When the Ravens Took Flight: A Healing Journey Beyond the Mind

 

Sometimes, we seek relief from our burdens and discover something far more profound — a doorway to inner freedom.

An Unexpected Journey

Just two days before leaving for my ten-day retreat on Advaita Awakening in Coimbatore, I received a call from a doctor client who wanted a healing session. I told her that I would be away for two weeks and would give her an appointment after returning.

We eventually had our session, and it was a beautiful experience.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my healing work is witnessing clients journey deep within themselves. As they relax and let go, something seems to shift. When they return to their ordinary awareness, their faces often look remarkably different — peaceful, radiant, and glowing.

After our session, my client described what she had experienced. I was so touched by her account that I requested her to write it down as feedback.

What she sent me was much more than a description of a healing session. It was a journey through pristine waters, magnificent skies, dense forests, and mighty mountains — a journey that seemed to release burdens she had carried for a long time.

The Resistance to Change

My client began by saying that this was the session she had been patiently waiting for. Interestingly, by then, most of the problems that had initially triggered her had disappeared. Yet she still wished to experience the boundless wonders of energy.

Her day had been hectic, and she had been struggling to manage her time. As she settled into the session, she reflected on how complicated the human mind can be.

We consciously seek change, yet resist the very change we long for.

We want peace but continue feeding our worries. We want freedom but hold on to resentment. We want to move forward but find ourselves returning to familiar emotional patterns.

Meanwhile she felt my voice so pleasant, melting her  into a state of trance and everything around her started moving away as  she  got transported to a different realm.

Floating in Pristine Waters

She found herself floating in beautiful blue water — crystal clear, fresh, untouched, and unpolluted.

She could see aquatic life, colourful fish, lotus flowers, and water lilies. She felt suspended in a profound state of meditation.

In her own words, this was the first time she had permitted herself to give back the peace her body deserved.

How often do we deny ourselves this simple gift?

We spend our days managing responsibilities, relationships, careers, and material concerns. Even when our bodies rest, our minds continue working.

Sometimes, what we need is not another solution to a problem, but the willingness to put everything aside for a while.

During the session, she asked herself a profound question:

“If this were the last day of your life, what would you choose? Would you leave everything behind, or continue carrying it all on your head?”

What a powerful question!

If we knew that our time were limited, would we still give so much importance to every resentment, disappointment, and material concern? Or would we choose to live with greater gratitude and lightness?

The Eagle's Message

Her journey continued into the vast sky.

She saw an eagle and many crows flying against the currents of the wind. Their wings were flapping relentlessly as they worked to propel themselves forward.

We often look at birds soaring through the sky and imagine how easy their lives must be. They seem free, untouched by the struggles that burden human beings.

But my client imagined the eagle responding to her with a sigh:

“Oh, you think my life is easy?”

What a beautiful insight!

Every life has its challenges, whether visible or invisible. Even when nature supports us, we still have our part to play.

The eagle's imagined message reminded her that divine care does not necessarily mean a life without effort. We may receive support and guidance, but we must also participate in our own journey.

Perhaps the same applies to healing. We may receive help from others, but our willingness to look within and work through our difficulties remains essential.

When the Ravens Appeared

This is the part of her experience that touched me most personally.

As her inner journey unfolded, she saw flocks of crows and ravens flying across a magnificent blue sky, dotted with fluffy, cotton-like clouds. She could almost feel the mist in the clouds, and the experience left her feeling energised.

The raven is my totem animal. Throughout my life, crows have appeared at significant moments, and I have often experienced their presence as meaningful messages.

So, when my client described seeing crows and ravens during her trance, I was deeply moved.

I felt that these birds, which have such a special place in my own spiritual journey, were somehow participating in the healing process.

I cannot claim to know exactly what their appearance meant or how it came about. But the experience resonated deeply with me.

Sometimes, meaningful experiences arrive in ways we cannot fully explain. We can analyse them, question them, or simply remain open to the possibility that they hold a personal significance for us.

For me, the appearance of the ravens was a beautiful reminder of the mysterious connections we sometimes experience between our inner world and the natural world.

From Fear to Freedom

My client then described something equally remarkable.

In the past, passing through dense forests would bring a shadow of fear over her. When she saw mighty mountains, she would imagine them crashing down upon her.

The mind can transform even the most magnificent aspects of nature into sources of fear.

But this time, everything was different.

She wrote,"My guru, Beena ma’am, was joyous, beaming out after her meditation retreat and then it opened up something in me."

She found herself floating among the clouds, looking down upon the mountains and forests. Instead of feeling threatened, she enjoyed the experience.

The mountains had not changed. The forests had not changed. What had changed was her relationship with them.

This is a powerful reminder that transformation does not always require the world around us to change. Sometimes, our inner response changes everything.

The same situation that once overwhelmed us may eventually be viewed with calmness. A fear that once restricted us may gradually lose its hold.

When our inner landscape changes, the outer landscape can appear entirely different.

Laying Down the Burdens

As the session progressed, my client became aware of the heaviness she had been carrying, particularly in relation to the materialistic world.

She described how her ego, bitterness, animosity, and resistance seemed to loosen their grip. She struggled to find words to describe the emotional cycles from which she felt released.

She had initially requested a cathartic experience to wash away her burdens. What she experienced, however, was much more than she had anticipated.

She felt that something had opened within her, allowing her to approach her sadhana with renewed receptivity.

She also shared that the healing seemed to continue for days after the session.

Her final reflection was that she had received much more than she had expected from any other healing modality she had experienced.

For me, this is one of the most rewarding aspects of facilitating inner work: witnessing people discover new perspectives and possibilities within themselves.

I do not see myself as the person who makes healing happen. My role is to facilitate the process. Each person's inner journey is unique, and I remain grateful whenever I am allowed to witness such a transformation.

What This Experience Taught Me

As I read her feedback, I reflected on the extraordinary ways in which our inner world can communicate.

Water, wind, birds, clouds, mountains, and forests became part of my client's journey through fear, effort, gratitude, and release.

Her experience with the eagle reminded her that every life has its challenges. Her journey above the mountains helped her encounter familiar fears from a different perspective. The pristine waters gave her an experience of peace.

And the appearance of the crows and ravens touched something deeply meaningful in my own spiritual life.

I received her feedback with gratitude and wonder. It reminded me that we cannot always predict what will emerge when a person turns inward.

We can provide a supportive space, but we must allow the experience to unfold without imposing our interpretations upon it.

An Invitation to All of Us

Perhaps we could all benefit from asking ourselves a few questions.

What burdens are we carrying that we no longer need to hold so tightly?

What fears are colouring our perception of the world?

What emotional patterns continue to repeat themselves, even when we sincerely wish to move beyond them?

And when was the last time we gave ourselves permission to experience peace without first having to solve every problem in our lives?

We may not always be able to change our circumstances immediately. But we can learn to observe ourselves with greater awareness, create moments of stillness, and become receptive to the lessons that life and nature offer us.

Sometimes, freedom begins with a simple decision: to stop carrying everything on our heads, even if only for a little while.

And sometimes, when we allow ourselves that space, we discover that the freedom we were seeking was not as far away as we imagined.

As for the ravens and crows that appeared in my client's experience, I will continue to hold that moment close to my heart. Whether viewed as a meaningful coincidence, a personal symbol, or something more mysterious, their presence reminded me to remain open to the wonder of life's unfolding.

We may enter a healing session seeking relief from our burdens, but emerge with something far more precious: a new way of seeing ourselves, our fears, and the world around us.

And for that, I remain deeply grateful.

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With gratitude to Dr. S.V. Dinesha for her beautiful feedback