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Raven's Wisdom Includes:
- Rebirth without fear
- Ability to tear down what needs to be rebuilt
- Renewal
- Ability to find light in darkness
- Courage of self-reflection
- Introspection
- Comfort with self
- Honoring ancestors
- Connection to the Crone
- Divination
- Change in consciousness
- New occurrences
- Eloquence
Raven
Corvus corax
Range
Worldwide, except for the high Arctic, Antarctic. southern South America, New Zealand and most oceanic islands.
Habitat
Seacoasts, mountains, forests and deserts.
Size
6 - 26 inches long. Can weigh up to 50 ounces. The largest member of the crow family.
Characteristics
Large bird with a short, or medium-lengthed square tail and plumage that is black with a slight purplish gloss. They have a large black bill and black legs.
Behavior
Often seen in small groups, typically with a sentinel on a high perch. These birds are wary of humans and learn quickly from their experience in situations. These birds are known for their 'cah cah' call, but are capable of mimicking many sounds.
Reproduction
The male and female raven will often defend breeding territories where they nest. Usually 2 - 8 eggs are laid and incubation lasts 18 - 20 days. The young will usually leave the nest after 20 - 45 days.
Diet
Varied. Includes fruit, seeds, insects, small vertebrates, eggs of other birds and carrion.
Lifespan
15 - 20 years. Record in captivity is 29.
Miscellaneous<
The ravens name (corvus corax) means "croaker" in Greek.
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The Raven was a sacred bird to the ancient Celtic peoples. Many of the Celtic Dark Goddesses, such as the Morrigan, are able to transform themselves into the forms of ravens and crows while observing a battle.
These large black birds are generally seen after the battle, picking the carrion off the newly slain. Stigmatized as dirty scavengers, they can never-the-less give us the message that we all must take in the life of another to sustain ourselves.
This bird's association with death has given it a mysterious power. The Celts believed that ravens and crows served as messengers from the Otherworlds. Often to see one or hear one's terrible cry was an omen of great change within the observer's life, a death of one thing and the rebirth of another.
This is the Raven's gift: beginnings in endings. This ancient wisdom is what the crows and ravens carry with them, this is their terrible and wonderful magic.
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