Today as I walked the woods I realized that the shadows have become greater, appearing much earlier in the day. The darkness silently consumes the light, slowly filling these woods with decay… It was then that I saw her resting on a log, or was she there watching me instead? The Stealer of Souls, Corbie of Death, but for me a bird of transformations instead.
Crows are a large passerine bird species of the Corvidae and have a rich symbolism in folklore and mythology. Most often associated with the afterlife, death, and transformations. Seen as a trickster like the coyote, due to the bird’s cunning no doubt, and is ironically credited with teaching humans how to deal with death.
That isn’t that far-fetched… considering crows mourn their own dead.
If a crow comes upon a fallen friend it will make no haste in sounding the alarm, alerting other crows of the bird’s demise. The crows then all flock within the surrounding trees to take site upon of the corpse. They seem to sit still and take watch for a spell, contemplating and protecting their dead from any nearby predators. Then in unison, the silence breaks as they all begin this intense cawing, shrill cries… grieving for the loss of one of their own.
In the winter they have what is called “Winter Roosts,” communal roosts known to have a few hundred, and up to two million crows huddling together to stay warm. These creatures understand adaptability and the harshness of the dark season.
As a spirit animal crows represent intelligence, mysteries, and magick.
They aid our transformations, allowing us to reach higher states of consciousness. Crows help us with self-awareness and teach us how to expand our intuition. And finally witches within the crow’s favor are given the knowledge of shape-shifting into crows themselves, and can fly away at will to their safety.
So fly-fly away… the stealer of souls is coming your way.
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