Every now and then, late in the evening, I hear an owl calling in the neighborhood. Some people might think it a bit spooky, but I love hearing the soft “whoooooooo” of this majestic and very wise bird. Its wisdom comes in paying attention to its surroundings and knowing who else is about. The owl protects itself and its young and is an expert at finding rich food. Athena, the resident Great Horned Owl at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, provides for us every spring a testament to this truth. She and her mate arrive around February, hang about in the trees for a few days, and then she nests high up in the agave planter in the entryway arch. Athena sits there patiently for several months warming her eggs while her mate hunts and brings home the bacon (so to speak!). Finally the chicks appear and a new phase of mothering and fathering ensues as they guard, feed, and teach their young. And then in early summer, the little family leaves to see what life has in store until next year’s return.
God endows us with the same love and wisdom as Athena and her mate. For them those gifts are instinctual–they just know where to safely nest, how to protect and feed themselves and their chicks, and when it is time to move into what’s next. With us humans it is a little more complicated. We too, just know, but we have to make the effort to tune in deeply to our spiritual heart and mind. We get to let go of surface thoughts that tell us falsehoods such as – we are not enough, we’ll never succeed, or there’s only trouble on the way. We get to see those thoughts as the shadows they are–F.E.A.R. – False Evidence Appearing Real. When we tune into our wisdom and ask, “whoooooooo am I?” the answer will always come back, “Dear one, you are Love!”
May You Have a Happy Hallowe’en Filled With Love,
Rev. Anna
