Owl Spirit Animal: What Does a Owl Symbolize?

Owls are mysterious birds full of wisdom, and as a spirit animal, they can be a powerful ally and helpful guide – and in this post, we discuss everything you need to know to help you understand if the owl spirit animal is the right match for you.

Owl Symbolism

As such a distinctive yet often elusive bird, it’s no wonder that the owl has acquired a rich and varied symbolism – so let’s start by looking at this.

1. Wisdom

Owls are an enduring symbol of wisdom, something they represent to many cultures around the world.

They are creatures that seem to spend their time in quiet contemplation, thinking carefully about what they are going to do next and weighing up all the possibilities before acting, using all of their wisdom and experience to make sure they always make the right choice.

2. Intelligence

Along with their wisdom, owls are seen as highly intelligent creatures – and as such, they are also used as symbols of intelligence.

3. Death

There are many reasons why owls are connected to death. To their prey animals, they represent sudden death that can swoop down from the skies and befall them at any moment, and the fact that they come out at night also means they are connected with death.

Furthermore, their eerie nighttime calls also give them another association with death, and this is an intrinsic part of the owl’s symbolism for many people.

4. The night

As nocturnal animals, owls are associated with the night more generally. When we think of the night and nocturnal animals, they are one of the first images that come to mind, making them a strong symbol of the hours of darkness.

5. The spirit world and magic

The night is when the mysterious powers of the spirit world are at their strongest, making the owl a symbol of the spirit realm.

This is also why owls have long been connected to magic and witchcraft, something that is hardly a coincidence.

6. Power

When an owl catches an animal in its claws, the poor victim has little prospect of escape. The owl simply swoops away and devours the unfortunate creature that is no match for the owl’s strength – and for this reason, the owl also represents irresistible power.

7. Clear vision

Owls are known for their keen eyesight, making them representative of clear vision and the ability to see through any confusion to perceive things clearly.

This could be related to being able to understand complicated situations clearly, but as we shall see in just a moment, it could also be connected to clear sight in a spiritual sense.

Owl Spiritual Meaning

Owls are iconic birds of the night and are used as symbols of magic and mystery, and they also have deep spiritual meaning – so let’s think about this next.

1. A connection to the spirit realm

Nighttime is when the physical and the spirit realms are closest and when the spirit realm is the easiest to access, and as nocturnal birds, owls are seen as existing in the netherworld that lies on the confluence of the two worlds.

As humans, we can sometimes find it difficult to come into contact with or even detect the spirit world, but owls remind us that even though we can’t always feel the spirit world, it is nevertheless always there.

2. Death and rebirth

Owls are symbols of death among many cultures, but in spiritual terms, death often represents the death of one part of ourselves, often a negative one, and the rebirth of something more positive.

This is a common part of spiritual development as we let go of our physical needs and desires to focus more on spiritual pursuits, and as a result, the owl has both negative but also positive spiritual connotations.

3. Intuition

During the darkness of the night, the owl relies on its keen senses of smell and sight as well as on its instinct to hunt for food and survive.

In spiritual terms, this teaches us that we should become more in tune with our instincts and learn to rely more on our intuition to guide us in self-exploration and spiritual development.

4. Psychic powers and clairvoyance

The owl’s powerful, sharp eyes in particular symbolize being able to see clearly – and in spiritual terms, this is related to clairvoyance.

An owl’s eyes allow it to see things that we – and many other animals – can’t see, and this can also be related to an awareness of the spiritual world and even being able to see into the future.

5. Mysticism and magic

As a creature of the night, owls are also closely related to mysticism and magic, which is part of the reason why the image of the owl is one that we often see at Halloween.

They are a bird full of mystery and magical power, and meditating on the owl can be an effective way to help you release your inner powers too.

How Do You Know if the Owl is Your Spirit Animal?

As we’ve seen, the owl is a highly symbolic and powerfully spiritual bird, but how can you tell if this is the spirit animal for you? Let’s look at this now.

1. You are intelligent and wise

Owls are known for their intelligence and wisdom, and if these are traits you share with the owl, it could be because the owl spirit animal is already by your side guiding you.

Are you the kind of person who is quick to understand things? And do you prefer to spend time in reflection trying to think your way out of difficult situations? If this sounds like you, the owl may be your spirit animal.

2. You feel a deep connection to the spirit world

Owls exist in a nether region between the spirit world and the physical one, and owl people often feel a close connection to the spirit world too.

Perhaps you are a deeply spiritual person, or you have always felt the close presence of spirits and a connection to the other side.

If this is something that resonates with you, then the owl spirit animal could well be calling to you.

3. You are a night person

Owl people are most often night people who are most active and efficient in the hours after nightfall.

If you are the kind of person who often stays up after most other people are asleep and enjoys the spiritual, almost magical sensation of being awake during those mystical hours, then there’s a good chance the owl is your spirit animal.

4. You are highly perceptive

Are you a highly perceptive person who can easily understand a situation or can quickly see through somebody’s deceit or lies? Then this is another strong sign that the owl is the spirit animal for you.

Owl Totem

As such a wise creature, it’s obvious that there’s much the owl can teach us, and here are some of the most important lessons we can learn from the owl totem.

1. Look beyond what you can see with just your eyes

Owls are associated with sharp eyesight, clear perception and even clairvoyance, and the owl totem teaches us to look beyond what we can see with just our eyes.

Often in life, things are not all they seem, but with the help of the owl totem, we can gain a clearer idea of everything that is going on to help us understand why people are behaving in illogical or unpredictable ways.

2. Use your intelligence and wisdom to analyze a situation

If you find yourself in a difficult situation or if you have a tough decision to make, the owl totem can remind you to use your intelligence to think things over and then make an informed and rational decision.

If you rush into a decision based on high emotions, the decision can often turn out to be a bad one. However, by taking all the elements into consideration and taking your time to mull the situation over, you stand a much better chance of making the right choice.

3. Don’t be afraid of change

As symbols of death – and in the spiritual sense, also of rebirth – owls are closely connected to the idea of change, and the owl totem reminds us not to fear change but rather to embrace it.

Although we might naturally fear change because with it comes the unknown, change is universal and unavoidable, so there’s nothing we can do to stop it.

However, with change always comes new opportunities, and the owl totem can help give us the courage we need to face change with optimism, allowing us to grab the new opportunities that come our way with both hands.

4. Learn to trust your intuition

Although the owl totem teaches us to think things over carefully before acting, it can also help us learn to trust our instincts and our intuition.

Relying on your intuition is not the same as acting rashly or without thinking. Rather, it means weighing up all the information available and then allowing our intuition to guide us.

It also means following our instincts on the path of spiritual growth, and when you need help doing this, you can look to the owl totem for guidance.

Owl Omens

Finally, let’s look at what it can mean when the owl visits you, either in real life or in your dreams.

1. You need to open your eyes and see somebody’s true intentions

If an owl appears to you in a dream, the correct interpretation of the omen may be that it is telling you to think carefully about the true intentions of somebody – because everything might not be as it seems.

Perhaps somebody is acting in a friendly or generous way towards you, but behind it, they may want something in return.

Alternatively, somebody may be planning to trick or cheat you, so the message of this dream may be to remain watchful of those around you and to be careful who you trust.

2. You need to find a deeper connection to the spirit realm

Sometimes if an owl appears to you – especially in real life, perhaps while you are out walking at night – it can feel like a deeply spiritual and almost magical encounter.

When this happens, it can cause you to assess your beliefs and the depth of your spirituality, and this is often the purpose of the visit. The owl is telling you that you need to get more in touch with the spiritual side and devote more time to your spiritual development.

3. Follow your instincts

Another possible message that the owl may bring is that you should trust your instincts.

Maybe you have a difficult decision to make – for example, you have been offered a new position at work and you are not sure if you should accept it.

After much deep thought and reflection, you still don’t know what to decide – and in such a situation, the owl may appear to tell you to trust your gut because deep down, you know which decision you need to make.

4. A new beginning is on the way

Finally, an owl may appear to tell you that a new beginning is on the horizon and that you should look to the future with hope and positivity.

This could be related to many things. Perhaps you are going to move to somewhere new, maybe you are going to start a new job, or it could be that you are about to meet somebody who is going to have a profound impact on your life.

And of course, another possibility is that there could be a new baby in the family soon.

In any case, at such a time, the owl may appear to you to help remind you that change is something to embrace rather than to fear and that everything will turn out for the best.

A wise guide and a helpful ally

With the owl spirit animal at your side, you will be able to use your intelligence and find great wisdom to make the right choices in life all while remembering to find the right balance between the needs of the spiritual and the physical realms.

The owl will help you face change with courage to make the most of the opportunities it brings, and the owl will also encourage you to think things over carefully while also relying on your intuition when you need it most.