and office window. I stepped outside and could not see him, but only hear him as he was close to the property edge. So, I went outside and talked to him. I said, "Where are you"? several times, and he immediately flew to a tree nearby – and looked at me.

If you are looking at the picture included in this post, you will see some trees on the far right. He was in one of those trees. You can also see the house roof in the lower, bottom corner of the picture.

This is a picture of him taken in the last six months. I did not have a camera or phone to catch a picture of him this morning. In this prior photo of him you can see him at the very top of the center pine tree. He looks like the very tip of the pine tree, as he stood on its very peak. You can actually see a small curve of his body with him facing and looking, at that moment, to your and my left.

This morning though he was much, much closer in in the foreground trees to the right. He had in his beak a long twig. This is the first time over a couple decades living here that I have seen a crow with a twig in its beak, and was astonished as he appeared to be pointing it at me, moving it as if in gestures – like an orchestra conductor, or maybe a "teacher" directing students with an old blackboard pointer stick. It was also interesting since the twig he chose to bring to me had a fork: two branches at its tip shooting out into two directions. 

While I was looking at him, probably in some amazement, his partner, who at times accompanies him, came flying onto the property, and landed close to the road in the pine trees at the far edge of the property - observing. I suspect it was his mate; at least it felt that way at the time, and as I write this.

I have attempted to feed him when he has shown up over the months since my battle with Legionella pneumonia, late last summer and fall of 2018. He never takes the food, and I have learned he only comes to "give." To give messages or notice of something going on in the inner or outer world I had not been yet aware of or to which I had not been paying attention.

I went back inside anyway and got some cereal grains to offer him. When I returned outside, he had gone. More often than not, in the past the crows would always wait for me to bring the food. But this has been his pattern over the last year or so, when I offer food to him and any other crows that accompany him.

This morning I was trying to figure out what to write about. I started with a certain experience, not crow related; but related to social issues currently going on and how they mirror our inner universal lives – as above, so below principle. The writing was not flowing, and I stopped short of finishing it, just as one of the branches of the "Y" on the tip of his twig was short. I realized I was to take the path of the longer twig tip, and write about him and nature – our need, power and ability to be in harmony with nature, if we would just take the time and listen. How to be peaceful in this time of external social turmoil.

Offer to nature and its creatures what we can or have! Treat them right. Treat the environment right. Elect leaders who respect nature.

Importantly, listen to what nature offers us – taking us outside to be in the trees, in the breeze and in the light of the sun.

It gives more than takes.

Morning of February, 7, 2020

And as an addendum, I add, it came to me so clearly after originally writing this that the crow's gesture was a warning, "Beware of those speaking with fork tongues." Our intuition understands more than our minds, as to the meaning of the secrets and messages of nature.

So appropriate on the day after a senate trial in which truth was covered up with words of rationalizations, denials, projections and falsehoods. - by a body of leaders who are suppose to be our most noble.  So obvious they were the "wagging of tongues" - or tongues wagging - as the crow wagged the twig at me in warning, and as he crowed twice just now writing this in apparent agreement - returning it appears just to verify.

It is said when you speak reality or the truth and a crow calls - caws - the universe is verifying the reality or truth of what you are sayin. Crows are recognized as deliverers of messages, warnings and healing solutions.

To speak the truth is noble and courageous. Only one Republican leader of the past-noble body of senators "stood up" to speak for truth.

Speaking the truth is the highest quality of true leadership. Not stage-man-ship!

What I have learned over the years, falsehood spoken by a leader only leads to deeper and deeper falsehood. God may work through "imperfect" men and women, as many are currently saying; but he does not work through a leader or leaders who speaks falsehood and spins illusions of greatness.  

0 Comments

    Catching up!

    After a long "sabbatical" -  I will hopefully be back blogging on a more regular basis. I make no promises though, as there are many demands on most of us at this time.

    ​I have deleted many blogs, trimming down to a small number, a handful, to start anew. 
    ​
    ​ I hop to also share more stories on the crow, and some ancient stories, such as the immortal sage-crow, who mastered the breath to diminish sorrow, illness and death; the first, heavenly hound, and heavenly canine guardians of foreknowledge, intuition or keen senses to aid us and the heavens. 

    Such wisdom tradition knowledge appears important at this critical time and transition.

    It is said in the spiritual and wisdom-mystical traditions that when things appear darkest, an even "greater" Light is available, working to conquer the darkness, transform it, and enlighten us.

    We are called to be aware of it, to work with it, and within it.

    Paul's Blog

    ​Paul Overman, Ph.D., originator of  Integral Dream Analysis and Integral Dream Yoga; specialist in meditation, and eco-spirituality. Speaker, teacher and author, dedicated to exploration and mapping of the interrelationship of meditation dream, creativity, nature and healing states of consciousness.

    His education is in both Eastern and Western psychologies with his master degree from University of Dayton and his doctor degree from the California Institute of Integral Studies. 

    Paul has practiced meditation since his early teens and has been facilitating training in guided imagery, contemplation, dreaming, and inner-healing for forty years.

    Archives

    February 2020
    January 2018
    August 2016
    October 2015
    July 2015
    February 2015
    August 2014
    July 2014
    January 2014
    July 2013
    May 2013
    October 2012
    September 2012

    Categories

    All
    Dream Yoga Symbolism
    Longevity
    Powers Of Soul In Dreaming
    Shadow Archetypes
    Shamanic Dreaming

    RSS Feed

©
​2012-2020 | All Rights Reserved | Shamana, Samana, Dreaming Hawaii, The Shamanic Dream, Dreaming Under Guidance of Soul, The Dream Listener, Dream Listening, Dream Seeing, Dream Samadhi, and The Five Directions, are service marks and trademarks of Paul Overman, Ph.D.