“An omen: The Story of the Owl”

And so it is; and so it shall be that my experiences at Kripalu continue to deepen. This has been a curious and delightful meal conversation with fellow volunteers this week as many have asked about “my owl story.” Allow me to elaborate on this by assuming the investigative reporter role….

Series of events commencing the week of 6/21-6/26:
• Tuesday, 6/22 at approximately 7:36am I was walking down from “the hill” where I live and discovered 2 owl feathers laying freshly atop the morning dew perfectly and neatly placed on grass near the side of the road. I scooped them up and carried them with me. I only discovered they were owl feathers after asking a few nature buffs and Kripalu landscape experts. The day continued per usual routine with no other incidences noted.
• Wednesday, 6/23 at approximately 7:22am I was walking down from “the hill” where I live and was talking to Rob rather loudly, flipping and flopping with my shoes and occasionally knocking my water bottle up against my leg making a swooshing sound when I was caught off guard by something out of the corner of my eye. Standing there confidently was a live owl within a few feet of the feathers I found the previous day. I froze mid-step like a thief caught with expensive jewelry and looked around then pointed at my chest asking him telepathically, “you looking at me?” He kept his strong gaze and without flinching he allowed me to throw down my backpack, unzip it and take a few pictures of him before flying away. I walked to breakfast thinking hmmmmmm, maybe he was a hawk or eagle, he looked way to big to be an owl plus it was the morning and owls thrive at night. I’ve never seen a live wild owl before and the more I marinated I thought, maybe it wasn’t an owl at all.
• Wednesday, 6/23 at approximately 9:17am after breakfast and a quick meditation I picked up the animal spirit guide card deck, as I usually do every morning in my new office, and I shuffled the 50 cards. My practice is to close my eyes and ask for guidance for the day while blindly pulling a card from the middle of deck. Do you know where this is going yet? For those less intuitive, I pulled the owl card, the only one of the 50 cards. That’s when I said aloud in the office, “well I guess it was an owl I saw this morning.” I also showed off the glamour shot I took of him with a few others who confirmed this to be an actual owl sighting.
• Thursday, 6/24 went on as usual, or so I thought (cue exciting mystery music). I went to yoga dance, inward diving pranayama class and practiced a little yoga and hip flexibility. This week I’m showing you a variation of the sukhasana yoga pose which I did on this day. Other routine activities included checking and opening some emails but not all, reading excerpts from the many books I have stacked up in my room and going to bed early; I slept restless.
• Friday, 6/25 at approximately 9:05am I opened my emails at work to see one from a fellow volunteer who forwarded me a reading from the “Daily OM” spiritual website that delivers electronic messages everyday. Coincidentally I too am subscribed to these emails but I don’t always open them everyday. Sometimes I read three in one day or catch up on weekends for the week. When I opened the forwarded email and began reading I noticed the message was relating wisdom and vision with the owl. I immediately went back and scanned through my inbox and realized I also received this email on Thursday 6/24 but didn’t open it that day. So, the loud and demanding universe had to rope-in another volunteer to re-send me the email I already had sitting in my inbox unread. After interviewing the volunteer in question she alleged that she sent it to me because she saw me wearing an owl necklace a while back and thought I would like the spiritual message. Disclaimer: no volunteers were harmed by the universe while being used to relay spiritual omens to me.
• Friday, 6/25 at approximately 10:37am I needed to walk around the building a bit and wrap my head around this whole owl conspiracy. I spent the morning up to this point researching the spiritual nature of owls and what they symbolized. I read a lot of stuff about wisdom and ‘owl medicine’ which apparently represents the ability to see into the souls of others for healing. Since this was really heavy stuff and I don’t resemble the Buddha in any way, I left my desk and ventured down the hall. I usually like going down to the gift shop and sniffing the cookies and then admiring the amethyst crystals. My route also includes swinging by the mailroom to see if I’ve received any love from home. As I did this, I noticed a sign on my cubby that I had a package. “Oh how exciting” I thought, a package of loveliness to take my mind away from the spiritual oddities of Kripalu. I learned it was from a dear friend I’ve been pen-palling with since October (shout-out to Bold Katie). Katie and I mail each other letters and fun creative stuff. It’s worthy to note I met Katie at Kripalu in the SARK program last year. Anyway, I skipped back to my office with the box and opened it like a kid on Christmas. As soon as I pulled over the first flap I said out loud and with a gasp “oh uh.” Could this really, really be? Oh indeed, an entire box of owl gear including hand-made note cards with owl stamps, pictures of owls on crayons and an owl t-shirt to boot. SARK called me “Wise Candice” so I suppose that’s why Katie sent me the owl paraphernalia; of course she had no way of knowing about the sightings I’d had this week. Foot note: To prove such an unbelievable series of events I have taken photo documentation as evidence attached to this blog. Also, let me state for the record, and those who know me can verify, I have not gravitated towards, talked about, saw or manifested owls ever before so all of this popping-up of owl stuff is new to me.
• Saturday, 6/26 at approximately 6:30am when my alarm went off I sat up with intention to fully embrace the animal totem of the owl. After continued, consistent and undeniable communication from the spirit world I would surrender to what the owl represents: true wisdom, vision through darkness, shamanism, mysticism, intuitive gifts, power and flight. I wore my new owl shirt and owl necklace all day on this full moon night. I walked around with my head a little higher and attempted to own those words above. I even walked home in the dark by myself with medium confidence. Perhaps I was second-guessing my divinity, perhaps I was not seeing what I know I can see in others, perhaps I needed support to believe in my intangible gifts, perhaps it’s time to step into my power (as my friends Jenn and Indi at Kripalu have told me this week). And so, even if I don’t know what that is just yet because it’s still developing, and even though I’m unsure of where this will take me, I will own and believe in the power of my intuition and inherent wisdom. I’m also a little afraid that I may have to deal with a swooping or pecking owl my next trip down to the main building if I look the other way. Remembering the nose bleed once again, I submit to the powers and omens greater than myself. I see you divine owl and I have faith.

What a wonderful spiritual experience right? I couldn’t make that up if I tried, nor could I orchestrate it to turn out that way if I wanted. My friends, may you see the signs and omens in your own lives and may you be aware of them with every breath. They are there just waiting for you to recognize them. Listen to them and believe in them; especially the loud ones. Perhaps you can challenge yourselves to take an inventory for the week of every coincidence paying special attention to repetition; may you possess the courage to see, the insight to recognize and the power to act.

Jai Bhagwan
Peace, peace, peace