Owls and their symbolism 2012

image source: here

I'm seeing a lot of owls around this year, on the internet I mean, I wish I could go to some forrest to catch a glimpse at a real one, I did saw a beautiful one a long time ago while in the forest in the city of Piatra Neamț on the Pietricica mountain.
They are quite interesting birds, their eyes do not move in their sockets and they can turn their heads up to 270 degrees which is quite nice, I wish I could do that sometimes.
But I'm not gonna talk a lot on this topic as there is a lot of information out there and most of you also learned about this in the Biology class during secondary school, I don't think I know more than what was teached then, but I will expand my knowledge cause I'm planning to paint one pretty soon, what I will do now though is talk a little bit about the symbolism of owls...

Owls are solitary nocturn birds. Nocturnal creatures are symbolic of inner-knowledge, psychic abilities, and lots of intuition. Birds are considered by many cultures to be like messengers, but with a special message, between earthly creatures and spirit.
Globally the owl is very much connected with magic, shamanism and heightened senses throughout time. Some are thinking of the owl as a “cat with wings” as they share similar lines of personality.

In the middle and far eastern cultures, the owl is the sacred guardian of the life after death, ruler of the night, a seer and keeper of souls transitioning from one plane of existence to another.

In ancient Greece Athena had attribution of an owl, goddess of wisdom and foresight. This symbol was used on Greek coins and therefore also became associated with wealth.

When native americans think of owls they think about wisdom and sacred knowledge. A native american shaman would call upon Owl medicine for insight into the truth of ill-intent. Some Plain Indians wore owl feathers to protect against evil spirits and such.

In the west african and aboriginal australian culture also, the owl is a messenger of secrets, and guide to medicine people.

Europeans in the celtic tradition view the owl (cailleach-oidhche), representing wisdom, clairvoyance, stealth, initiation, change and detachment. She is always aware of its surroundings, she uses intuition courageously, with rich insight into hidden truth, guiding between earth creatures and underworld gods.

In the medieval times in Europe, owls were believed to be witches and wizards, shapeshifters in disguise.

Summary of Owl Attributes:The owl is still considered a witch's companion, sharing unique spiritual communication between them, and even sharing the same secret powers of the night. Today, the owl is often used as a symbol for education, and used as a graduation mascot.
Many cultures have associated the following attributes to the owl:
intelligence, brilliance, wisdom, power, knowledge
intuition, messages, mysticism, mystery, unconscious, silent observation
independence, protection, bravery, transition, longevity, reincarnation
If You Are Drawn to the Owl
The owl’s gift of heightened senses enables it to see through deception, external appearances and illusion and to discover hidden truths.
If you are drawn to owls or owl symbolism, you may have this same ability to uncover secrets. People may feel uneasy around you, as if you are able to see through pretence. The owl also teaches us to acknowledge the dark side of our personality, and in that darkness we may find food for growth.

image source: here

If people do not speak words that reflect the truth of their actions and motives, owl medicine (as referred to by aboriginal cultures) will guide you with vision and inner knowing to reveal the truth. The owl puts an end to doubt and offers vision and clarity of the truth of events, people or circumstances in your life. source: here

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