HELP! Over the last couple of days a Crow has been following me to and from my son's school..but only while I am alone..never when my son is with me.
Now I am not a superstitious guy but it is getting a little creepy.
I know that Crows and Ravens are
very intelligent birds with strong linguistic skills and tool using abilities and that a group of crows is called a murder. I am also well aware of their prominence as harbingers of MISCHIEF, MISFORTUNE and DEATH in myth and the occult. Because Crows and Ravens are big, black birds they have osmotically inherited all of the superstional mystique that surrounds it. Black absorbs all frequencies of light (electromagnetic energy) in the visible spectrum so it has come to be highly prized by Psychics... Black apparently has a metaphorical correlation to the abyss of infinite knowledge.
When I worked on a survey crew in Northern Manitoba in the 70s (I was a Rodman) the crew would sometimes drive through the garbage dump to look for fox or bears...but there were always huge numbers of Seagulls (air-rats) and Ravens. If you stuck a metal object (like a gun barrel) out of the truck the Gulls wouldn't notice, but the Ravens did.
Even if you poked something out a few inches, poof!..
the Ravens would vanish!
Honest. I'll never forget that.
As far as birds being a portent of Death I do have one
eerie story..shortly after returning with us from a trip to Disneyland in the 60s my Grandmother awoke to see an Owl sitting on the window sill the night that my Grandfather died...I find it hard to forget that story either.Ravens have appeared in folklore as far back as the 3rd Millenium BCE in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Chaldean Flood Myth that was the template for the story about Noah. In Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim releases a dove and a raven to see if there is any dry land..the dove circles and comes
back..the raven never returns giving him his answer.Now I do have a birthday coming up and maybe in the back of my mind....nah...perhaps this coincidental Crow has mistaken me for a neighbour who may have been feeding it.
Whatever the reason it is creeping me out when it hops along the garage a few feet from my head while it is squawking at me. Then it flys from tree to tree as I walk to and fro to my son's school ...but I never see it when my son is with me?
Does that mean anything?
Does anyone believe that this is some symbollic gesture from the great beyond regarding my future transition to an afterlife (of which I have serious doubts about btw) or is it simply a channeled message (hello I am an empiricist!) from Thoreau who said that Crows "represent the stark twilight and unsatisfied thoughts which all men have"
Is all of this Crow crazytalk just Poppycock?
What I do know is that I'll probably step out in front of a bus because I am too preoccupied watching this f*cking crow! As a rational empirical skeptic this is all very embarrassing but so help me if an Owl shows up on my window sill I am going to freak out!
What should I do?
Sincerely,
Donn CAWppens
Iron Maiden makes a good suggestion when feeling overwhelmed..."Run to the hills. Run for your life!"
ReplyDeleteCan't you just hear the song as you run looking over your shoulder up towards the sky like an Oriental man about to be trampled by The great lizard?
I'm glad your seeking help with this, and I'm sorry that I don't have any answers for you. Just don't go to any pet shops looking to buy some love birds. That would just be a bit too freeky.
brian,
ReplyDeleteI, donn CAWppens, am not a superstitious man but WHOLLY CROW..once would be cool..Twice is a little spooky!
So much for West Nile!
btw..nice avatar
I have your answer. You're dead, dude. DEAD. The raven does, on occassion, say "nevermore". Just ask Jane.
ReplyDeleteOR...........
It could be a subtle message from your spirit guides telling you that the best defense against having a mere bird challenge your rational intellect is to have your kid with you whenever you are outside so that this bird which you think only shows up for YOUR benefit will NOT show up and give you reason to think that a Raven is going to pick on you personally, doing it only when you are alone so that you actually begin to ask questions like this which brings up the point, "If a Raven follows you in the woods does it get a starring role in a post on an award winning blog?" or "If a Raven farts overhead and only Don hears it, did a Raven actually fart overhead?" OR "I think I'm rambling and will shut up now and let the rest of the gang have a crack at you...."
ROTFL
Better yet, let me ask the wife.........grin
ReplyDeleteAnd the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
ReplyDeleteOn the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!
maybe instead it will prove to be your guardian angel.....?!
ReplyDeleteTHE michael,
ReplyDeleteAaarrgh thud!
You may be on to something I am gonna tape that kid to my leg everytime I go out the door!
Actually I would love to know what your wife thinks.
laura elizabeth,
Poe Poe Pitiful me!
angela,
I like the way you think kid! Where's Parker anyway I need some pictures of that Crow..Parker!
I know that they clip the wings of the Ravens at the Tower of London to ward off the whole prophecy of doom thingamabob should they ever fly away yada yada yada...
so maybe a little practical science and myth can exist together...hmmm.
If you don't have busts of dead Greeks lying about the house, I really wouldn't worry about the bird.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand... it might not be after you... maybe it's stalking your son.
He should probably spend more time with Mommy right now.
laura e,
ReplyDeleteI just need to know if this means that I will finally be riding the sacred ostrich through the flaming hoop on Equinox Day?
Is that too much to ask?
I'll keep an eye on my son,in fact I'll watch him like a HAWK!
I thought you'd like it. I'm good at borrowing.
ReplyDeletebrian,
ReplyDeleteAll is fair in Love and Blogging!
Maybe it's time to let him walk to school by himself now.
ReplyDeleteStay inside. Close the curtains and be careful with household appliances x
Given that Ravens et al are so intelligent, I reckon the bird's just taken an interest in you. It thinks you're neat.
ReplyDeleteDoes your son talk a lot? Perhaps the bird is scared off when he's with you and dislikes the noise of children.
or you're about to die.
ReplyDeleteHE -it's a bird -that's all! :).
ReplyDeleteYou were a rodman all right...
ReplyDeleteCrows are known to eat carrion, I believe.
Perhaps this one quite finds you to its liking as a meal one day and is being like a vulture, waiting for you to die.
In fact, its frequent caws are designed to drive you in that direction, precisely.
On the other hand, it could just be symbolically representing the ghost of teachers past, such as Mrs. Karasevic I think her name was.
Didn't you drive her batty?
I'm terrified of birds. If a crow was following me around, I wouldn't be able to leave the house and would end up totally losing my mind.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what it means. Sorry I couldn't be of any help.
cherry,
ReplyDeleteDamn straight! He's 5.
When I was his age I was already working in the mine for 14 hours a day. I was the kid who was in charge of putting fresh canarys in the cages after the others were asphyxiated..the foreman said that it was very important for morale!
chaucer's bitch,
Hmm..we do practice cursing in German on the way to and from school and that does sound scary..actually everything sounds scary in German now that I think about it...and, you pretty much have to YELL when you sprechen...
or I may die.
lee,
For heaven sake woman a sparrow is a bird..this is a CROW!..didn't you see the Omen or The Crow?
This is a genuine CAWse for concern.
or you may be right it's just a bird.
within,
Crows eat Carioun!
Do you mean Irene Karasick? No she loved me as did all of the instructors except Sheila Breen..she didn't seem to GET my comic stylings that I felt compelled to share during Her class..everything was always all about HER needs GAWD!
What the hell does batty have to do with crows?
anna,
Finally a sympathetic ear! This is downright HITCOCKIAN! I mean really it's not like we have Crows flying around all over the place..this bugger just showed up and started tailing me...in fact OMG he is sitting on my WINDOW SILL RIGHT NOWWWWWWWWWWWWwww,,.. . . . .
OMG even the crows r in love with HE. I knew it.
ReplyDeleteWell my mum will know the answer. She has a knowledge-base full of info abt such happenings :):) The other day a black cat jumped in front of my car and she said that's not a very good sign. And she was right! Cos in the next few mins I nearly had an accident. I dunno how related the 2 incidents r but she did say the former was not a good sign.
Let me ask her and get back to ya ok? :)
btw this is what I think it is. The poor crow is loveless lass like me...she's trying to hit on ya.
Keshi.
HE I just read one of ur old comment-replies to me.
ReplyDelete**kesh,
Stop being so naughty you cheeky tart!
LOL okkkk. Stopped then :)
Keshi.
The crows in my neighbourhood will rip open the garbage bags in the summer. Really pisses everyone off.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what you can do short of getting out your BB gun and taking aim.
Boy, do you have issues!! Tee hee!
ReplyDeleteBill was listening to me read your post and mentioned whipporwills screaming for the souls of the dying. That sounds creepier than crows.
Figures that I would believe in the afterlife... have had waaaay too many experiences not to.. but that might make a good, creepy post for some other day.
ReplyDeleteCrows... probably my favorite bird... leave it up to me to love, adore and just be gaga over something society deems evil.
When a kid, after seeing some crows in the zoo and finding them breathtaking, I stumbled upon two. huge. shiny black crows in my back yard the very next day. I felt as though I had been honored by the gods with their visit... and nothing bad came out of it...
You will be fine but then again this is coming from someone who considers it faboo when a black cat crosses the street and who loooooves the #13!
Dios mio!
marakeshi express,
ReplyDeleteWhat did your mom say!?
I don't know how much that bird likes me or even if it's an old crow or a young chick?
Tryin' to hit on me eh?..well if it shows up tomorrow I'll be singing the Carpenters song 'Close to You'..
ahem..
"Why do birds suddenly appear,
every time,
you are near.
Just like me,
they long to be,
close to you.
aah ahahah ahhhhh
close to you.
anotherbusblogger,
A BB gun would just piss him off..do you know how big they are?
No way John Wayne. I am not about to push my luck.
Tidalgrrrrl,
Issues? Whipoorwills can scream all they want...when I am lying in the street after getting hit by that bus there won't be any whipoorwills plucking out my eyeballs!
I don't think that whipoorwills even make this far North do they? Ask Bill.
miz CROWhemia,
Alrighty then, if you say so..I'm good.
They are beautiful and curious...
but it didn't help their CAWse that during the Plague that there were so many bodies around for them to feed upon that they were associated with the whole Death of one third of Europe thingamabob.
Well I guess that I will take it as a good omen then.
**aah ahahah ahhhhh
ReplyDeleteclose to you.
LOL hahaha!
Couldnt ask mum yet cos Im yet to go home hehe. I will reply to ya tonite ok. Till then Im leaving u with some Keshi charm and gold dust...ABRACADABRAAAAAAAAAA! ;-)
Keshi.
Hmm... Haven't recently switvhed mushroom vendors, have we? You could try a little exoeriment of your own: try wearing a tee shirt sporting a picture of a menacing
ReplyDeletetabby cat, toothy grin emanating from a pile of dark feathers. Visible, but not flashy, see? On second thought better carry an umbrella until you find out how the crow takes it ;-)
grumbly one,
ReplyDeleteNo,
but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night.
Yesterday, one of the kids brought in an "OWL" magazine, and it had a trivia bit in it about crows. "Spot a crow in the morning and you'll have a bad day." (superstition borrowed from Taiwan)
ReplyDeleteMy interpretation? Even childrens magazines are onto you. This is not to be poo-poohed.
grumblant, he could just use the freakish feline in the post below. Scary! That'll chase away the ravens.
ReplyDeletejoyce,
ReplyDeleteWow that is spooky!
Spotting a crow in the morning is bad luck eh?
I guess that's true in a sense because I never did get lucky!
laura e,
Ha! I am going to Fed X that cat to your domicile.. that psychotic puss has really had an impact on your life hasn't it. HHHHHHH!
For a few years now, there has been lesser numbers of crow in Delhi. For reasons, I don't really know. Maybe too many skyscrappers put them off.
ReplyDeleteIn India, if a crow crows! outside a window an unexpected guest is supposed to cme that day. I have seen it happening. Maybe coincidence.
I do not think they bring misery. They clean up the environment in ways you don't really see.
Maybe the crow will bring you great news. Maybe it is trying to protect you from something. Maybe it just likes being with you. Just don't give much thought to it. Crows are NOT bad.
I can tell you more but I stop for now...
CAWtami,
ReplyDeleteOnce again the voice of reason crying in the wilderness. Yes where would we be without the carrion cleaner uppers of this world?
I like the notion of an unexpected guest, like Monica Belluci, dropping by and not so much with the misery.
No sign of the Crow today but the Sasquatch looked very upset when that Flying Saucer flew too close to the Unicorns!
Look, crows get a really bad press. Every time there is some sort of hint of death in a film you'll hear a crow cawing in the background. It's just a tired old cliche.
ReplyDeleteI actually like crows (and other birds in the crow family, including the much maligned magpies) a lot. Perhaps the one that's following you has been attracted by something shiny you're wearing? You'll just have to stop dressing like Freddie Mercury circa Bohemian Rhapsody, that's my advice.
betty,
ReplyDeleteWHAT!
But...
I'm a shooting star leaping through the skies
Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity
I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva
I'm gonna go go go
There's no stopping me
DON'T STOP ME NOW!!
I'm having such a good time
I'm having a ball don't stop me now
hhmm... maybe he was tamed and now he's lost?
ReplyDeletetry tempting him/her to come to you- could be fun!?
angel,
ReplyDeleteWhy the hell not. Let's give him something to Crow about!
Tomorrow, I shall decorate my persons with a couple of irresistable items as I wander out of doors...
something shiny, perhaps an aluminum foil hat (that way the aliens won't be able to read my thoughts either) and something yummy, maybe a dead rat pom-pom.
Wish me luck!
4 words (what should I do) and you get a stream of advice, very inspirational post, you got me writing too. It became a letter and it's on my blog. (P.S. Help, I would like to link directly to the post "wholly crow", can you give me the address ?)
ReplyDeleteHE, I think there are differences between ordinary crows and Ravens, the Ravens being a bit beefier. You will find Ravens alone more often than crows, who prefer being in large flocks.
ReplyDeleteIn Alaska I used to run across a raven on occassion and get into arguments with them. They will sit up there all day cawing at you while you caw right back. Ravens cannot stand not having the last word!
I personally think Ravens are one of the coolest birds around.
hildegarde,
ReplyDeleteWhat Should I Do is probably the single most repetitive phrase in my head...I ask it about 400 times a day!
I'll drop off the magical link in a sec.
THE michael,
That is SO Raven!
Oh my yes Ravens are much larger. They can carry those big garbage bags right up to your roof and rip it open in safety.
Ravens are totally cool..i love that water dripping sound that they make.
Thus spoke the Raven, "Never More!"
ok Im here finally with some news from mum :)
ReplyDeleteI asked her last night what this means. She told me that according to Indian beliefs, a blackbird (crow/magpie etc) following u symbolises a spirit of a loved-one who died recently trying to get in touch with u (Keshi rolling eyes now..). My mum didnt like the smirk on my face when she said that.
Ok I dun want to scare ya...and this may be totally bullshit so take it as a funny incident in ur life. LOL!
Keshi.
Finally something i know a tiny bit about. Wherever crows are there is magic. They are symbols of creation and spiritual strength. They remind us to look for opportunities to create and manifest magic of life. They are messengers calling to us about the creation and magic that is alive within our world everyday and available to us.
ReplyDeleteYou have found an area where you are creative and the magic of life is flowing from you. Besides that your birthday is coming.
Hows that? good enough?
Now if a bear is following you around, then you should be worried.
ReplyDeletePlease tell me you were kidding about the crow sitting on your window sill. I am seriously freaked out by this whole situation.
ReplyDeleteAw, one bird and all these worries. Go to the Houston City Hall. The local paper and tv stations reported early this year that crows in the city hall area have become very agressive and have been attacking visitors and passers-by that some of them were actually injured and had to seek medical help. They swoop en-masse and start pecking people's heads and faces a'la Hitchcock!!!
ReplyDeleteI have plenty of bad days and yet have never seen even one crow ( oh,except for the old crow in the mirror ;) ).
ReplyDeletekeshi,
ReplyDeleteYour mom's answer is very cool...and it isn't spooky if you look at it that way...if that is the case I think I know who it would be.
hodedoo,
AHA finally got into something that you can sink your teeth into.
I like your answer. If it was a bear I wouldn't have been able to post about it...I'd be in with a little pile of berries in the back lane somewhere! I will interpret this event as a good omen.
anaa,
I was kidding sorry I didn't mean to upset you. As my native guide hodedoo explained 'it's all good' and I don't have to worry about any impending doom...but I'll wear a hat just in case the Crow really wants to anoint me.
ces,
Houston we have a problem!
Are you joshin'? That would be the place to remake the Birds..since Hollywood has to redo everything these days..think of all the money they could save on animation costs if they had actual Crows attacking people!
lee,
HA! Get a funhouse mirror..I did and it changed my life..every morning when I look in my 'special' mirror I see a tall and slim man and I am ready to take on the world.
Stop thinking "caws and effect" and adopt the Freudian angle - it's bound to be something phallic!
ReplyDeleteActually, I'd be right chuffed (ie,pleased) to have a crow hanging about.
So I'm sitting in the back yard at dusk and deep in the woods a REALLY BIG OWL goes "whOOOOOooo who who who". Being a smart ass, I bellow back a pretty good imitation. Darkness is falling fast. In a moment, the bird voice booms from closer in the woods "WHOOOOOOOO who who?", so I answered perfectly and then (it's almost dark now) I though..."what did I say? what if he turns up with flowers in his beak and a gleam in them great yellow eyes??"
ReplyDeleteI went in the house, quickly.
dinahmow,
ReplyDeleteFreud Schmeud! Isn't he out of favor these days. It use to be so easy when everything was about your willy or your repressed desire for your mommy...sigh, yup those were the days.
deb,
'Who are you,
who who who who
I woke up in a Soho doorway
A policeman knew my name
He said "You can go sleep at home tonight
If you can get up and walk away"
Were you a little freaked out that the Owl knew some WHO?
**if that is the case I think I know who it would be.
ReplyDeleteWho? aww but dun take it too serious.
Keshi.
ok now im freaked as much as you do. Ill be on the lookout when i get home from work later.
ReplyDeleteBut maybe the crow likes the food stuff or something ur carrying wit u. or izzit the color of ur car reminding it of his homies. :D
In Indian folklore, crows are the incarnation of our ancestors. There you go Donn, u have ur great granpa followin u around!
keshi,
ReplyDeleteIt's the ghost of Christmas past reminding me that I never got a pony or a spaceship or a submarine or a ....!
ghosty,
Cool! I would love it if it were either of my Granfathers because they were both hilarious funny guys that I still miss..now I can hear their laughter. They were both real jokers so I wouldn't put it past them.
haha ok! In that case alot of crows should be following me ard...perhaps a crow parade in front of my house!
ReplyDeleteKeshi.
The crow is probably just wanting you to feed it something.
ReplyDeleteThe crow wants to be friends and you should take advantage of this opportunity to tame a crow. You could teach it all kinds of things
ReplyDelete