i hear my husband rustle around in the bed and i know soon he will get up and go downstairs. opening my eyes slightly i see that its daylight but i’m not ready to face the day yet. rosie and i shift positions a bit and she gives me the look telling me she’s not ready either. i drift off again because sleep in the day time is easy, the intruders are gone in the day, at least in the morning they are….
into my dream comes a scene of my husband and i standing outside on our back deck like we’ve done a thousand times before and watching an owl that has perched on a limb in the treeline. we are chatting and drinking coffee, watching its head do a 180 degree turn and enjoying the morning
soon i hear the snooze alarm go off and realize that its time for me to get up also…i stumble to the bathroom to splash some water on my face and get a drink of water and am quickly drawn to the amount of noise outside of my bathroom window. opening the window, i see a dive bombing assault by 3 crows that are obviously agitated, lots of caw-caw-cawing before i realize the familiar pattern to this. whenever the crows are alarmed to this degree, it’s usually because an owl has perched on a limb, tired from its night time hunt and is resting…at this point, i’m so confused as to whether i’m watching the owl in my dream or the one actually sitting outside my window when i finally get it…my two worlds, the dreamtime and the conscious are merging…the owl has been sending me messages in my dreams….she has been speaking to me and i’m thrust into the beauty of the unseen spiritual world and the miracles they manifest…
it has been several days now. i’m trying not to disturb her but can hardly able to contain myself around her either…her presence is so strong and i want to have an image with the both us. she continues to be here each day…definitely something to look forward to each morning…
she’s been here for almost a week, playfully strutting around and posing for me each day in a new and entertaining way. usually, i tend to look in the same places for her but each day she surprises me. here she is annoying the crows and blue jays by her mere presence but i think her pose is stunning…photo is a bit out of focus...
Athena started visiting closer and closer to the house. here she is flying up to the fence in the garden after hanging out in the herbs for a while…she stayed here the entire day until evening when she took off to hunt for the night…notice how she dances and struts for me on the fence post for a bit then until she strikes a pose and looks straight into my soul….i’m hopelessly in love….
i named this magnificent she owl, Athena, after the goddess who carried an owl on her shoulder for illumination to truth. i love the thought that Athena showed up at my home for the same reason bringing her magic of vision. while she is present, we no longer occupy or mow the side or back yard and have also stopped letting the dogs around that side of the house. as far as we are concerned, that is Athena territory to do as she wishes…
Its been over a week and a half and a routine has formed. each morning whoever gets up first locates the owl, greets her and makes accommodations for the day so as to not disturb her. these photos are taken over the next few days…
each evening she flies off after dark. you can see and sense her becoming restless and more alert as the daylight fades and it gets dark…and then the next morning, there she is again…she is becoming a permanent fixture around the house which is fine by us. it was obvious to us that we were witnessing magic and had no intention of altering the course of whatever reason she came for…
the concensus of opinion from professional birders to aviary rescue was that her behavior was a bit odd. after researching this, we felt strongly that she didn’t show any signs of distress or injury, and we were urged to accept that she was old and perhaps had chosen to come to us to pass on….we make the conscious decision not to interfere with her journey…
while in some cosmic respects, this may be an honor to witness, i get that…but at the same time, i am crushed. this owl has brought me a piece of magic and vision that i am very reluctant to part with. but i prepare myself as bravely as i can for her passing if that is what was meant to happen…
the next morning she had moved only slightly but still appeared alert, ruffling her feathers occasionally and looking around…she looks peaceful and found a place in the shade under an evergreen tree where it was cool and softly padded from the pine needles…she stays there all day and through the evening and gradually turned away from us, looking out over the trees…this is where we find her the next morning, lying under the tree, having crossed over sometime that night…my heart broke and my magic disappeared…
it is at moments like this that i am so eternally grateful to the universe for providing me with comfort and friends like Christina. i turn to her guidance and indigenous native american wisdom to help me through this time where i need to honor this sacred animal and don’t know how. she instructed me on the essence of the ceremony simultaneously guiding me through it and also encouraging me to consult my inner self and intuition. my husband and i both wished Athena well on her journey and thanked her for honoring us with her presence and magic. she allowed me to take 6 feathers; 1 each for north, south, east, west, above and below…we sprinkled tobacco on the site where she died and again where we buried her. and speaking to my broken heart, my beautiful friend said these words…
NEVER mis-read death! Just because she died, doesn’t mean she didn’t help you. Death only means that she is with The Mother again. The connection she had with you was so powerful for her, she came to you for the care of her Earth body. Beings don’t bring the magic to you…..they remind you of the magic you already have and help to remind you of who YOU are, not who you are through them. There’s always magic, but when a gorgeous owl shows up at your garden, the focus shifts to her sometimes and the lesson is mis-interpreted. You are magical, Divine, all ready Enlightened and know everything you need to know….all you have to do is claim it! She reminded you to claim who you are!! Now that she’s died, doesn’t mean the magic went away.
i spent the day in quiet reverence, i still felt her presence and wanted to make sure that she knew how much i loved her and was moved by this experience. gradually, the heartbreak was replaced by calm as i knew that i had finally received part of the message as it was intended and trust that she will reveal more in the future…
i still look for her many times during the day; up in the trees, along the line of forsythia, under the evergreen…mostly i feel her presence as she claimed a huge spot in my yard and my heart. she flew into my dreams this week, soaring toward me and landing on my shoulder…the magic continues…
rescuinglittlel.wordpress.com 
These are wonderful…
Magical…
and healing on so many levels..
thank you for sharing…
I am so moved by your connection with Athena. You have truly honored her here, and blessed all of us as well.
thanks, she was very easy to love…
oh wow! BEAUTIFUL story!!! how amazing is this?! thanks so much for writing it out and sharing it………
thanks for reading it, that was very sweet, so helpful to write it out…
I don’t know how I found this … but I am so very glad I did.
A beautiful story, wonderfully told.
God bless Athena that she knew where she needed to spend her last weeks, where she knew she would be safe and honoured.
Thank you for this amazing post!
I appreciate you stopping by….It was an incredible journey with Athena even as it was happening….in the last few days we’ve heard hooting in the trees so we are hoping for our next owl to move into the territory….Glad you enjoyed it!
what a beautiful story, i can kind of relate to how special it must have been for you. A couple of years a go while walking down the quiet country lane near my house i suddenly noticed something and as i looked to my side an owl was hovering just over an arms length away from me. she hovered there for a couple of minutes and then flew away but she remained near the house for a long time. the spiritual story i am writing about that i just mentioned on another post of yours is about a girl and the owl and the owl accompanies her on her healing journey. I’m beginning to think that it’s not a coincidence i came across your blog but that maybe it was meant to be 🙂
you write very beautifully
thanks sweetie….i’m thinking its not a coincidence at all…i’ve had so many of these occurences happen that i’m now viewing them as gifts, angels, or at least something divine….i’d love to hear that story and any others…so happy to have you around too and that isn’t a coincidence either 🙂
Wow, this really touched my heart, because I also have been following two great horned owls in my forest since July of 2012. I named the male king Tuft and the female Queen ATHENA!!! Your story brought tears to my eyes. I know exactly how you felt about her because every day that I do not see the King and Queen I feel a bit disheartened and worried, but every day that I do see them I feel energized and extremely happy and thankful that these owls are in my life. I do have a blog and a youtube channel with stories of my owls and videos. If you are interested you can contact me on facebook or at my blog: pamdhawktalk@wordpress.com.
Pamela Dimeler
Hi Pamela….Its great to meet you! I subscribed to your blog and would love to follow another person as crazy for owls as I am! Haven’t read too much on the blog yet but will soon. These are the kind of stories that I love to fill my mind with….Stop by anytime!
What an amazing story. Athena was absolutely gorgeous!
She was beautiful to be around, I couldn’t get enough of her…Thanks for stopping by, I always appreciate the comments!
Thank you Rescuing Little L. for sharing this beautiful story. I love that she came to you first in your dreams, and now again, she comes to you in your dreams. You are obviously connected to her, and she to you, for what reason, I don’t know. What a gift this experience was, what magic, as you said. An internet search of owl as your spirit animal says this…”The owl spirit animal is emblematic of a deep connection with wisdom and intuitive knowledge. If you have the owl as totem or power animal, you’re likely to have the ability to see what’s usually hidden to most. When the spirit of this animal guides you, you can see the true reality, beyond illusion and deceit. The owl also offers for those who have it a personal totem the inspiration and guidance necessary to deeply explore the unknown and the magic of life.” http://www.spiritanimal.info/owl-spirit-animal/
Thank you again for sharing this story, and also, from the animal lover that I am, thank you for giving her a lovely, peaceful loving place. As your husband has created safe places for you, so you created a safe place for Athena. ❤
So glad you enjoyed Athena as I did…I grew to love this creature with each passing day…she brought such magic! I see you love animal totems as I do and try to embrace all that Athena came to teach me…Always happy to read your comments, makes my heart smile 🙂
This is such a beautiful tribute to your friend. I think it is amazing that she brought so much magic and awareness to your life. Your respect of her presence and journey is awe inspiring. I truly believe our Higher Power sends us particular signs at specific times in our lives to bring us wisdom and understanding of our own journey. I hope you found comfort in the loss of your friend withing the gifts she gave you by simply choosing your home as the safest place from which to pass on to the next leg of her Journey.Blessed Be Dear friend. -Denise
It makes her even more special when a friend sees and read her story…I get teary just thinking about her and she spreads her wings and dances every time her story is heard and loved 🙂