My personal cosmology blends all of my areas of professional and personal interest with a deep connection to the local flora and fauna. A respect for nature underlies almost every action that I take. I believe that we are all connected. I acknowledge that plants, animals, rocks, everything, has a consciousness and energy.
I have made a commitment, to myself, to constantly learn and explore the local environments and to establish a relationship with the plant and animal life. I spend time outdoors, observing, watching, and trying to understand the patterns that I see. I try to incorporate earth based methods of divination into my life. I believe there needs to be an energy exchange. I try to never remove anything from the wild, however, if I temporarily use something that I spot on the ground, then I offer Reiki to the immediate area.
Crows are one of my favorite local birds. They don’t visit my tiny city yard, but they do fly overhead. I know what time to go outside so that I may watch them fly back to their roost. At first, a few fly over, then some more, until there is a wild cacophony of calls and cries, black feathered bodies flying in all directions. Then, in an instant, there’s just a few stragglers left behind and then silence. They are in their roost and I won’t see them again until the next day.
I do get bird visitors in my yard, but it’s mainly sparrows with a few starlings. A catbird couple comes by every year to eat from our blueberry bushes. However, the crows always fly past.
I practice a modernized version of an old form of divination. Augury, Ornithomancy, or Bird Divination. It’s a way of assessing if an outcome will be favorable or unfavorable. Ornithomancy is a practice of patience, observation, and study. It’s a connection to your local environs. The flight, movement, and behavior of the birds are analyzed. The colors of the birds are also signs to be interpreted. Different bird species, their interactions or interplay are further signs to incorporate into a reading.
I view humanity and nature as being intertwined. I offer respect and honor with each step that I take on a walk through the woods. There is an energetic connection that exists, deeply rooted in all beings. If I use ornithomancy, I first ask for the birds permission, and afterwards, I send Reiki to the birds. There’s a need to keep an energetic balance. I won’t take without giving. There’s a reciprocity that needs to be established if you want to walk in the woods and be able to communicate with all those that are around you.
About a month ago, I was out walking with my dog. I could hear the loud cawing sounds and knew I was about to happen upon a murder of crows. As we got closer, they became silent. We were on the brink of a path that would lead us past the birds that were sitting in the trees. I stopped and watched them.
There was one crow in particular that seemed to be a bit more majestic than the rest. He…
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