This page started off as a means for me to share a vision I had received via the ‘Spirit’ of the White Raven on top of Mount Lone Cone on Meares Island which is located on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. The vision revolves around the idea of Vancouver Island being shaped like the head of a female alligator coming up out of the ocean with Meares Island as a baby dragon hatching from its egg shell in the alligator’s mouth. This has ties to the ancient mythological concept of Mother Goddess and her subordinate child. Mother Earth is the Goddess and we are her subordinate children. Mother Earth can offer us protection or swallow us whole. I deduce that the Meares Island Dragon is a landscape representation of the Ladon Dragon which is represented by the constellation Draco. I expand upon this idea to include other constellations such as Ursa Major, Minor, Bootes, and Ophiuchus. I also incorporate other world philosophies and mythologies (ie. Chinese I-ching and Meso-American bat). After my vision was complete, I moved to the city of Victoria BC, Canada to make an attempt at sharing this vision with the world. It wasn’t long after that I met Mary Dowds who was in the process of discerning a terrestrial/landscape Zodiac that overlays the city of Victoria. By the time I met Mary, she had not yet found the Cancer or Pisces effigies which left them open for me to find which I did. Our two life paths had at that point become entangled. I went on to verifying her discovery of the VLZ (Victoria Landscape Zodiac) by figuring out how to overlay a planisphere (star chart) over the VLZ in such a way that all of the star, nebulae and galaxies align with correlated landmarks in the Victoria landscape. Since then, Mary has stepped back from the Zodiac after being bullied out of the Zodiac by a local, ex-university principle by the name of Peter Tongue who has been presenting the Zodiac as his discovery. Mary has given me her permission to run with the Zodiac. Though Mary has given me her permission to run with the Victoria Zodiac, I do not really work with her. I do not speak on Mary’s behalf and Mary may not always agree with what I say and do. A lot of the information that I share is my own. I do try to credit Mary for her discoveries but don’t always remember to. Thank you Mary for sharing your vision. WHY WHITE RAVENS??? It was through my “connection” to White Ravens and my understanding of their significance that I discovered the reflection of the Heavens/night sky upon the Earth in the form of several ancient Astrological and Mythological archetypal effigies revealed through the shapes of individual landmasses upon the Earths surface. I call my work the Teachings of the White Raven to honor White Ravens for their contribution to my discovery. RAVEN STEALS THE LIGHT
One of the most (if not the most) predominant and fascinating teachings of the indigenous people of coastal British Columbia, Canada, is their creation story. The story of how Raven stole the light! There are many different versions of the story. The versions I have heard go something like this. In the beginning, all of the light in the world was in one house that was inhabited by a being and his daughter. They kept the light in bent cedar boxes that they stored on a shelf. From time to time, they would pull the boxes off the shelf, open them and admire the light. One day as they were admiring the light, Raven (whom they say was originally white) saw the light shining out of the smoke stack. Raven wanted to steal the light for itself or wanting to free the light from the house. Being a shape shifter, Raven turning itself into a seed and went into their drinking water. The daughter drank the water, and Raven began to grow as a child inside her womb. In time the child was born and grew. At some point the child ask/cried for the boxes of light. The mother pulled the boxes form the shelf and placed them before the child. There are several accounts of what happened next, two of which I will share. In the first account the child immediately opened the boxes, threw the light up the smoke stack, shape shifted back into its White Raven form, laughed at the father and daughter and flew out the smoke stack. In the second account, Raven wanting to possess the light opened the boxes, grab the light, shape shifted back into its White Raven form, and holding the light in its beak, pushed the light out the smoke stack. In this account Raven began laughing at the father and daughter as it flew and spilt the light across the sky. In both accounts, it was Raven releasing the light from the house that the Sun, Moon and stars were placed in the night sky setting the universe in motion. It was as Raven was flying out of the smoke stack that it turned black. The following is another Native American legend that connects the White Raven to the White Buffalo. THE LEGEND OF WHITE RAVEN SPIRIT FROM THE CREATOR as sent to us by WHITE RAVEN
At the beginning, when the Earth was fresh and new, the Great Spirit, Creator sent down His Raven to enjoy this new creation. As Raven soared down from cloud to cloud he began to take the color of the snow crystals that touched his wings, each crystal being different, like the creation on the earth. The Creator told him, you will be like the snow flakes you have gathered on your wings, a part of everything new, everything that I have created. You will be for all people. As White Raven soared in the clouds the cool air rushed under his wings, he was singing and shouting songs of praise to his Creator. One day he wanted to touch and feel the ground and taste the earth below. He wanted someone to keep him company, but he knew when he landed he would soil his feathers having to settle on the ground below. So the Creator, wishing to please this special one, created a special spirit mate for White Raven, a White Buffalo where he could land and rest. Now there were many of these new Buffalo but only one as white as the snow. They moved about and covered many lands. White Raven found his spirit mate, the White Buffalo below and would ride on his back, resting and smelling the sweetness of earth, making many pleasant sounds in thanks for his new home. Now he could help White Buffalo and his brothers and sisters find good places to roam for food. Every day White Raven would fly high into the air soaring around, spotting fine places of grass for his brother. When he would look down, he could see White Buffalo as bright as the mornings sun among the others earth colored ones. White Buffalo could be found easily and then led to the good eating places. He would sing to the White Buffalo, "Come here, come here, come here, the grass is good, good, good, then laugh". They would fly, and run, and play, and eat, and enjoy all that was given to them. Then came a time when the Creator put new creatures on the Earth. They were called humans and walked on two legs. The humans were the color of the earth, the place where they came from, and were very smart. They would sing and make fires to The Creator in thanks for their life and the beauty He had given them. But the human became very hungry and asked the Creator what they should do. The Creator pointed them to the White Raven and told them, "I gave to the White Raven the White Buffalo, so he could guide him to places where his brothers and sisters could eat the good grasses. Now I will give you any buffalo except the White one, to fill your lodges and stomachs and keep you warm so you and your families will never go hungry and never be cold. But remember without the White Buffalo it will be hard to see the others and hunt because they are like you, the color of the Earth. The humans did what they were told, and after a hunt would first thank the Great Spirit, then the buffalo for his spirit, food and skin for warmth and protection. All things were very happy and gave thanks every day. One morning, White Raven woke up from a good sleep on the soft back of White Buffalo, and stretched his wings. Flying high into the air looked for a nice place for his brother to eat for the day. While high above the hills he saw a different kind of human, although they looked the same he could feel their hearts were not the same as the others he had known. The new humans were thoughtless caring only for themselves and killed many animals that they could not eat or use for their families. White Raven talked to the Great Spirit asking what are these humans doing, they do not thank You or the ones whose spirit they send to You. They gather up much that they cannot take or use and it goes to waste. The Great Spirit said He was unhappy with these ones. On that very day, one of the new humans saw the beautiful White Buffalo who was not paying attention to the ground, but looking up in the air to follow White Raven to a new area to eat and play. The new human creeped up on White Buffalo and took his life and spirit, not following the command of the Creator. Then the new human did not thank The Creator or the White Buffalo for this spirit, food or skin, leaving much of the body there to rot in the sun. This made The Creator very sad and angry. He began to cry from the clouds and sent sharp streaks of bright anger to the ground.. White Raven was very sad, his spirit mate had been taken from him and he had no place to stand or sleep any longer. White Buffalo's brothers and sisters ran off causing a great rumbling that went to the heavens and began to shake the earth and the clouds. The Creator let His tears begin to fall from the clouds showing His sorrow. White Raven cried and yelled as he circled his spirit mates lifeless body from high above. As the days past and the tears continued, White Raven began to tire since he no longer had his place to rest. The streams began to overflow and the seas and the lakes rose to a point where there was very little dirt left. After many days, exhausted and soaked with rain, White Raven landed on a small piece of of muddy ground. The dirt splashed up on his body and wings. He tried to move about but he got more and more discolored with the mud . He began to change color to black as the mud spread all over his body, flopping around trying to get back into the air. A day or two passed and White Raven now was completely black and covered with mud. The water had risen to a point where the only piece of ground left was being covered with the rising flood. Far away White Raven saw an old man and his family floating towards him in a large canoe and he cried out "here, here, come, here, come here !"
The Elder noticed him and came over to him and picked him up.. The elder was very kind and wise, he fed him and dried him off. Now by this time the entire earth was covered with water and the tears had stopped. The Creator now would mourn silently. White Raven told the elder of his journey and what had happened to him and his friend, White Buffalo. Elder told him that The Great Spirit had spared him from the great rains to look for anything good, but there was much evil in the world and there was not much to save. The elder explained that again, along time in the future not only will there be good on the earth but evil also. When this time comes the Creator will have to again cleanse the earth of this evil. White Raven was now strong enough to fly back into the heavens. As he left the elder and his family he thanked him for his kindness and began to soar back to The Creator. The Creator told the elder he would He would create only black Ravens, to remind all peoples of the evil that man can create. The Creator at a the time in the future when the earth is filled with evil will again send His White Raven. This time he will not turn to black or be soiled, but remain forever the color The Creator had given him in the beginning. One will see White Raven and he will give this message to many Nations and to all who will listen to him and what he says about The Creator. This one will be giving a warning to all, of bad times that are coming. White Raven will again have the soft white back of his spirit mate to rest on, and everyone should listen to his warning;" Return to the Creator, give Him songs of praise. Burn fires that will let their smokes rise up to Him as a pleasing smell. Put away your evil ways and desires, putting The Creator as the Way to follow, so He will be pleased with us." White Raven then soared up towards the Great Spirit, into the clouds. The snow crystals began to cleanse the feathers of White Raven as he flew through the clouds going ever higher until he again became as he was in the beginning, The Way, The Creator had meant him to be. So we must all be waiting and looking for this time that is in the future. For the return of the White Raven. This time will come to turn to the Great Spirit again. We will still try our evil ways, destroying what He has done for us. Will we do the things that we were meant to do in the beginning. Love The Creator, live in peace with all, love The Way The Creator loves us, and treat everyone as He treats us. This is what is written, this is The Way it must be. There is also a Greek myth that tells the story of how crow/raven was originally whiite but was turned black. It is as follows. CORONIS AND THE CROW
Coronis ("crow" or "raven"), daughter of Phlegyas, King of the Lapiths, was one of Apollo's lovers. While Apollo was away, Coronis, already pregnant with Asclepius, fell in love with Ischys, son of Elatus. A white crow which Apollo had left to guard her informed him of the affair and Apollo, enraged that the bird had not pecked out Ischys' eyes as soon as he approached Coronis, flung a curse upon it so furious that it scorched its feathers, which is why all crows are black. Apollo sent his sister, Artemis, to kill Coronis because he could not bring himself to. Afterward Apollo, feeling dejected, only regained his presence of mind when Coronis' body was already aflame on a funeral pyre. Upon a sign from Apollo, Hermes cut the unborn child out of her womb and gave it to the centaur Chiron to raise. Hermes then brought her soul to Tartarus. Alternatively, his mother died in labor and was laid out on the pyre to be consumed, but his father rescued the child, cutting him from her womb. From this he received the name Asklepios, "to cut open." Apollo carried the baby to the centaur Chiron who raised Asclepius and instructed him in the art of medicine. Asclepios was married to Epione, with whom he had six daughters: Hygieia, Meditrina (the serpent-bearer), Panacea, Aceso, Iaso, and Aglaea, and three sons: Machaon, Podaleirios and Telesphoros. He also sired a son, Aratus, with Aristodama. The names of his daughters each rather transparently reflect a certain subset of the overall theme of "good health. Zeus killed Asclepius with a thunderbolt because he raised Hippolytus from the dead and accepted gold for it. Other stories say that Asclepius was killed because after bringing people back from the dead, Hades thought that no more dead spirits would come to the underworld, so he asked his brother Zeus to remove him. This angered Apollo who in turn murdered the Cyclopes who had made the thunderbolts for Zeus. For this act, Zeus banned Apollo from the night sky and commanded Apollo to serve Admetus, King of Thessaly for a year. Once the year had passed, Zeus brought Apollo back to Mount Olympus and revived the Cyclopes that made his thunderbolts.After Asclepius' death, Zeus placed his body among the stars as the constellation Ophiuchus ("the Serpent Holder"). Ophiuchus is often called the 13th Zodiac sign. To this day Ravens are still black. Recently there have been several White Ravens (not to be confused with albino Ravens) seen hanging around Coastal British Columbia, Canada. I believe that these creatures have come to share a message. I believe that through my connection and communication with nature, I have been able to decode part of the message. The Teachings of The White Raven is an exploration of this message. My true passion in life is the study and exploration of astrological and mythological archetypes through landscape effigies. Google landscape Zodiac to get a better idea of what I mean. Like Katherine Maltwood that discovered the Landscape Zodiac (a.k.a. 'the Temple of the Stars') in Glastonbury, England and more recently, Mary Dowds discovery of the landscape Zodiac here in Victoria, BC, Canada (the place Katherine Maltwood moved to after her discovery in Glastonbury) I too have decoded the reflection of astrological constellations upon the Earth. As above so below. I do not like to call my discovery a landscape Zodiac because unlike landscape Zodiacs that deals with the 12 Zodiac constellations, the bulk of my discovery is made up of constellations that are not part of the Zodiac. My discovery pertains more to the Constellations, Draco, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Bootes, Cygnus, Lyra, Aquila and Ophiuchus to name a few. Also my discovery covers the entire 'New World' (North, Central and South America) and several key parts of the 'Old World' and is not limited to just one city. As Above, So Below. The reflection of the Heavens upon the Earth. The exploration and discovery of these effigies are all pieces to a much bigger and still evolving puzzle. Join us on this adventure. To explore and learn more, connect with me. With Gratitude
Donald Allen
