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My first memory of being aware of owls was when I was little, maybe two or three, and somehow a barn owl had gotten inside our attic. My father told the story many times - and in fact, I'm not sure if I was actually witness to the sight of the owl in the attic, or if I heard the description so many times, it became my own memory. But in my mind, I can see the beautiful owl perched up in the rafters, and I can feel the tingle of excitement, awe and maybe a little fear.

Owls, as night birds, are shrouded in mystery and have become depositories for superstitions. Many of the original beliefs linked owls to evil, and over time the beliefs evolved and it became a messenger of death, a bringer of ill omens, a bird of prophecy, and finally achieved a connotation with wisdom.

There are a few other odds and ends that may have helped the symbolism--

• The goddess Athena controlled wisdom and darkness- her symbol was the owl.
• As a creature of the night, the Celts and Egyptians regarded Owl as a gatekeeper to other realms, particularly the souls of the dead. In some stories this bird actually accompanies a soul so it doesn’t get lost on its journey.
  
• Owls come and go mysteriously-- their ways were largely unknown to humans up until the last couple of centuries.  It may have been assumed that because of this owls possessed some kind of knowledge we did not.
• In Native American tradition Owl represents sacred knowledge. When you begin studying the mysteries this Spirit Animal Guide is an amazing helpmate and mentor.
• Early Christian texts used the owl as a metaphor for Jesus, who appeared in the darkness of sin and showed humans the way to salvation. *