The Year of the Owl

Maery Rose

There are three principles to remember if you are to teach a human being anything, and they are consistency, consistency, consistency. They are such fragile creatures to begin with, with poor eyes, poorer hearing, and no sense of smell left to speak of, it’s no wonder they are made of fear. Some centuries ago they moved inside and with that move went nine-tenths of their intuition. It is almost unmerciful to make them live so long when they spend their lives in so much pain.
— Pam Houston, “Sight Hound” (statement from Dante the Wolfhound)

In Romping and Rolling in the Rockies, KB thought of 2010 as her Year of the Bobcat. 2011 is her Year of the Mountain Lion. Both animals have their own individual characteristics that represent something significant to KB, and they are animals that are present where she lives and that she captures in photographs.

I have been thinking of 2011 as my Year of the Owl. Owl’s are so much on my mind because I have two Great Horned Owls that I see in the trees and that I hear during the day and night. It’s become my replacement for the coyotes that I never get to hear or see anymore. The owls make me feel I’m still connected to the wildness that I love. For some reason, the presence of the owls comforts me.

They seem so mysterious and their size – no matter how many times I see them – I still get excited and big-eyed. I utter “Wow” and “Wholy Moly” as they spread their wings and fly off.

This is the best I could do taking a photo of one of the owls from a distance at dusk. 

I looked up information about the symbology and traditional meaning of owls. I really liked it when I read that:

“The owl’s gift of heightened senses enables it to see through deception, external appearances and illusion and to discover hidden truths. The owl puts an end to doubt and offers vision and clarity of the truth of events, people or circumstances in your life.”

Can you see why I’m hoping this is truly the year of the owl? If only it had been the year of the owl two or three years ago!

At the simplest level, I just hope this is a year of wisdom, and my focus is on “living” and not fear or pain.

9 Comments

  2. I love your mind! What a cool post Maery. Love love love the opening paragraph, I’ve got to read that book. I do the same thing here with bald eagles…every time they take flight it takes my breath away. “The year of the owl,” will be my most fervent wish for you:-) Kathleen

  3. Maybe..that owl is a symbol. It is telling you something. Maybe you have already reached a point of vision and clarity! At any rate, that owl is a beauty. What a treat to have gotten a picture of one. So hard to do unless you have a monster camera with a monster lens.

  4. We too have had the eagles soaring from above and I just had a roadrunner jump into the window-box in the window by me right now. Scared the bejabbers outta me! The roadrunners like to dine on my wild songbirds!

    I think the owl is just perfect for your life right now. Great capture on the owl!

    God bless ya and have a terrific day!!! :o)

  5. i LOVE owls and have seen them in our park (not lately) but can’t remember ever actually hearing one. you are so lucky to have these guys living so close. better than coyotes, i think.

  7. Nezzy – Roadrunner? That would get my blood pumping.

    Laurie – You’re right. The hooing is cooler than the howling.

    Lady P – I’m not sure, but I know I have days like that.

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