crows & hawks

so my life is surrounded by crows and hawks. if you know me at all, you know my love of crows and hawks. i would love to have a crow call. but if i did, i would NOT stand out in our deck calling them in, like hillbilly husband calls owls unaware. a friend once told me that in some native american cultures, the crow is considered the Messenger. and i went with that, and have wondered what message they may be trying to get me. after a few nights of crow-filled dreams, i consulted an expert. she wrote back (and i am most grateful for the long & thoughtful response)that the crow is most often considered the magician or alchemist. (i paraphrase here). hunh. and the hawk is considered to be a messenger. well, i spent some time with that. and it all seemed to click into place the other morning as i waited in the shower for my conditioner to condition. now y'all remember the fateful word i chose for 2010, right? "Authentic." such an innocent, perky-yet-righteous word, bless it's heart. yes. umm hmm. and just days ago a little scrap of authentic burst forth, looked me in the eye, did a neener dance and bitch slapped me right before i knew what was about to happen. you remember that part? ok. hold on, it'll all tie together. so here i am working on a sculptural piece of a CrowWoman, and having not one, but 3 crows present - Tazo, Dreamweaver, and as-yet-unnamed baby girl crow. and i'm waiting for a message, right? i figure i have 3 phone lines to the universal brain, and a calling card handy. i am Set Up. so. it turns out that the Crow, is not quite the messenger in my life. as the steamy water rinsed the conditioner (we're back in the shower now), it came to me...the crow energy has helped to make a difficult year easier, by creating magic & subterfuge. not in a malicious way...more helpful in the sense of a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. (props to Mary Poppins). i've had a sense that 2010 is a year that promises to shake, rattle and roll quite a lot of things, in a big way, for a lot of people...chaff being seperated from wheat...being asked to go past your "set" point and reach further...in happy ways, and in uncomfortable ways. so i am grateful for crow energy to help soften the edges of what promises to be a difficult and uber-rewarding year...a year of great transitions and movement...a year that will end with a skid and a What The Hell Happened There? i've watched hawks and falcons intently. the redtail that lives in my woods is a nesting bird that sweeps through the trees as if there is no obstacle. she flies just feet from the top of my head sometimes (heightwise) even though she's flying through an area semi-dense with trees. she is intent on her goal. the peregrines are amazing, as are the cooper hawks....they zero in on their prey and tuck in like rockets, often reaching speeds nearing 200 mph i'm told. so it is my feeling that the magic & alchemy of my companion crow was much like a stand up comic who jokes about the hardships in their life...turning what could've been an upsetting situation into fodder for entertainment. and that is pretty much how i live my life. the hawk is calling, however, to get down to business. what business? i have no idea. i'm sure i'll find out though. life is tough to avoid. there have been some deep & fast issues around the household that have been abruptly brought to the surface and excised. much like the speeding hawk slamming into it's prey, issues have been as furiously dealt with and resolved...with no excuses or time for thoughtful contemplation...just Stand And Deliver. it is possible to live an acceptable life, but who the hell really wants just an acceptable life? the Magicians can make things acceptable, but now the hawk is calling to get past the barrier of just Acceptable, and move toward Authentic. so it promises to be an exciting year. i will carry "authentic" with me, giving it a bit of room, like a bad diaper, but accepting that it will all be good. like little debbie swiss rolls. by the way: if you're in the area, i've been invited into a show at the Delavan Art Gallery that opens Thursday night. i dropped off some pieces today, and it's going to be HUGE. stop in and bring your checkbook. i have some older pieces that really are sick of living here with the fear of the cat face-planting them. buy. it's the kindest thing. Linda