I have a lovely visitor staying with me right now, it is great to have her company and learn about her culture. She is Chinese and I have learnt many things from her so far. This blog post is not about her but instead about the frequent presence of crows in my life.

This morning she pointed out to me that there are many crows around my backyard, and where she comes from, this is an omen. An omen that you may soon become unlucky. Oh dear.

I quite like the crows. They holler and moan and croak away quite incessantly, but still I don’t mind. They scamper and crawl and clinker all over the fence line, starring at me with their beady intent glare. I do wonder what they are thinking.

It made me think, why are they so unlucky? It is just a bird! I am curious about superstitious ideas so I thought I would do some digging and see what I could find.

“The striking black colour of a crow represents the colour of creation.  It is the womb out of which the new is born.  Black the colour of night gives birth to the light of a new day.  Crows can remind us that magic and creation are present.  Their ability to shift between the known and unknown world indicates new journeys.  Crows are adaptable and will eat almost anything; they can survive in almost any situation.  The Crow is associated with magic, unseen forces and spiritual strength.  If a crow flies into your life, get out of your familiar nest, look beyond your present range of vision, listen to its caw and act accordingly.”

Crows can carry the spirit of the dead. Cool. Nice. Not sure how but hey why not? Life is weird enough!

Crows are the bringer of death. Not so cool. No one wants to hear that, ever.

Death can also equal new beginnings. Now this is sort of awesome! I love new beginnings. I feel like I am entering a new chapter soon, I can feel a shift, a change, a ruffle, a distinction from before and now. Subtle, soft, but somehow things have changed. I know that sounds abstract but let me explore this in another post.

“Some Native American cultures see crows as a positive symbol because they believe the crow acts as a communicator or liaison between this world and the next. They are viewed as assistors that help the deceased cross over.”

So overall I will continue to be fascinated by my cawing, clunking, piercing, curious visitors. Are they passing on a message? Are they carrying the spirits of my deceased family? Now that would be cool! I would have thought they would come looking like a more friendly bird however! Either way, I don’t mind their presence so much and in general love all the bird life in my new area.

Most mornings I hear magpies, kookaburras and crows, lorikeets, and cockatoos. It really is abundant in bird life down here by the coast, so different from my last inner city dwelling.

What has been your experience with crows? I think they look very intelligent. Smarty pants bird. Bringer of death? I hope not!

Yours in bird appreciation,

Anita xx

References for this post:

http://seeksghosts.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/crows-connection-to-death.html

http://www.sayahda.com/cyc1.html