Seeing a Crow can mean many things, it could mean that you retrieve insight and wisdom into something that is holding you back or it could be a warning that somebody new in your life is not trustworthy or beneficial for you.
Whether you’ve seen a crow during the day, at night or in your dreams, these sightings can all mean different things.
Let’s take a look at one bird symbolism in particular that is highly regarded and recognised over the world – crow symbolism.
A crow’s spiritual message is perhaps one of the most well-known of all bird symbolisms. These black birds are truly radiant, with plump, adaptable bodies that allow them the freedom to fly, walk and swim.
They are notoriously intelligent and powerful birds, which is why their symbolism holds such weight.
Crows are also excellent communicators who have intricate and curated songs to call on others. They are symbolic of many aspects of cultural myths and customs, as well as ancient prophecy, and their symbolism is valued and taken very seriously.
Overview of Crows as symbolisms
People often mistake crows for ravens and assume that crows share the trait of being symbolic of bad luck.
Ravens are seen as dark and mysterious birds that symbolise death and evil, which is often the misconception given to the crow too. This, however, could not be further from the truth.
Crows are in fact symbolic of great change and transformation, as the birds are insightful and watchful of their surroundings and of others.
Spiritually, they symbolise emotional change and should provide valuable clarity to the beholder in an encounter with the creature. They also represent the value and power of gratitude, which is quite literally symbolised in their act of bringing gifts (found on the ground) to others.
Crows have deep symbolic significance that can mean certain things to certain individuals. Here are some examples of what crows can signify:
Crows as creators of the world
The meaning of a crow can vary between different cultures, but many cultures seem to think of them as the creators of our world as we know it.
Some research has drawn parallels between crows and humans, leading many to believe that a crow’s human-like qualities are symbolic of their part in forming our world.
For instance, crows have similar brain-to-body proportions of a chimpanzee, and they have similar thinking and problem-solving patterns to the human brain.
Research has also demonstrated that crows can memorize faces and places and are watchful over their community for danger. This belief was also ingrained in Celtic traditions and customs (more on this below).
Crows as symbols of time
Many people believe in the psychic abilities of crows, and that the birds are able to see and experience the past, present, and the future.
Their spiritual association with time is often seen as a way to guide individuals on a healing journey.
Many people believe that seeing a crow is a way to prompt them into looking into their past and towards their future with integrity, to choose the right path.
Crows as spirits, totems, and power animals
Crows can also hold specific meanings as spirit or power animals, as well as totems.
If an individual has a crow as a spirit animal, it means they have profound intuition and intelligence, as well as excellent observation and insight. These are qualities that are somewhat uncommon to other spirit animals.
Crows as power animals means that the powers of the crow can be transferred to humans in some instances. For example, a crow power animal could help an individual think intuitively, as well as form better connections with others.
A totem (an emblem of a family or community), can hold great power over those it represents.
Having a crow totem enables great creativity and wisdom – as well as giving the gift of a ‘second sight’ into your intuition or subconscious.
Having a crow totem is often a tool to help individuals out of a tough situation and provide them clarity and guidance. People with a crow totem are also cautious and watchful of danger, just like crows, and have great intelligence and integrity.
The Spiritual Meaning Of Seeing a Crow
There are many symbolic factors associated with crows, but the actual experience of encountering one could hold deep spiritual meaning that many people consider very special.
People associate an encounter with a crow with a particular message that they are destined to be given at that point in their lives.
Whether it is particular advice, a warning or inspiration, when you cross paths with a crow you are likely to connect to it on some spiritual level.
An encounter with a crow could mean different things to different people, but here are some examples of what deep spiritual significance your sighting may hold:
- Crows are keen flyers and are believed to be free flyers that travel beyond many realms. For this reason, your encounter may symbolise that you need to look further than the limitations you place on yourself. In accordance with the crow’s symbolism, this will allow you to reach into your intuition and retrieve insight and wisdom regarding something that is holding you back.
- As previously mentioned, crows teach and practise gratitude. Therefore, your encounter may ask you to look inwards to determine how you practise gratitude, and whether or not you are connected to those around you.
- Crows are remarkably intelligent and have profound memory – not only of others but of previous experiences. An encounter with a crow could symbolise that you need to reflect on your past in a way that would be healing for you.
- Seeing a crow may also be a warning to you that someone, or some situation, is perhaps not trustworthy or valuable enough for you. As crows symbolise change and transformation, they can symbolise how a change in someone, or something, may have a negative outcome and can warn you against it. In such instances, seeing this crow also means that you should apply the intuitions of crows to yourself.
Crows are truly believed to be spiritual guideposts to people, and many people agree that we should learn from the tendencies and values of crows (such as being intuitive and grateful) in order to better ourselves.
What does it mean to see a Crow in your dreams?
In dream psychoanalysis, dreaming about birds is often interpreted to be a message from your subconscious, to offer advice or wisdom, as well as deeper insight into your inner self.
Dreaming about crows specifically can mean many things and are down to the individual to interpret alongside their current position and emotions in life. Here are some examples of what dreaming about a crow could symbolise:
- Since crows are avid flyers, they are symbolic of the journey between the living and the dead. Therefore, dreaming about them could represent your feelings towards life, existence, change and death.
- If a crow is flying in your dream, this could mean that there is an issue that you are actively repressing, and that you should confront it in order to move on.
- Crows depicted along-side food or feasts in dreams could symbolise that you are on a path towards success and wealth, and that you need to trust this intuition and journey that you are taking.
- Many people believe it is a bad omen to dream of a crow, as it could symbolise sadness or grief. Others believe it is a good omen to dream of crows, as they represent wisdom in your inner self.
- Some allude to dreams of crows as signs of positive changes, as crows are popularly symbolic of change and transition. This is especially prominent if you dream of being watched or followed by crows.
- If you dream of a crow in an unfamiliar or unclear setting, this could perhaps be a warning of an unclear or untrustworthy path that you are about to take.
The various interpretations of dreams involving crows are constructed by the symbolism of crows as highly intuitive and wise creatures.
Some say that dreams of crows serve as a guide to help you on a path to improvement or a better life, and that you should adopt the values of the birds in order to succeed.
e of the few birds to withhold a territory and are likely to sing when other birds stop.
What is a Crows symbolism in Religion?
There are several religious depictions of crows that hold significant meaning. The most prominent one is in Christianity, where again, crows are often mistaken to have similar meanings to ravens.
Although the distinction between crows and ravens isn’t explicitly mentioned in the Bible, the spiritual meanings of both animals are often alluded to.
Some references to crows include: Noah’s release of a crow/raven from the Ark to watch for danger (the bird never returns), the depiction of crows as birds who spend much of their time on the ground and being grounded, as well as the often misconstrued depiction of crows as symbols of death because of their dark feathers.
What is a Crows symbolism in other cultures?
Crows are important and powerful symbols in many cultures, particularly native ones. Much of people’s modern fascination with the symbolism of crows comes from research into Native American beliefs about them.
They believe in the power of crows as an all-mighty intelligence, and a cleanser of land and mind.
Native Americans were also one of the first to see crows as a sign of good fortune, as opposed to symbols of evil and death that were strongly circulated at the time.
Many Native American tribes would form in order to seek the guidance of crows, particularly during hardship. Native American cultures were also one of the firsts to associate crows with symbols of change and would allude to them as keepers of spiritual forces and believed in their great memories and abilities to hold and recall ancient remedies and magic.
Similarly, Celtics began to reject this notion that crows were symbols of bad and evil.
They adopted the crow as a symbol of knowledge, individuality and freedom.
Celtics valued the skills that crows embody and honoured them as they believed the bird was sent to them by a higher power. Interestingly, the Celtics also believed that crows were partly responsible for the creation of light and life, which is a polar opposite to the belief that crows symbolise death and darkness.
Crows were held to such high standard in the Celtic age, that killing one would be a strongly punishable crime.
What is a Crows symbolism in Mythology?
There are many tales of crows in mythology and folklore from all over the world that can help us understand their significance.
Chinese Mythology often associates crows with the sun, as opposed to its common misconception of darkness. They also told tales of crows as symbols of good luck and fortune.
Greek Mythology, on the other hand, professed the intelligence and wisdom of crows as an all-mighty force, and would link crows to Apollo and his prophecy.
Welsh Mythology links crows to witches, as the witches would be able to transform into crows (and ravens) to escape danger. These particular tales, however, alluded to crows as symbols of evil and death, much like ravens.
