Nigredo

Raven carried her ball of light into the sky,
so we no longer live in darkness.

The old self image must die
Death must precede the
Psychological revolution that is welling
the creative reorganization demanding to
Unblock the flow of psychic energy and
Give life new meaning

Into the cauldron Raven
Beautiful soul maiden gently places
Black seeds from my shadow
Black wormseed from my ego
to incubate, regenerate and
Facilitate rebirth

A beginning, the end
Dying to the senses, withdrawing
Voluntarily entering the dark inner world of the soul
at home in the darkness of suffering
Only in death is a greater thing born
Only within the darkness lie germs of recovery

The Teaching of Raven

image courtesy of Susan Seddon-Boulet Trustees.

In the beginning the world was a great shapeless mass.

First there was nothing, just wind and the dark abyss. In the immense clefts of nothing, the deeper Abyss, Raven formed and with her dark raven wings, she flew to wind’s arms and their passion, this procreative force, became known as Chaos.

Raven gave birth to wind’s egg. From this egg rose the Goddess of Love, the one who arouses desire and fuels creation. This Goddess who represent the spirit of love,fertility and creation, was the oldest and at the same time the youngest of the Goddesses. It was the Goddess, the matchmaker, who agitated(libido) and paired heaven and earth, ocean and and the land. Before Her no immortal beings existed. From the Goddess of Love came libido which in turn birthed the immortals who sprang to life on the wings of ravenous love.

It is the Goddess of Love, the procreative principle(libido) that permits the work of creation to continue. The ability to bring something new into existence is fundamental to the creative process. Reference is often made to somebody’s ‘fertile mind’, or to an inhibition of this creativity as ‘creative sterility’.

Many successfully creative people use procreative metaphors in saying something about their experience because, as artist’s know too well, when a person’s performance, work output or art doesn’t have soul it lacks passion or libido. Without passion or libido, without the inevitable tension of opposites, the artist lies, wretched, impotent, sterile.

A Bolt of Inspiration

Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work.
–Mark Twain

Lightning, whose electricity,
Held the universe together,
Scowled malevolently
Through sword shaped eyes
That pierced the void as
Ravenous Raven, lady of birds and beasts
Erotically danced with promiscuous Wind

Emboldened
Charged by atoms, electrons, protons
Lightning hurled a bolt along a wire of air molecules
That collided upon earth’s stage
At the very spot in Dodona where
a single oak tree stood
Igniting fire.

Raven who lived on peaks of mountainsides,
Who lived in caves
Who rested on the boughs of this very tree
Looked up in wonder
Captivated, mesmerized by
Capricious Lightning’s audaciously bright, flashy show

The gift of fire, of electricity
Bought by Lightning to this most sacred place
His fired passion for Raven
Lives on in the bowels of
the mountains, the caves, the trees
Is told by birds and beasts
Lightning man’s imagination

To this day the Dododan Oak Tree has the property of attracting lightning and the places where lightning struck was regarded, continues to be regarded, as sacred.

In ancient Rome, members of the College of Augurs divined the will of the gods by observing the southern sky for lightning, birds, and shooting stars. A lightning bolt passing from left to right was a favorable omen; a lightning bolt passing from right to left was a sign that Jove did not approve of current political events. Furthermore, whenever the augurs reported any sign of lightning, the magistrates of Rome were required to cancel all public assemblies on the following day. The augurs’ reports became politically useful to postpone unwanted meetings, delay the passage of laws, or prevent the election of certain magistrates by popular assemblies..

Raven Mythos

Metaphor Seeds Imagination

From the formless void
Motes, particles, miniscule molecules of matter
Slowly began to stir
Drawn by an invisible procreative,
Primordial force
They gravitated
Clinging together tenaciously
Swelling into a giant cluster
A sensual shape with
Dark raven wings

Inflaming, arousing desire, Raven
Spread her wings
Dancing, gyrating provocatively
Upon Wind’s fingertips
Wind and raven’s coming together
Borne of frenzied passion
Was a union, an act of love?
From which was birthed
An exquisite silver, moon egg
Swollen with life.

Curled within the silver womb
Amid deep silence
Lay the Goddess of Love,
Goddess of erotic love, fertility
Wrapped in the very wings
Upon which would ride, ravenous
Procreative inspiration
The all powerful
Creative energy
That fuels the universe

Kookaburra Appears

Ten months since Darryl’s death it is still a struggle. The left and right parts of my brain appear to be at war with one another. The left fills me with doubts and uncertainties while the right wants me to rebuild and fearlessly seek out treasure. A new meditative tool has appeared as a result of my shiatsu therapist. I have found the work of Ted Andrews. Animal Speak and Animal Wise are two books that are near my bedside table and I have decided to learn more about my animal totems. Raven and dog have been with me for a long time but today a new guide emerged.

General Description:

The kookaburra is a large, Australian species of kingfisher. It is a carnivorous bird and has developed some fame as being a snake and lizard killer. Kookaburras are famous for their cackling call which sounds unmistakably like raucous laughter. Kookaburras are intelligent and quite social, and can become quite tame at picnic spots, accepting handouts from people. Kookaburras mate for life, and both care for the young. Offspring are known to remain and help care for new families. A kookaburra’s beak can reach 10cm in length. They are predated upon by foxes, cats and raptors.

Lessons and Challenges:

The presence of kookaburra in a reading (or in your observations) indicates that it is a time of signals and omens. Kookaburra is a strong, bold energy which tends to resonate with god energies. Pay attention to opportunities around you, and listen to nature and to the world around you, you may find that you are being given some important messages at this time.

The kookaburra encourages us to use laughter as a form of healing. Laughter can be a positive force for the body, even when we force it and we don’t really ‘feel’ it. Laughter between people is a way that reinforces bonding and helps us to enjoy life even when things are very tough. Look at how much you laugh every day, chances are if kookaburra has flown into your life you could stand to laugh a little more. It is time to turn your hurt into happiness, and the power of laughter is a great road to doing just that.

Kookaburra draws our attention to family, and our family relationships. Often kookaburra energy suggests that family connections are important in our lives at this time, either because of rivalry (particularly amongst siblings) or because we are looking at our role within the family unit. Ask yourself what your responsibilities are to your family, and what their responsibilities are to you. If you feel you are not being honoured or respected enough by your blood relations, ask yourself if you have given them the honour and respect you feel you deserve.

Kookaburra has a very powerful healing energy, and its presence in a reading or in your life can indicate a time when profound healing is occurring. This healing is not just happening to you, but to people around you, and creates a more healthful ripple effect that creates positive changes to come. Kookaburra can indicate that the querent has reached the end of a difficult journey, and new healthful growth has already begun.

The best way to end old patterns that no longer help us, is by confronting why we developed them in the first place. Often we develop bad habits or negative thought patterns because of fear and insecurities. Kookaburra is the energy of conquering fears and in turn, ending old patterns that aren’t nourishing. If there is a particular habit that you’re not happy with, working with kookaburra energy can help to dissolve it.

Everyone has personal truths, these might be thoughts, or ethics that particularly resonate with who you are as a person. A personal truth for example, might involve recognising that you are an artist or a healer at heart, or could indicate that you will stand up for your beliefs, gender, race or sexuality. Kookaburra helps you to hunt down your truths, and these truths enable you to recognise your own inner strength. In turn, you are able to teach your truths to others, and also aid others in finding and recognising their own truths. You may find yourself teaching others in an informal setting, by sharing your passions and your beliefs with others.

From a light-hearted position, kookaburra encourages us to better woo our partners and our friends. It is time to shower them with presents even if it is not their birthday! If you have no money, you can hand-make cards or presents, cook them sweets or food, or even just gift them with your presence and attention. Let the people around you know that they are loved.

The Shadow Aspects:

Kookaburra’s shadow energy is very confrontational, and can teach harsh and abrasive lessons. Kookaburra teaches us the value of family. We cannot take our children, or our parents for granted, even if they do not seem to ‘nourish’ us on the surface. Family should be respected no matter what, no matter what arguments take place, no matter how you have been deceived, no matter how you have deceived others. Kookaburra forces you to confront issues relating to ‘family,’ either by constantly bringing family drama to the surface, or by highlighting how lonely you feel without a strong sense of what it is to have a family.

Communion:

Like all animal helpers, this animal will only appear when right and appropriate, and cannot be forced to visit you, commune with you, or share messages with you. Kookaburra energy – particularly in Australia – is quite forthcoming and bold, and while it may be an easy energy to ‘contact,’ kookaburra is not always an easy guide to communicate with! In my own spiritual encounters, kookaburra can be quite harsh and clipped, delivering short (and sometimes cryptic) messages. However, this will change depending on what kookaburra is trying to teach you! Remember to be respectful, kookaburra is a predator, and has a very proud energy.

from Wildspeak, Totem Dictionary – perfect for Australians

Kookaburra Flies in Bringing Memories

courtesy of WildSpeak 

As a small child my favourite Sunday outing was a visit to the Arches, a place I have written about on this site. The Arches, on the Dargo Road, approximately eight kilometer outside Briagolong, in East Gippsland, Victoria was the enchanted world that I was privileged to regularly visit with my parents, brothers and sister during the 1950’s. One of my strongest memories is of Archie Hair, feeding a ‘pet’ Kookaburra small pieces of sausage. Archie and his Kookaburra taught me about light, laughter and treasure, about prospecting and searching for gold. As I try to rebuild my life this does seem to be a challenge that faces me.