Owl

[Beekeeper]

My thirteen year old's totem seems to be an owl at the moment. He saw one at school the day he threw back a stray grape at a kid involved in a fruit fight. Naturally enough, he hit the kid in the eye and ended up in the front office with his first ever warning and a note sent home. I told him to remember to act wisely whenever he sees an owl. He's seen an owl a couple of times since, once when we were on an evening walk.

Sunday morning the magpies (the babies we rescued and their parents) and all the the other birds were going berserk. All the birds were in a riot, the currawongs, butcher birds, bush wattle birds, all of them. Then we realised our elderly neighbours were protecting an owl that had flown into their window. It was unconscious. We offered to take it (as we're known to do) and they were grateful.

The beautiful creature slept quietly and then recovered. He became panicked and needed to be set free (I was going to wait until dark). He scrambled at the window trying to get out, so I released him. As he flew off he was beauty and grace in motion and nothing touched him, though he certainly renewed the raucous wherever he went.

His face, was indescribable. His eyes were so expressive!

He had a bit of a headache in this photo. Sorry, you'll have to turn your head to see him, couldn't get the photo to rotate.

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k93/Beekeeper2006/SUC30066.jpg

[blacktiger057]

Wow, Beekeeper, that owl is beautiful. My totems at the moment are the red tailed hawk and tiger. I am taking care of a red tailed hawk at the nature center I volunteer at and her wing has been healing beautifully. I'm not skilled at identifying birds, but was that a barn owl?

[Beekeeper]

I haven't looked up my bird book but I think it is a barn owl.

How's your red tailed hawk going?

[blacktiger057]

She can almost get 2 feet in the air. Making progress, though. Just yesterday I did a Reiki treatment on her. In the next month or two she'll hopefully be able to fly again. And then there comes that whole thing where you have to introduce them back into their enviroment again. That will hurt, but at least she'll be free again...I need to think of a name for this hawk. Beekeeper, what's your son's username for this forum?

[Beekeeper]

My son doesn't use the forum, blacktiger. He finds the whole OBE thing scary.

[hasalameth]

Awww what a fantastic story (about the owl, not the food fight hehe) !

I haven't looked into my totems as of yet, except for a meditation I did for meeting with the animal totem, and I strongly felt the prescence of a big and strong bear, perhaps a grizzly.

Also, about owls, I had that strange dream as a kid, where a giant owl took me up high and flew me all over the neighbourhood, it all felt very OBE-ish (flying, falling sensations, the world is strangely lit by some weird light, no one is there except me, some details are changed), so there is a possibility that the owl is also one of my torems, or the higher self.

Tiger, yeah I know, that's the trick with taking care of animals, coping with letting them go. That is part of giving unconditional love... Take care of an animal and let it chose to stay, instead of "keeping" it. I just want to comment on your sig: I believe love manifests in all forms, planes and levels, but maybe it was meant as a more philosophical expression, expressing the beauty of compassion. I like it anyhow.

Beekeeper, tons of cred and love to you for taking care of that animal. As Buddha said:

"As a mother cares for and protects her only child, so should one cherish and protect all living beings" (or something like that)

[blacktiger057]

Hasala, my sig's definition of love is probably different from others when they think of the word. I think that love an compassion are almost one and the same, but the reasons why so many marriages fail is because there may be momentary love, but there is little compassion. (example: Loving someone because they are rich and/or beautiful) As you said, love comes in many forms. I don't think that the example above is false love, just one of the lesser and imperfect forms of it.

[Serenity]

I've never looked into my totems, but after reading this, I'm certainly interested! What a story. :D

[dslandolfe]

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[CFTraveler]

There is a link around the mysticism subforum about totems but I don't know specifically if this is the one that's right for you.