“Female figures of thinking and wisdom appear in women’s dreams, notably…versions of the wise old woman such as the owl…” Karen Signell
An owl has flown into a woman’s dream. My ears perk up as she tells me her dream. I have seen an owl that very morning. I feel a special connection to this woman and her owl. Together we attempt to listen to what owl might be trying to say. We have been graced by a visitation—owl has entered the room and we know that we are in the presence of something mysterious and alive.
Owls, especially, carry a sense of mystery. They can see in the dark. They have night vision. Harry Potter had an owl. Owls were sacred to Athena, goddess of wisdom. Owls are associated with witches and other aspects of the deep feminine. Their vision is not that of the day world. Rather, they manifest a kind of intuitive knowing. They remind us of our ability to find our way in the night—they suggest a kind of seeing that goes beyond our everyday perspective.
This woman did not need me to tell her that her owl dream was connected to her own wisdom and intuition. The owl told her that. The very fact of its appearance issued a kind of call to her soul. Its ancient, wise face spoke to the ancient wisdom within her. It reminded her of her own deep knowledge.
We all need to be reminded of our wisdom. When we lose our way, when things grow dark, we need to be able to access our inner radar—that which would point us safely home. This kind of knowing does not happen in the logical mind. Rather, we need the deep, instinctive wisdom of our body-minds to guide us through the confusion we call life. Most of all, we need to be able to trust that intuition, to trust its guidance, even if it flies in the face of everything we think should be true.
Like many people, I have had times in my life when I have lost contact with my intuition. The feeling is like that of being blind. We stumble around, trying to make sense of things, hoping that our head will find the way. The one day, perhaps we hear the words to a song, or find ourselves saying something we didn’t know we felt. Something clicks. A sense of rightness comes through—and we know.
Without our owl energy we are lost. Without intuition we are in danger of living someone else’s lives. Night vision is not valued in our world. We have to develop it all on our own. Dreams are a good place to start. We can find owls in our dreams—inklings of our own natural ability to move through the night and see in the dark.
