Why the Raven Chose Me...
There’s a reason ravens appear so often in my life.
They show up in the name of my podcast, Raven’s Ramblings.
They appear in my artwork, my symbols, and the imagery I’m drawn to again and again.
People sometimes ask me why.
Why the raven?
The truth is, I didn’t sit down one day and carefully choose the raven as a symbol for my life or my work. It felt more like the raven chose me.
Ravens Are Creatures of the Threshold
In folklore and mythology, ravens are often seen as creatures that live between worlds. They appear in stories as messengers, watchers, and guides. In Norse mythology, Odin had two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, who traveled the world and returned with knowledge and insight. In Celtic stories, ravens appear on battlefields and crossroads, places where transformation happens.
Ravens aren’t delicate creatures of soft fairy tales. They live where things are raw and real. Where endings and beginnings meet. And that kind of energy has always resonated with me.
Ravens Are Observers
Ravens watch. They sit quietly on fence posts, tree limbs, rooftops, and power lines, studying the world around them. They are incredibly intelligent animals, capable of problem-solving, memory, and even play.
That quiet observation feels familiar to me. I’ve always been someone who watches the world closely. Someone who notices the small things. The patterns in people. The shifts in energy. The stories beneath the surface. Ravens don’t rush through the world. They pay attention.
Ravens Carry Both Light and Shadow
One thing I love about raven symbolism is that it isn’t purely “light” or purely “dark.” It exists in the middle. Ravens have been seen as omens, tricksters, protectors, and guides depending on the story being told. They are associated with death and rebirth, endings and transformation. To me, that feels very honest. Life isn’t just sunshine and blessings. There is shadow. There is grief. There are seasons where things fall apart so something new can take root.
Ravens remind me that the shadow isn’t something to fear. It’s part of the cycle.
The Witch and the Raven
Witches and ravens have crossed paths in stories for centuries. The raven often appears as a companion to those who walk slightly outside the boundaries of ordinary life. Not as something evil or sinister. But as something aware. Something that sees the world differently. I’ve always felt drawn to that place on the edge of things. Not quite inside the crowd. Not quite outside it either. Just close enough to observe. Just far enough to question. And in many ways, that’s what Raven’s Ramblings has become. A place where I sit on the metaphorical fence post and talk about the things I see. About witchcraft. About life. About the strange and beautiful experiences of being human.
Maybe the Raven Finds All of Us Eventually
I think many of us who walk a witchy path eventually encounter some symbol, creature, or idea that feels like it belongs to us. Or maybe more accurately, that we belong to. For me, that symbol has always been the raven. The watcher. The messenger. The creature who lives comfortably between worlds. And every time I sit down to record an episode of Raven’s Ramblings, I imagine that raven perched nearby, listening patiently.
Watching.
Waiting.
And occasionally tilting its head as if to say,
“Go on. Tell the story.”
Raven 💜
