When I began writing The Evolutionary Empath three years ago, I had the most unbelievable experience with an owl on the very first day I put pen to paper. It was a mild and sunny October 17, 2016.
I had been out and hurried home to eat dinner on the deck so I could catch the remaining warmth of the day before the sun set completely. It was dusk so I turned on the outside light and sat down to eat with two of my cats. No sooner than I put a bite in my mouth, a huge Barred Owl swooped out of nowhere and landed on the bird feeder hook at the corner of the deck.
I was stunned speechless. Less than 8 feet away perched this enchanted creature, looking back over its shoulder at me with impossibly huge eyes. My rational brain went crazy: doesn’t she know there are 2 cats on the deck? Why would she land in a space that was clearly lit up when owls prefer the dark? What would cause her to land here now while I’m sitting here?
But I knew. I knew there was magic afoot.
I took in every inch of her beautiful coloring, imprinting the moment on my heart because I knew she came for a reason. The synchronicity was too great! The day I start to write my book and an owl practically drops in my lap?! Oh Universe, you never cease to amaze me.
I wanted to call for my husband but knew that would break the spell. I saw this owl’s eyes traverse from one cat…to the next…to me. She held my gaze for several seconds and I know a hundred gigabytes of magical-Universe-Godwink-owl-medicine transmitted into my being. Then, as silently as she landed, her feathered body whispered away.
The next day I went online to try and find as close a likeness as possible as the way she looked and the way she perched. I found two suitable images which I printed and laminated. They occupied a prominent spot on my bulletin board for over a year. This owl became my muse.
As the years passed and a variety of milestones came and went (the day I completed writing the book, the day it was accepted for publication, the day it printed) I wondered if I would see an owl again to punctuate the moment. The Universe waited until the last (and perfect) moment to send me an owl once again.
On November 5, 2019 my book launched. A momentous occasion for a first-time author. I knew that this day represented the completion of several major initiatory cycles. As I lay in bed falling asleep, I heard the whoo-whoo-whoo of a Great Horned Owl. She came! She came!
I leapt from the bed to see if I could spot her on a nearby rooftop or utility pole. I did not see her, but I heard her once again. I happened to catch the time on the clock…10:17. A few groggy seconds later, I practically cocked my head and twitched an ear like a curious dog. What was the date I began writing my book? Could it be true? Was it possible?
Of course it was.
I looked back through my 2016 calendar and there on October 17 were the notes “start book” and “owl.” October 17 – 10:17. Beautiful.
As the final gate of this massive initiatory cycle closed – this 3-year gestational period – my sweet owl muse came to bracket the portal and herald the birth. This journey was finally complete. I had “passed” the initiation. My baby (book) has fledged, left the nest and now has a life of her own.
Fly, sweetheart, fly.
