Owls

I grew up in the country, but never saw an owl in the wild. Owls are interesting animals. They move in complete silence hunting at night, have binocular vision, and can rotate their heads 135 degrees in either direction. They also have their place in folklore and symbolism, representing everything from wisdom and knowledge to illness and psychic power. There is also Moloch, the owl god of the bohemian grove, worshiped by many of our former presidents.

A few years ago I decided that the moment I saw an owl for the first time would signal a turning point in my life. Not necessarily that I would have to make a choice, but that it would have meaning as to where my life was headed. I wish I could say I saw my first owl hiking in the Appalachian mountains on a spiritual journey, but that wasn't the case. Instead, I saw my first owl in the front yard of my friends John and Jessica's house, perched in a tall oak tree. An unlikely place for an owl, I suppose, but like pretty much every other animal, owls have been forced by human intervention to carve out a new habitat. I guess an old, historical part of town with plenty of tall old trees is as good a place as any. I spotted him before I had gotten out of the car. I stared in amazement through my drivers side window at what I am 90% sure was a barred owl, immediately thinking about what I had said about the turning-point in my life. He didn't give me very long, disappearing shortly after I stepped out of the car. Why on that night did I decide to look out the window up into the same tree I would normally just walk by? Fate I guess, a signal of change.

Owls have actually become a routine part of mine and Shannon's life recently. We have an owl blanket, an owl on Rowan's mobile, an origami owl for the O in Rowan, a Leia Bell print of a mother and owlet titled "Momma's Boy", amongst other things. Turns out that not only are owls fascinating animals, meaningful in folklore, and worshiped by our political leaders, they are also a popular baby character. Before today, I had actually forgotten about my encounter with the owl, not really thinking about what change had come about as a result of our meeting. However, when Shannon called me today to tell me that Rowan's Native American Animal is the owl, it all came full circle.