A Message from an Upside Down Crow

Bright and early on Christmas morning, as I looked out my kitchen window, waiting in a sleepy haze for the coffee to brew and bring me back to life once again, I was startled out of my miasma by the flying antics of a single black crow.

From over my roof and as an extension, over my head, this lone crow came into view and then abruptly turned completely upside down, mid flight. I was so stunned that I actually gasped out loud, thinking in that split second that the bird was in the throws of some affliction and was about to plummet to it’s death – but it didn’t. In fact, it righted itself and then proceeded to repeat the upside down flip two more times before it flew off in a northern direction.

I was now completely awake. No coffee infusion required. Holy crow! What was that all about?

Now if you have read my blog for any length of time, you will know that I take occurrences like this seriously. I believe that birds are messengers from spirit. You can read some of my other bird experiences here and here. They are nature’s oracles, and this Christmas morning experience, was definitely a message for me. The problem was that I had no idea what this crow’s flying spectacle meant.

So off I went to the greatest oracle of them all – Google. I searched and I searched and found nothing about crows flying upside down. I even purchased a book on bird omens, still nothing surfaced. I talked to others, they were stumped too. What did this crow want to tell me?

You may be asking at this point, what makes me think that this was a message from spirit? Maybe what I witnessed was just a Christmas gift from nature and nothing more, and that may be true. Here is how I personally differentiate a sign from the universe versus a naturally occurring phenomenon from nature.

A sign from the universe arrests my attention and forces me out of my current thought patterns. It’s usually something that I have never witnessed before and tends to be out of the ordinary habits of the messenger in question. The act in itself screams, “pay attention!” In my book, a crow flipping upside down, mid flight, three times, fits this criteria.

So here I was, two weeks later and still no idea how to interpret the crow’s message until I realized, that I do have the skills to decode this spiritual communique. All I needed to do was break down the elements of the experience.

The universe uses signs and symbols as it’s mode of language and in the crow’s actions, there were many symbols. So let me break it down for you like a detective collecting clues and then piecing them all together to solve the crime, or in this case, to solve the riddle of the message from the upside down crow .

1. The crow flew over head and away from me. This first clue is the answer to who the message is from, which is my higher self or my spirit. The crow was flying away from me, or off towards the unknown, or the future.
2. The act of flipping upside down was meant for two things. The first was to get me to pay attention, but the second is the real message. A crow flying upside down is unusual to say the least, and completely unexpected. It’s the opposite of it’s normal flying habits. So what actions do I need to take that are outside, and upside down from my normal day to day habits?
3. The crow flipped over 3 times. The number 3 is the number of creativity and manifestation. What do I need to create? How will this creation manifest out in the real world?
4. The crow flew off in a northern direction. Different cultures interpret the symbolism of the 4 directions to mean different things. I usually side with the first nations of north America’s meaning, or the ancient Celt’s meanings when it comes to symbols. They just resonate in me to be true and usually have parallel understandings, but you may resonate with another culture. Besides, this is my message. The symbolism of the direction of north that resonated with me is that of wisdom, the warrior and the elder. The direction of north represents the season of winter, the last on the wheel of the year. It is a time to integrate the lessons of the 3 other seasons of my life, blend them into my own unique wisdom and become a shining light of spirituality and well being. Be honest with myself, know my limits and others will naturally seek me out for my knowledge. Be steadfast and defend my beliefs.

Now here is my take on interpreting the crow clues.

• The message is from my higher self or spirit, which we are all connected to by the way, and is meant as guidance going forward into the near future, which in this case the time frame would be the rest of the winter season.

• The topic has to do with what I need to create or manifest for that not too distant future.

• Spirit is guiding me to think outside the box. To flip my thinking upside down. To not be afraid to try something new or unusual even though it may alarm others because it is not my normal patterning.

• And finally, the root of the message has to do with using the knowledge, wisdom and gifts that I have accumulated over my lifetime and be a beacon of light for others.

That makes sense and works for me and that’s the most important part of any message you might receive, it has to resonate in you. It’s a personal message after all and so a personal understanding is needed to obtain the greatest insight.

I am secure in my interpretation of the upside down crow but I would love to hear your opinion. By offering me your interpretation of this Christmas oracle, you may even be part of the message yourself. I love other’s insights and welcome your personal wisdom on this topic. When we know better, we do better.

Until then, I’ll endeavour to work on the message and do my best to heed the guidance that the universe, and one lone, acrobatic crow, was offering to me as a most cherished Christmas morning gift. No coffee required.