The Wise Old Owl
Owls are an amazing example of God’s handiwork. Depending on the species, owl eyes may account for one to five percent of its body weight. Owl eyes are fixed, forcing the bird to look straight ahead. However, an owl’s neck has 14 vertebrae, which allows it to turn its head throughout a wide range of motions. In fact, owls can turn their head a full 270 degrees! Truly owls are an incredible display of God’s creative nature.

But the owl is more than just a magnificent creature; at least that’s what the world of mythology and the occult would like you to believe. As birds of the night and birds of prey, the owl has been embraced as a symbol associated with psychic powers, the "angel of death," and the goddess of night. Greek, Roman, and Celtic mythology all employ owls as representatives of spiritual influence. Hinduism also uses the owl as a symbol of cosmic spirituality.

Of all the various usages of owl symbolism, Native American religions and their shaman priests (witchdoctors) have placed upon the bird numerous spiritual associations. The Cree believed that the whistle-sounds of the Boreal Owl was a summoning call to the spirit world. If an Apache dreamed of an owl, it was held that death was on its way. Cherokee shamans viewed Eastern Screech-Owls as consultants on punishment and sickness. To this day, practitioners of Native American spiritual traditions hold that the owl represents vision and insight.

In Africa the owl is associated with witchcraft and sorcery. To the Bantu the owl is the "familiar of wizards." In eastern Africa, the Swahili "believe that the owl brings illness to children." Zulus in southern Africa know the owl as a bird of sorcerers, and in the western part of the continent the bird is considered a messenger of wizards and witches. And in Madagascar it is said that owls gather with witches to dance on the graves of the dead.

As a spiritual symbol, owls can be found throughout the world. Australia, China, Greenland, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia and Sweden all have cultures or mythical traditions that give spiritual significance to the owl.

Probably one of the most bizarre occurrences of owl symbolism can be found at the "Bohemian Club." The Bohemian Club is a rich-man’s organization that holds a two-week "camp" in northern California every year. This strange and secretive group, which has received very little press coverage, has an owl as its central symbol. Each year, approximately 1,500 of America’s most influential CEO’s, government officials [including both former and current Presidents Bush], financiers, industrialists, and media moguls gather to hear speeches, network, and share common agendas. They also perform Druid-like ceremonies before a huge stone owl, complete with robes, fire, incantations, and other rituals.

Of course the owl is also associated with "wisdom." However, if owls could talk, I’m sure they would "wisely" scold mankind for his careless disregard of Romans 1:22-23, "Although they claimed to be wise, the became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles."

May we call upon God to give us wisdom.