Crow

Over the last few years I have learned that Crows live and train with their families for often up to 5 years. Which in some ways makes them the most like humans of all the birds. They also have a language of at least 8 calls. And the really awful one you usually hear when they are aware of humans is the raspy caw that means simply "Danger!" Since humans are designated danger they use the caw that you hear then. To hear the other calls they mostly can't be aware that you are there at all.

I didn't know about any of this when I first met Crow, a Native American Medicine man or his wife in the early 1980s in Mt. Shasta, California. I had prayed the week before for God to send me a Medicine man for me to study with. Since Crow showed up at a friend's house I realized my prayer had been answered then. So, my friend and his girlfriend and my wife and children all studied with Crow for a few years. However, after I did my vision quest of no water or food for 4 days (96 hours), later that year in the late summer or fall I made a mistake which ended our relationship as teacher and student. At the time I didn't see it as a mistake that would end my relationship with Crow. However, I wasn't proud of what happened either. So, I realized it was time to move on in my life as life was teaching me something new. Also, Crow had introduced me to Charlie Thom who is crazy wisdom like me. Crow was more like my father and a disciplinarian and this was always difficult for me in this way. So, I continued to sweat with Charlie Thom over the years after that. Besides, I think God wanted me to start studying Tibetan Buddhism to add to the Christian Mystic Life I had been living since birth too. And that Studying with Crow was to ground me into the earth in a certain way so I could spiritually and physically survive the Tibetan Buddhist path with all the Empowerments and initiations that would come in the U.S. and India as well as all my travels to Nepal, Thailand and Japan as well.

So, I'm grateful to both God, the Great Spirit (Wakon Tonka) (The Great ever Moving Spirit like the Wind) for sending me Crow so I had the discipline to survive all the rest of the things in my life that came after his teachings.

It is sort of like learning to drive a car. If you don't learn right you will be in accidents for sure. I had a good teacher with Crow who insisted on all the fundamentals so I could survive my future. Thanks Crow! and thanks to God!