The following is a snippet of a dream that I originally failed to recall upon awakening Monday Sept. 5, 2011, but only remembered later that morning
after an encounter with a crow on the way to work. I rarely share dreams with more than one person (my wife) given I believe they are tools for
solving personal issues, though given certain symbolism present in this one (and related synchronicities that followed) I thought I would put this out
there to see if it resonates with anyone else.
This particular scene of a much larger dreamscape (which I cannot coherently recall) took place in something like a cage, I suppose more specifically
an animal shelter (the environment seemed to be fashioned out of my memories of the shelter where we got our dog a few years ago). In this particular
cell were two beautifully coloured birds resembling
Rainbow Lorikeets, a type of bird widely
known here in Australia. The birds in the dream had green backs with blue, yellow, red, orange, and a tiny bit of purple on their sides and
underneath. Having anthropomorphized them from the beginning, I could tell they belonged together and had some meaningful relationship as if they were
a couple. I got a sense of a great love binding them. Here's an example of the birds i saw in the dream:
While they were in this cage, they communicated and played briefly, and then I noticed the door was open. I wasn’t sure if they were in there by
choice or were just unaware that they could leave anytime. I then assumed there were more doors beyond that location that kept them enclosed.
Immediately another much larger bird flew in through the cage door straight at the two in the corner. It was quite large and jet black, and it
appeared to be shiny and slightly wet, as if its wings were coated with grease. I could feel the cold wind as it shot past me flapping its wings and
watched as it landed on both birds. A struggle ensued, and the huge black bird (I wasn’t sure if it was a crow, raven, or something else) covered
the two rainbow birds and attempted to smother them as they writhed beneath its shifting wings.
I remember it was horrifying in the dream, as I felt part of the scene, perhaps as though I was a third rainbow bird watching my brethren being
murdered before me. My emotions were going unchecked as the scene played out. The black bird shifted its weight and pressed its wings to get a better
grip, matching the thumping and wriggling of the little birds’ efforts to escape. I was there, but in no position to make any real difference, like
I was locked in my own cell and could only observe.
In a matter of seconds in ‘dreamtime’ one of the little birds managed to break free from beneath the right wing of the bird (the black bird was
facing away from me towards the wall), and it hobbled out of the way with its wings splayed, belly to the floor. The other continued to fight only to
be quickly overcome. The black bird turned, tucked its beak in towards its prey, and shook its head to get a hold of the little one and managed to
grab it between its body and right wing. It then picked up the bird, gathered a bit of momentum, and took off back out the cage door in a big flapping
mess.
This all took place in like I said a matter of seconds in dreamtime, and when I remember it now as I write, I see only certain frames – as though it
was a movie shot at 2 frames per second. The last few frames are of the remaining bird watching in horror as the other is taken, and the complete
torrential sadness that followed – the helplessness of being overwhelmed by an inescapable evil, and the uncertainty of the wellbeing of the
companion. The emotion and perceived involvement was more than enough to fill any ‘dream-gaps’ – as they flew away I experienced both the terror
of the captured bird, and the shock and horror (and soon, the resulting sorrow) of the remaining bird that witnessed the other’s abduction. I also
felt my own reactions to the scene, but there was nothing felt regarding the black bird. It was like a mechanism carrying out orders; no emotion, no
hunger, no satisfaction, guilt, stress, joy - nothing. It was as if it was a dark abyss manifested to carry out a natural process.
So, that is all remember of that dream, and as stated in the opening paragraph I did not remember this when I woke up. I did not recall it until about
two hours later while driving to work. I noticed ahead of me a crow flying low and in the same direction as me, and this scene came back to me as an
unlocked memory. I knew immediately I had just dreamt it.
I felt there was an important message embedded in it, whether it be solely for me or perhaps others as well. I then wondered exactly what kind of bird
the large black one was. I thought that if it was a message or meaningfully symbolic, knowing the type of bird would be crucial. Given its size and
appearance, I’ve found that the proper description of a
Raven matches most
closely to what I saw in the dream. The wingspan was between 1.5 and 2 meters, an estimation which is based on my ‘visual’ comparison of the bird
and Rainbow Lorikeets.
My initial feeling of what was being shown in the dream was a metaphor representing a choice between darkness and light; the two birds represented two
possible versions of the same entity with two different outcomes, though I'm not sure which is better - being taken away or left alone in a cage.
There's obviously more to it, and I would love to know your take on this dream and if it resonates with anyone at all. I've since had a look into the
symbolism a bit and found the following links:
Raven symbolism
Raven as an omen
Raven - Native American Symbolism
1
Raven - Native American Symbolism 2
Also, I would like to add that later that night after work (Monday Sept. 5) I was listening to 181.Fm Hairband 80's (eighties heavy metal) on Tune In,
and a song came on that resonated with what I was thinking regarding the dream. It was called 'Rainbow in the Dark' by Dio. I was thinking about how
the birds were rainbows smothered by some dark force, and then I heard the following:
I cry for magic - I feel it dancing in the light
But it was cold - I lost my hold
To the shadows of the night
There's no sign of the morning coming
You've been left on your own
Like a Rainbow in the Dark.
I've since had a few synchronistic 'run-ins' with big black birds each day where I find them perched in my path while out walking - synchronistic in
that I will be pondering the dream or some aspect of it and then right in front of me there will be sitting a crow or magpie, and there it will remain
as I walk past - only about a 2 meters away from me. Street signs, fences, low branches, etc, there they are, one at a time (not groups). I don't feel
menaced, just like there's a little 'nod' between us.
Anyway, it's either personal, or a message is being conveyed by the cosmos...I'm interested in hearing your thoughts.
edit on 14/9/11 by
Evasius because: spelling