The Blue Raven and Self Deception

My great friend Mary Jo sent me a sketch of this blue Raven she started for me, but never materialized into a complete piece. She also included some pressed Delphinium flowers and a black feather, and as I assembled the pieces together into an avant- garde painting, I realized Mary Jo had inadvertently crafted a piercing allegory that resonates deeply in my soul.

In the Victorian language of flowers, Delphinium represents levity, often superficial and at the expense of depth.  In many ancient cultures, the Raven is a courier of wisdoms, prophecy, and insights. The Raven is often misunderstood as a dark omen, but actually is a messenger between the worlds of light and darkness, of life and death. The Ravens are as complex and layered as the wisdoms they carry.

Here, the Raven is clearly uncomfortable  and alienated by the superficial levity around him. Surrounded with an endless irksome chorus of “You should lighten up!”, “You need to dance!”, and “You need some spice in your life!”, he has actually tried to blend in with the Delphiniums by changing his colors to match them.

However, the black feather upon which he perches is always there to remind him of his foundation, his true purpose.  And as time goes by, the Raven will shed the exterior colors he wears and return to his birth-given shades.