Ravens and Burros


Ravens and Burros

Recently on a guided meditation the image of a raven came to my mind.  It reminded me of an encounter I had with ravens and three wild burros in 2016.  I was back at Ghost Ranch Conference Center in New Mexico.  It was January and cold. I had planned a day with Matthew, who a few months early had gone with me to the Black Place where we encountered the Wild Mustangs (see blog from 10-10-19).  This day, Matthew asked if I wanted to find the wild burros. Ghost Ranch had once had a burro herd, but many years earlier had released them across the highway from the conference center.  The burros of today were descendants of that burro herd.
            Matthew and I parked and walked past the locked gate, up a muddy road.  Matthew said the burros have over 11,000 acres to roam.  There’s a good chance of not seeing them. As we walked and watched, I asked Matthew what he thought seeing ravens meant.  I had seen ravens again and again during my time at Ghost Ranch.  Matthew said “They mean change or death, which can be the same thing.  White people don’t like it but Native American people see ravens as a symbol of crossing over.” 
            We turned to climb a mound to get a better view and that’s when they took flight – 25-30 ravens, all flying and circling directly over us.  “Wow, that’s the most I’ve ever seen together” Matthew said. “They don’t group together like this.”  Change is coming I thought.  Big change.  Change that requires 25-30 ravens to announce. Change that might require death.
            From the top of the mound, we look around.  “This mound is human made” Matthew said. We didn’t see any burros so headed down toward some trees.  There was a bluff where we could get a good view. 
            From the bluff, I saw them – 3 burros.  Matthew cried out, “Boogie!”  The burros looked at us and Matthew headed down toward them.  They remembered Matthew, though they had not seen him in a year and a half.  Boogie. Star. Ruby. (Matthew’s names for them) Matthew pulled out bananas and fed them, stroking, petting, talking to them. He gave me bananas to feed them. They even ate the peel, except for Ruby.  You had to peel it for her.
            They pushed in, wanting more attention and bananas.  I fed them some carrots while Matthew brushed them. (They loved being brushed.) We were there a while.  I had never been this close to burros. Matthew was so thankful we found them, that they remembered him and that they came.  But where were the other two?  There were supposed to be five.  The possibilities were not good – mountain lions, shooters.
            Matthew fed them apples, a sugar rush for burros.  Ruby wanted love.  She kept leaning against me again and again. “She loves to be hugged” Matthew told me.  So I hugged her around the neck and talked to her.  She responded and pushed her head against my chest.
            Star was a beauty and she knew it.  She flirted with us.  Boogie was the huge alpha male who wanted your love on his terms. “He likes you” Matthew commented. At one point Boogie rested his head on Star’s back, for a long while.  Such love.
            We began to walk.  “Come on,” Matthew called to them.  “Walk with us.”  Ruby came first, then Star, then Boogie. Matthew stopped and pulled out another apple, cut it up and gave it to them. All three continued to press in, not just for apples but for companionship.  Boogie leaned into Matthew, buried his head into Matthew’s shoulder.  “Wow, this is intense,” Matthew said, “real intense sharing.”  “I think he’s grieving,” I said to Matthew. “Two burros are missing, and he is missing them.” 
            We walked on.  The burros followed, then turned off.  We said our goodbyes and watched them wander off. As we headed to the car, I thought of three gifts this day – the flight of the ravens, the love of the burros, and the deep sharing of Boogie.  All life giving. Yet, life giving in the midst of change and death and loss.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Promise to the Ants

My Promise to the Ants             Last month I was at Ghost Ranch Conference Center in New Mexico attending the Seminary of the Wild.   We had been discussing and experiencing the Wild Earth, the Wild Self, and the Wild Christ. Toward the end of the week, we were sent out onto the land to be and listen and be present.   I decided to return to a great cedar tree that I had sat under earlier to listen to who or what would speak.             As I sat there, fire ants started gathering around me.   I could see a huge fire ant mound about twenty yards away and wondered why all these ants were gathering around me.   Much to my surprise, they picked me up and began to carry me toward the mound.   I was not at all sure how they were doing it or why.   They were not gentle as they dragged me over several sharp rocks.   I thought about just standing up but decided to see where this ride would take me.             As the ants got closer to the fire ant mound, I wondered if they thought
Read more

Playing in Syria

Playing in Syria             In September 2016, I went to Lebanon with a group from Grace Presbytery.   We visited churches in the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, part of the Presbyterian family. As part of the trip, we had the option to go into Syria.   Syria was in the midst of its civil war and we were promised that we would go into a part of the country where there was no fighting and where it was safe.   I talked to Crysta, my wife, about entering Syria and she said I could, as long as I did not come back in a body bag.   I decide to go into Syria, intent on avoiding all body bags.             Our small group was led into Syria by Elmarie Parker, a Presbyterian mission co-worker. It took almost three hours for us to cross the border from northern Lebanon.   The Syrian border guards were not sure why a group of Americans would want to come into their country.   The U.S. and Syria are not on very good speaking terms.   We had letters of invitation from the P
Read more

R.I.P. My Friend, the Thistle

Image
R.I.P. My Friend, the Thistle             Each day as part of the Seminary of the Wild virtual retreat we were invited to go out onto the land. We were instructed to find a portal, something we could cross over or ask permission of in order to begin our wanderings. These portals are important because they help us shift from our ordinary time into the mysterious, where we don’t know what might happen.             On the first day of my wanderings at Erwin Park in McKinney, as I walked from my car, I saw a thistle plant standing tall above the surrounding grasses. I was drawn to this particular thistle plant and went over to look at her.   The thistle had one bud at the top of the stem and a smaller one coming forth from a lower branch. Thistles are fast growing plants and I knew I would enjoy coming each day to see what new growth she had had. I looked at the leaves with their thorny edges and saw the small spikes running up the stem. A beautiful plant but one I didn’t want to
Read more