Is the soul solid, like iron?
Or is it tender and breakable, like
the wings of a moth in the beak of the owl?
Who has it, and who doesn't?
I keep looking around me.
The face of the moose is as sad
as the face of Jesus.
The swan opens her white wings slowly,
In the fall, the black bear carries leaves into the darkness.
One question leads to another.
Mary Oliver, from Some Questions You Might Ask
Crows are a common sight, found all over the world, so when it was recently documented that they know how to use tools, the news generated amazement. It seems they also know and remember human faces and tell their offspring who are the 'good and bad guy' humans based on their experiences. Now that gives you pause. How could something thought to be common and ordinary turn out to be just below us on the intelligence scale?
The dominance of the modern world across the landscape of the Real World has created a misconception that everything can be known even though scientists everywhere are quick to point out the vastness of what we do not. They have learned each new discovery only leads to more questions and more wondering. The Real World is and remains, a mysterious place and because we are part of it, our lives are also. The complexity of relationships between us, the impact of the choices we make and the challenges we face all create opportunities for knowledge and growth but also leave many unanswered questions of our own. In considering all of this, perhaps it is helpful to see mystery as an ally. Maybe it operates as a safety net, a pressure gauge on the human belief that knowledge equates with understanding. Could it be the existence of mystery
invites the emergence within us of the spiritual intuition aligned with faith and trust and lessens our dependence on logic as the only basis for interpreting our lives? Could it be mystery speaks a language only our hearts can understand?
I wonder if the crows know about that.
