Spiritual Meaning of Owls: Omens, Dreams & The Owl Spirit Animal

Owl spiritual meanings and symbolism include deep intuitive awareness, speaking the truth, and letting go of what no longer serves you.

Connected with the Third Eye and Throat Chakra, this powerful bird is a wise ally and brings forth deep, transformative medicine. For centuries, the owl has been a mysterious spiritual animal throughout different belief systems and cultures around the world. In many myths and folklore, owls range from serving as a provider of intuition and insight, to being an ominous (and highly feared) harbinger of death. ^[1]https://www.pelletsinc.com/blogs/news/symbolic-meaning-of-owls#:~:text=interpretation%20of%20change.-,Owls%20as%20a%20Sign%20of%20Death,owl%20is%20taken%20very%20seriously. Additionally, the owl spirit animal has been a trusted guide and mentor for many.

In this post, you’ll learn more about the owl spirit animal & owl totem, detailed spiritual meanings & symbols of owls, owl dream meanings, owl as an omen, and more!

Owl Spirit Meaning

The meanings of owl spirit are truth, observation, discernment, and release. Owl spirit offers you the strength to see through illusion, to embody your authenticity, and to let go what no longer serves you.

Owls are known to swallow their prey and spit out what their bodies don’t need. Symbolically, owl spirit means to take what serves you and get rid of the rest. Owl is potent medicine for those struggling with life changes, speaking their truth, or releasing the past and/or toxicity in their lives. Meditate on the power of owl spirit when you need assistance in releasing what no longer serves you, stepping into your true power, or tuning into your psychic senses.

Don’t have time to read? Check out this helpful video of owl meanings!

What Do Owls Symbolize?

Owl symbolism varies greatly throughout different cultures and belief systems. Most commonly, the owl symbolizes great wisdom, intuitive ability, and fortitude in one’s own self and being.

In western cultures, owls are often portrayed as the classic wise, old owl. Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, also held the owl as her sacred bird.^[2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owl_of_Athena However, in other countries like Finland, owls are symbolic of a fool because of their wide-eyed appearance. For the Native Americans and other peoples, the owl is seen as a bad omen and unlucky messenger of death. ^[3]https://www.powwows.com/concerning-owls/ If you heard its call or see an owl, it usually meant that serious illness or death was on its way. For this reason, many get anxious when an owl crosses their path.

Owls also symbolize intelligence and sharp perception. With a connection the third eye and throat chakra centers, owl has the amazing ability to intuit anything (including secrets)and penetrate through illusion. An owl totem person can almost immediately sniff out dishonesty and insincere intentions in others. Similar to the High Priestess archetype in Tarot, the owl is tapped into a deep inner-knowing and can seemingly stare straight through to your soul. This can make others nervous or intimidated around people closely connected with owl. They are powerful and other people can sense this even without the owl person uttering a word.

What is the spiritual meaning of owls?

Spiritually, the owl helps us to navigate life with grace. Owl shows us how to take what is nourishing from a situation and leave the rest behind so we don’t internalize things that don’t support us. When an owl has eaten its prey, it begins to separate and compress the inedible parts (bones, claws, fur, teeth) into pellets, which the owl then coughs up and spits out.

Basically, owl teaches us to take the good, leave the bad – or, literally, expel it! Even though they are silent, owls are not passive birds. Whether it be habits, people, places, or things, owl medicine says to eradicate anything that doesn’t resonate with your soul. Spend time intuitively feeling what your truth is, what is important to you and what is not, and give voice to it.

The owl is a highly sensitive, deeply intuitive, and independent bird. With intuitive insight comes the ability to see + understand multiple perspectives – and not only does the owl know and see what others cannot – owl has a compulsion to reveal the truth it discovers. Unafraid to speak the truth even when it’s uncomfortable or hard to hear, owl spirit has an uncanny ability to see and speak right to the heart of a matter.

Detailed Owl Spiritual Meanings & Symbols

Are you feeling particularly drawn to owls? Do their special traits personally resonate with you? If so, you aren’t alone! Owl may be your totem or spirit animal, blessing you with it’s strengths and abilities. In the animal kingdom, the owl is a powerful, mysterious spirit guide with a unique set of skills. Here are some of owl spirit’s most impressive, inspiring qualities:

Wisdom

Wisdom is undoubtedly one of owl’s most popular and well-known traits. The reason the owl is dubbed one of the most intelligent and perceptive birds in the animal kingdom is because of owl’s independent behavior, incredible sense of sight, proficient hunting skills, and silent strength.

Unlike other birds of prey, the owl primarily hunts and lives alone, with a few exceptions. Aside from the purpose of mating, they will lodge with other owls to keep warm in cooler weather and scout out new hunting grounds. Outside of these purposes, owls are mostly solitary birds.

So if you find yourself resonating with the owl spirit animal, you are likely a very independent person. You may be somewhat introverted or reserved. While you enjoy the comfort and company of others, you probably prefer to spend most of your time by yourself. You may work or live on your own, and this is just how you like it! Your alone time is important to you and provides you with necessary time to reflect and recharge.

The owl spirit guide reminds you to listen to your inner guidance system, or intuition, above all else. This is where true universal wisdom lies. Owl knows that, at times, outside opinions and voices can muddy one’s clarity and perception; answers are within. Stillness, meditation, and intuitive insight are highly favored by the owl spirit animal.

Own Your Authenticity

The owl symbolizes the free thinker, the loner, and true mavericks of society. Eccentric and liberated, these birds often attract envy from others due to their unusual gifts. Owls can intuit, see, hear, and feel what others do not.

Because owls are so powerful, they are sometimes attacked by other birds who feel threatened by them. Known as mobbing, smaller birds will form a group and harass the owl. ^[4]https://nature-mentor.com/why-do-crows-attack-owls/ Despite the attacks, however, owls usually remain unscathed and simply depart from the area.

Owl’s lesson from this is that we should always strive to stick to our truth, ideas and dreams, even when others try to stifle us. Fiercely authentic and true to itself, the owl spirit animal reminds us to stay true to ourselves and be okay with standing out from the crowd. Even if others are skeptical or negative, owl says don’t let them ruffle your feathers!

Energy & Strength

Work smarter, not harder, is one of owl’s mottos. While most birds spend countless hours foraging resources and perfecting their nests from scratch, owls often skip out on this altogether! These birds of prey are actually known to take over nests that other birds have already built, such as old hawk or crow nests. Other owls will nest in hollow trees, in buildings (like barns), or in underground tunnels formed by burrowing animals. ^[5]https://www.almanac.com/nesting-season-owls

Once an owl has chosen its nest, you can trust that they will fiercely protect it, especially when raising young owlets. Owls are known to be extremely brave and territorial when it comes to their homes – they aren’t afraid to attack intruders, including humans and larger animals. ^[6]https://wildexplained.com/are-owls-dangerous/ When provoked, owls can be dangerous. Always keep a safe distance from owl nests, especially during mating season!

Reprioritize Yourself + Others

Sometimes, the owl spirit guide is a reminder to put those you love first. While owl is highly independent, relationships are still important! Whether it be your children, spouse, family members or friends, the owl calls for loyalty, protection, and quality time. Balance the energy you’re putting into yourself vs. others.

If an owl comes to you, it may be a sign that you need to set better boundaries with others in your life, or perhaps you need to prioritize your close relationships at this time. Owl wants you to take good care of not only yourself, but your loved ones as well. Have you been spending quality time with your partner, close friends, or family? How is your home life? Are you giving enough time to yourself as well?

It can be easy to get swept away in the busyness of life and lose sight of what’s actually important to us. Owl spirit asks you to get back to basics and make time for people/things that truly matter.

Insight

Out of the owl’s exceptional abilities, their sense of sight is by far the most powerful. In certain species, owl’s eyes can take up nearly 70% of their skulls (as opposed to 5% in humans). ^[7]https://www.owlpages.com/owls/articles.php?a=5

Many believe that owls can turn their head all the way around in a full 360 degrees, but this isn’t quite true. Owls can their head up to 270 degrees to look around. The reason they have to do this is because of their unique eye structure. Instead of spherical eyes, their eye shape is tubular – they can’t move their eyes, so instead, they must move their head to see about their surroundings. Don’t mistake this for poor eyesight, however. Owls can often see and spot prey from a mile away (literally). ^[8]https://lisbdnet.com/how-far-can-an-owl-see/#:~:text=org%20%E2%80%BA%20wiki%20%E2%80%BA%20Binocular_vision-,Binocular%20vision%20%E2%80%93%20Wikipedia,themselves%20without%20moving%20their%20body. With the ability to see in nearly every direction, the owl’s exceptional sight is one of the main reasons owls are regarded as a symbol of wisdom and intuition.

See Different Perspectives

The mark of true intelligence is the capability to see and understand a matter from different points of view. Owl spirit can see in nearly every direction, reminding you to keep your mind open to multiple perspectives – you never know what you may learn!

By taking a step back and allowing yourself to see from all sides of a matter, you stay open to learning and can cultivate a better understanding of the world and those around you.

See the Light in Darkness

Thriving in the darkness, owls are true nocturnal creatures. Objects in the dark appear up to 2.5 times brighter to owls than to humans. Because of this, they are able to safely and successfully hunt at night.

With the capacity to see the light in darkness, owl spirit is a messenger of hope. Where others feel scared or lost in the darkness, owl is perfectly at home and able to see the light. With owl, you are reminded to look for the light, even when all feels dark.

Unique Talents & Abilities

With over 200 species of owls present around the world (except for Antartica), owls have been able to adapt and evolve successfully due to fully utilizing all of their innate talents and abilities.

Owl spirit is a reminder that you are also born with unique gifts. Maybe you are especially artistic, a patient listener, or have a flair for mathematics. Whatever your talents are, owl encourages you to actively develop them.

Get to know your natural aptitudes; understand what you want and do what works for you. Take the time to refine your abilities, and don’t underestimate yourself or sell yourself short! With the owl, you are being called on to realize your gifts and fully step into your power. Put in the necessary time, practice, and dedication towards honing your skills.

Listen Closely

Aside from impressively strong eyesight, owls also have a highly developed sense of hearing.^[9]https://www.owlpages.com/owls/articles.php?a=6 At certain frequencies, an owl can hear 10 times better than we can!

Owls start hearing before they even hatch from their eggs, and they often maintain this sharp hearing throughout their entire life. Some species are born with asymmetrical ears, enabling them to differentiate and locate multiple sounds at once. When an owl cannot see it’s prey, it will begin to listen closely and rely on its hearing to hunt. Even when prey is hidden underneath soil or snow, an owl has the uncanny ability to hear + pinpoint it.

When the owl spirit animal comes to you, it is time to tune into your observant listening skills, as well as your deep intuition. Owl says things aren’t always as they seem, there is more than the eye can see – look past surface appearances and listen to what is really going on.

Stealth & Silence

Another unique attribute of the owl is their stealth and ability to move in silence. With large wings made of specially fringed feathers, their flight is almost completely silent.^[10]https://www.audubon.org/news/the-silent-flight-owls-explained Unlike other birds, owls don’t have to constantly flap their wings in order to stay in the air; their wings carry them long distances with little exertion and turbulence. They can even ascend vertically at a moment’s notice in order to protect themselves or their nest.

The grace and ease of owl spirit tells us to go with the flow, rest above the fray, and protect our privacy. The owl is very private and knows when to make a commotion and when to stay silent. This can be a reminder to avoid over-sharing and watch out for dominating conversation with others. Sometimes, the owl says that it’s better to stay reserved, listen, and stand back + watch.

Learn to Fly

Even with such dynamic flight capability, owls are not born like this. Owls actually learn and practice how to fly from the time they are just an owlet. When first training for flight, they literally take a leap of faith from their nest to start. From there, they continually practice flying until they get the hang of it. Eventually, they become exceedingly strong and skilled fliers.

With the owl, you are encouraged to take a leap of faith from your proverbial nest and go after what you want. Don’t be afraid to fail, try, and try again. Owl spirit teaches us that to reach success, we must put forth continual practice and devotion.

The Owl Totem & Owl Spirit Animal Explained

All living beings are interconnected.

Native Americans refer to this connection as “Wakan and Wakan Tanka“. They believe that every being has its own spirit, or “Wakan“, while also sharing the same spiritual essence, or “Wakan Tanka“. ^[11]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wakan_Tanka

Because of our connection to all life, when we need help, our own soul sends out energetic signals to the animal kingdom. When our spirit animals hear this, they come to us to offer their medicine, protection, and wisdom. Contrary to popular belief, we don’t select our spirit animals – they choose and come to us. Spirit animals act as protective guardians and guides for us throughout life, and can even impart talents and gifts.

Similarly, animal totems are animals whose energy we strongly associate with – it speaks to your spirit. While your spirit animal will probably change throughout life, a totem animal is believed to stay with a person or family for life.

If you’ve felt a deep affinity for owls in your life, or if owls have really caught your interest lately, you are feeling the pull of the owl spirit animal (or owl may be your totem animal). If an owl makes itself known to you, whether in person or through media such as art or T.V., pay close attention! It isn’t just a coincidence – owl is calling you.

Owls in Dreams

Owls in dreams symbolize the need to follow your intuitive compass, tap into your hidden gifts, and release anything that is no longer serving your highest good.

Spiritually, dreaming of owls can represent change, death, and purification. You may be going through a significant transition or transformation in your waking life. Whether it be people, places, things or behaviors, owl spirit in a dream asks you to carefully evaluate your life and get rid of anything that is holding you back or bringing you down.

If you dream of an owl, you may be feeling lost or ungrounded in your life, or perhaps you are going through a classic “dark night of the soul”. But just as owl safely guides itself through the shadows of the night, you are being encouraged to have faith, keep moving forward, and look for the light. Your intuition is speaking to you now and trying to guide you in the right direction. Owl reminds you to listen to this inner guidance system of yours, for much knowledge and help is available to you at this time. Take some time to meditate or clear your mind, and tune into your intuitive instincts more.

When an owl appears in your dream, take note of the emotions you felt or thoughts you had in the dream – this can give you clues to what exactly owl is attempting to offer guidance about. For example, suppose you dream of an owl and feel fear or anxiety. In that case, this usually means that you are suppressing yourself in your waking life or avoiding important situations that must be addressed. The owl coming to you in your dreams can be a wake-up call that you need to deepen your awareness and use more discretion in your life. Dreaming of an owl can be a sign that change or a challenging situation is imminent (especially if you dream of a dead owl).

Owl as an Omen

As an omen, owl comes to you as a messenger of either a blessing or a warning. Depending of what you’re currently going through in your life, the meaning of an owl omen can differ. As always, it’s important to listen to your intuition will help you in order to discover more about what owl is trying to tell you.

Generally, the meaning of an owl omen is positive. It can be a sign of encouragement that your intuitive awareness and skills are growing. You may be currently in a period of purging things that no longer serve you; owl is an omen of congratulations and support. When we stand in our truth and inner power, owl spirit rejoices.

Alternatively, owl can be an omen of imminent change, death, or transition in life. This isn’t necessarily bad, however! When owl lets you know that transformation is ahead, it is also a message of hope. You are fully capable and have the strength to make it through this time of your life. With owl, you are learning how to stay in your power even when outside circumstances may test you. You are entering into a fresh, new beginning in life.