The Owl

There is hardly any other animal so deeply connected with magic, shamanism and omen as the owl. She can fly in utter darkness in the middle of the night and see everything, and she can hear the lowest whisper. Her wings move soundlessly because of the special structure of the feathers. Maybe all this made her so scary for us humans - her big, yellow or orange-colored eyes, her silent flight from which she comes down on her prey with sharp talons at high speed...

It has always been said of witches, shamans and magicians that they posess owl power. Both - the witch as well as the owl - have their secret ways deep in the dark night forest, and whatever they do there is hidden from the average personŒs eyes. The inquisitors accused the witches of shapeshifting into owls to fly away - here the old transforming magic art of the shamans has been revived and perverted.
The call of the owl is a bad omen in many cultures all over the Earth. Her call has often been considered as inviting death- seeing an owl meant that someone is going to die in the family. The owl symbolism has an ancient tradition. Lilith, the first wife of Adam (we donŒt hear about her often these days) was originally a Goddess who became a demon in Christian lore. She is depicted with owlŒs feet and wings, accompanied by two owls. The Latin name of the owl mostly starts with the word “strix³ - and this means “witch³ as well. The Celts believed that the owl carries the souls of the deceased into the Land of Youth,Tir nan Og or Avalon, the Isle of Apples. The “Four Branches of the Mabinogion³, a collection of Celtic myth and lore, tells us a special story of the owl: Blodeuwedd is a woman made from 9 flowers by a wise magician for the hero Gwydion who could not love a mortal woman. She betrays him, and as a punishment she is turned into an owl. Until today the barn owls in Wales are called “Blodeuwedd³, “Flower Face³. The North American Natives honor the owl as the “night eagle³, and in the medicine wheel her place is in the East, the place of enlightenment. Athena, the one-eyed Greek Goddess of wisdom, has an owl as her companion sitting on her shoulder on her blind side, telling her all there is to see and know about. Only in cooperation with the owl Athena can see the whole truth. Still today “carrying owls to Athens³ is synonymous for doing something completely unnecessary. The owl can see the invisible and hear the impossible. She looks deep below the surface of things and her sharp talons pierce the truth - owl-energy protects from illusion.

The owl has to stay out of daylight, and there are many legends trying to explain why she is disliked by the solar powers - and in reality she is attacked by other birds of prey when she hops about during daytime, nearly blinded by the light.

So how about the owls today? Most of us know them from visiting zoos, where they have to live in cages. There is a couple of barn owls living on my attic, and fortunately they are still roaming the countryside. If you want to connect with owl energy, try to walk the forest at night. Humans can talk to owls in imitating their call - the silently flying night hunters will come closer to take a look at that strange creature speaking in foreign tongues! Another way to strenghten the owl energy is to give donations to an owl-protecting project near the place where you live.

Owl feathers are used in shamanic techniques since ages. Such a feather in your hair or as a fan for smudging can improve spiritual experiences. To connect with the owl also means to merge with her talents - and in everyday life wisdom, sharp mind, farsightedness, silent but quick action, the ability to see at night, love of truth and the power to see beneath the shimmer of illusion as well as hearing the slightest sounds can be of great advantage.