the owl

from research efforts of my friend:

No bird has as much myth or mystery surrounding it. The owl is the bird of magic, darkness, of prophecy, and wisdom. To the ancient Greeks, the owl was associated with the goddess Athena, and was a symbol of higher wisdom. It was the guardian of Acropolis. To early Christian Gnostics, it is associated with Lilith, the first wife of Adam who refused to be submissive to him. To the Pawnee, it was a symbol of protection. To the Ojibwa, it was a symbol of evil and death. To the Pueblo, it was associated with the Skeleton Man, the god of death, but who was also a spirit of fertility. Owl medicine is symbolically associated with clairvoyance, astral projection, and magic, both black and white. The owl’s hearing is just as keen as its eyesight. Their ears are located in different positions on the head. This enables it to sort out auditory signals it picks up, in order to locate prey more easily. One who works with owl medicine will be able to see and hear what others try to hide. You will hear what is not being said, and you will see what is hidden in the shadows. You can detect and pinpoint subtleties. Owl people have the unique ability to see into the darkness of others’ souls and life. Both owls and hawks have a third eyelid that moves from side to side. It cleanses the eye and clears its vision. This symbolizes so much about new vision opening to you. It often reflects that you were born very perceptive—with a vision of others that you may or may not have recognized or acknowledged. Often these perceptions are discarded as wild imaginings or with such phrases as “Why in the world would I think that about this person?” These kinds of imaginings, positive and negative should be trusted. Owls swallow their prey whole and head first. The parts of the prey that are indigestible are regurgitated in the form of pellets. In the swallowing of the prey head first, the owl takes into itself wisdom and energy of the prey. The regurgitation reflects its ability to eliminate aspects that are not beneficial and unhealthy for it.