Spiritual dreams
Deirdre had embarked on a self-development programme in 1995, and was experiencing a lot of turmoil in her life, so much that she told a friend she wished she could have a dream to discover her own inner wisdom. Then she had this powerful visionary dream.
Dream report: WHITE OWL
I find myself sitting on a bank overlooking a pond. In the distance is the harbour bridge and I can see the city. Although it is night the moon is so bright that I can see a ring around it and the detail is amazing. Behind and to the right of me is bush, to the left is an enormous oak tree. This is a place I know well and visit almost daily so it is a familiar and special place. A place I come to, to think and be alone, but I also share it with my two daughters.
This night, the stars are bright and the sky is filled with them. I feel amazement at how clear the sky is and how much I can see because the moon is so bright.
I hear a sound in the distance, like the whirring of bird wings. I look around and see nothing but the noise grows louder and almost fills the night. Suddenly the wings of the bird become visible as he lands next to me. It is a snow white owl and I am amazed, as there are no white owls in New Zealand. He lands gracefully beside me. I am filled with amazement and shocked, the owl is the same height as I am as I sit here on the bank.
I don’t want the moment to end as I feel a sense of ‘occasion’ relating to it. I know that this is an experience that I need to immerse myself in. I move my eyes and neck slightly towards the eyes and notice that he mirrors my movements towards me. I do this several times, feeling a sense of not wanting to meet his eyes or frighten him and wanting to prolong the moment that I know will come.
I am taking this all in, clearly thinking that this can’t be happening, yet knowing that this is a personally ‘historic’ moment for me. I don’t want to miss a detail!!
I slowly turn my head and meet his eyes. I am drawn into his gaze, mesmerised by him. He pulls my gaze deep into his and I am filled with emotions/thoughts and I have a sense of knowing that these are healing my heart, my soul… .filling me with overwhelming love, positive regard and trust in myself. My Owl and I sit there for a long time, immersed in the moment and I don’t want it to end!!
I have no sense of the dream ending, I just remember the feeling I am left with, which I know I will be able to draw upon like drawing water from a crystal clear, cool well whenever I need to.
The dream means a great deal to me and I hold it closely. My interpretation:
I was illuminated by the moon, stars etc. and the reflection off the water was my self-reflection. The owl is wise, he is my equal, a part of me. He held my wisdom and I think I needed to witness his arrival to know that he had arrived and become a part of me. This is important as I didn’t know it before. He filled me with the love, wisdom and acceptance I had never known was there. I had never felt a sense of self or trusted myself, and to feel the degree of love from the owl was my way of finding self-love.
My mother didn’t parent me how I needed to be parented. (I am the youngest of six children. I am also a twin and our older brother is only 10 months older than we are and there is less than 5 years between us all). The owl itself was a total surprise.
So, in essence, the owl was a part of me that enabled me to heal my childhood wounds and to access my true potential both personally and professionally.
In classical mythology, the owl is an archetypal symbol of wisdom, associated with self-reflection and seeing by moonlight. White is associated with initiation, birth and death. So Deirdre’s intuitive interpretation seems to be accurate. The depth of love that she finds in the Owl’s silent gaze also suggests a divine spirit, the deep inner Self.
No wonder this dream has become such a lasting resource for her!