Owl

Owl is a close friend, almost as close as Dog. Imagine my thrill today when I went out to the playground with a young parishioner to examine scat. No, it wasn't dog, no, it wasn't deer...and my parishioner delivered the news...it is owl pellet! See the skull of the rat?  He had just told me that he thought we had a rat infestation, and we simply followed his lead.

So owl pellets. And a little owl poo. We put two and two together...looked up, two stories up, to the very top of the peak of our A-framed church, and there, peeking down, was Owl. I hope to get a better picture of her, but for now, this will do. A barn owl, resting for the coming night. Owl came to me first as a child; she lived in the tree at my grandmother's house, always deep in the palm fronds, towards the trunk, peering out, only eyes were truly visible. The day Gram died, Owl stepped out on to the branch, to the very end, in tribute.

Owl represents the sacred feminine and brings wisdom with her, and healing. She is feared; seeing and hearing in the dark, she is associated with the moon and with that which happens under the cover of night. As a parishioner said today, she has found a safe place at Nativity. We hope that she stays.

Nativity Barn Owl, aka Owl.