The black-hearted "Crow" we listen to:

Even alone we have company. There's the little voice that announces its opinion, unasked. There's no disgrace in it, but I believe not everyone is willing to admit they live, perpetually, in the company of their little voice, or "Black Crow" as I now call mine. Maybe if I name it, make it a separate entity, it'll know its place, and I'll never be in doubt that the critical, know-it-all wing flapper is not me, not myself, not who I am. I declare that I'm far better than my 'Crow.'

"Acknowledge source" was one of the koans of the est Training. It's probably still around in the 'inheriting' organization, bought and paid for, The Forum, an enlightenment seminar given all over America. In response to the 'Little Voice,' the instruction was, to reply, "Thank you for sharing," a sentence that entered the vernacular, and has been there ever since in a variety of not-originally-intended meanings. So, in that spirit I acknowledge that I didn't invent the concept of a separate-seeming voice that censures us, deceives us, and leads us into all kinds of blue funks, taking weak positions on important issues, and sometimes leading us down the wrong path, especially that of non-assertiveness. Play it safe, don't make waves, 'You're doing it again,' and, everybody hates you, being just a few of the voice's disparagements we pretend even to ourselves not to have heard.

Escaping one's 'Crow,' can be achieved through making declarations and then keeping one's word. One glorious, successful declaration, to give an example, was made by JFK when he declared when we'd land a man on the Moon, and return from the moon. I'm glad he tacked on that last part! Ha! 

All together now, "I'm going to land a man on the 'moon' and return, and you can take my word on that!"  Depending of course on your particular Heavenly body.

Barry