The Raven & The Serpent

I found myself walking through the high desert heading east into the rising sun, the first sunlight illuminating the ground around as I went through the cactus fields. I looked up as a large black Raven soared overhead, shining black against the blue sky.  His flight  from the heights of the cliffs behind me off to the south, I looked at the cliff walls and took in the yellow light of the sun reflecting brilliantly from their sheer sides. I felt a gentle cool breeze blowing up the slope as I walked down.  The raven landed about 20 years ahead of me next to small bush. I saw him bend to the ground and pick something up in his beak.  With a sudden shake he began pecking against the ground, and soon had small black serpent in his mouth. I realized the pecking motion was his beating the serpent against a rock. 

At that moment, my consciousness shifted and I became aware of all that surrounded me, the timbre of the light and the wide expanse of the valley as it stretched out in front of me. I felt my heart expand to encompass all the joyful, scintillating brilliance of the sunlight on the desert floor. I was caught up in the light, the ground and the cool breeze that flowed up, gently up, the hill. 

I walked past the raven and his kill, he was now feasting on the snake and making little squawking noises as he ate. 

I awoke for a moment and thought I should write this down as a haiku, then the expansive feeling came over me again and I was standing again in the desert, but this time next to an old Jeep, I think it had been blue but was covered in lot of yellow red dust. I approached the jeep from the back and a large Owl was perched on the rear bumper on the driver side. He looked at me with his big owl eyes. I thought for a minute trying to remember what breed of owl he was and thought, "Oh, a Barred Owl", then I thought, “I can ask him a question.” 

“What is the meaning of the first dream?”,  I asked. 

The Owl answered me, "The meaning of the dream is, you are walking through life, the breeze moving gently up the hill is the steady passage of time, and it is cool now, but will grow colder, reminding you of your own death. The Raven is your divine nature, the serpent your darker side, the Raven devours the darkness to prepare you for your journey, The next phase…your passage to the next world." 

I awoke then with a little jump, tears came to my eyes then, Tears for my own ignorance and tears realizing the time is coming and there is still so much to do.