The Return of the Great Horned Owls

In January, Naia & I spotted a Great Horned Owl on a neighborhood rooftop. A few days later we saw two horned owls flying overhead at dusk in the direction of the ocean. At the time, I wondered if the owls were a ‘couple’ who had nested in the mature cypress pines abutting our housing complex.

Since the sightings in January, a full month elapsed without any sign of the owls. However, in the last days of February, I began hearing the distinctive hooting of two Great Horned Owls as they hunted at night.

Wake Up Call

At 5:20 on a Saturday morning, I was awakened from a deep sleep by a loud, ‘WHO… who-who, who, who!”, of an owl very close to our house. I jolted out of bed and went out on to our balcony in the fading darkness of the early morning, hoping to locate the boisterous owl.

As I listened, the owl hooted several more times, sounding as if it might be sitting on the rooftop of the house next door. For the next half hour the hooting continued, then the sound grew softer & fainter as the bird of prey glided away and over the wooded areas near to our house.

Late Night Serenade

Late the following night, the hooting began again.  This time however, I heard a 2nd owl in the distance, who seemed to be responding to the the calls of the bird closest to the house.  I was serenaded by the hooting owls for two hours, as the birds swept across their hunting grounds.

Midnight Rendezvous

On Tuesday night at midnight, an owl began to sing from somewhere close to the house. The hooting call was a distinct but lower pitched, ”WHO-who… who-who, who, who”.

While Beto was fast asleep, I quietly crept on to the balcony under the dwindling light of a waning moon. I stood for several moments in silence before I heard the loud ‘Who-who-ing’ of the owl. It had to be very close!

There are 4 narrow, vertical vents that extend from our roof. I visually skimmed the rooftop keeping in mind that the vents were not to be mistaken for an owl! However… there appeared to be one additional form perched at the apex of the roof overlooking our yard. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, a 20” tall, majestic Great Horned Owl came clearly into view, sitting no more than ten feet away!

In Awe of an Owl

I watched as the owl turned to look right at me. We blinked at each other a few times, then he turned his attention back to the hunting grounds across the street and resumed hooting. He was obviously aware of my presence, but evidently didn’t mind the company.

I observed the owl in a state of awed respect for several minutes. He was a magnificent creature!  He was regal, poised, & patient, and he embodied the essence of raw, focused power. This was the smaller of our two neighborhood owls, and his lower pitched hooting indicated that he was the male.

I admired him until Naia, my golden retriever, pushed the door open to join me on the balcony. She was too’ short’ to see the owl, but she could certainly smell and hear him! And due to an exquisite sense of hearing, the owl was surely aware that a 4-legged animal was panting nearby.

We stayed on the deck another few moments before I felt it was best to leave the owl to perform his nightly rituals in peace. I was also keenly aware that Great Horned Owls are carnivores who prey on animals as big as raccoons, and Naia & I didn’t need to test the owl’s patience!

I was so excited that it was difficult to go back to sleep after visiting with the owl! I felt like I’d been injected with a bolt of buzzing, nocturnal owl-energy. When I climbed back into bed, I could hear him hooting from his perch directly above our bedroom window. He sang for another half hour before flying off into the night.

I am deeply grateful for the recurring presence of Owl Spirit.

Why Owls, and Why Now?

It is abundantly evident that Owl Medicine is being highlighted in my life, given the frequency and proximity of my encounters with Owl Spirit.

In January, I interpreted the presence of Owl Spirit as validation of my intentions to deepen & expand the spiritual nature of my work, in alignment with the powerful energies of the Moon. I believe that those intentions were concretely manifested during my trip to Hawaii in February. The energetic infusions I experienced during my dolphin interactions combined with the higher frequencies I received while in the attunement chamber have resulted in a sudden elevation of my base vibrational resonance.

Since the trip, I have been working to interpret and assimilate the frequencies & information that have streamed into my energy field. I have been especially attentive to signs and signals from the Universe that are assisting in this process.

The fact that Owls are physically and repeatedly presenting themselves in my waking consciousness has made me take an even closer look at Owl Medicine.

More information on Owl Medicine (from Jamie Sams & David Carson):

Owl medicine is symbolically associated with clairvoyance, astral projection, and (both black & white) magic. Owl is the master of the night realm. She can see in the dark and can accurately pinpoint and identify any sound. As a top predator, she is completely silent in flight, and she strikes with surprise, speed, and incredible power.

Because the Owl can see what others cannot, she is a symbol of true wisdom. When others are deceived, Owl sees and knows what is there; she can reveal the unseen truth.

People who are blessed with Owl Medicine possess powers of keen observation and heightened intuition. They cannot be deceived by people and can see the motivation/s behind their behavior. Owl Medicine People often know more about an individual’s inner life than that person knows about his/her-self.

As an ally, Owl can deliver messages and information through dreams and during meditation. She reminds us to pay close attention to signals and omens from the Universe.

Can a Dolphin Spirit Use Owl Medicine?

This is not the first time that Owl has surfaced as a totem, even though I have always lived in urban-like settings where ‘wild-life’ is relatively scarce. In each of the circumstances where owls have made themselves repeatedly visible, it has been near my home and within view of the ocean.

I believe I have always been aligned with owl medicine, and that it expresses itself naturally in my intuitive healing work. When Owl makes an appearance, it is usually to indicate a major shift in my life, coupled with an amplification of my innate abilities as a healer.

In this instance I have recently been ‘downloaded’ with a massive surge of high frequency/ethereal energies and spiritual information. That’s all well & fine, but receiving those energies/information means nothing if I cannot ground them to the earth, and put them to practical, beneficial use. One of my abilities is to  assist people in bringing the full potential of their talents to earth in a tangible grounded manner– which is what I am doing with the energies I have received.

How Owl is Helping

I have been asking Mother Earth for assistance in grounding these energies. I believe that Owl has come forward as first a harbinger of the energetic shifts that were to occur (while I was in Hawaii), and afterward as an ally to assist me in making those energies tangible and real on a physical, Earth-bound level.

Ultimately, I am meant to be using my heightened intuitive sensitivity and newly re-calibrated energetic resonance for the highest good of my clients.  Owl is generously helping me to accomplish my highest calling.

Thank you Earth Mother and Great Horned Owl Spirit!