And I want, and I need, ANIMAL.

I know owls are considered mystical creatures but my memory was kind of failing me on their exact meanings in various mythologies and that just wouldn't do. I am a huge mythology nerd. When I was in fifth grade and my teacher was doing a section on ancient Greece, I kept correcting her on the names and powers of various gods and goddesses. Ancient Egypt captivated me from the moment I first read about their various after-life ceremonies and found out their was an entire city and goddess devoted to cats. Scooping brains out from nostrils and storing the inner organs in various jars? Totally cool, did not freak or gross me out at all. My first tattoo was the Eye of Horus, the left eye which represents the moon and female power/protection. And stupid little thing about me, all my technology-related things are named after gods and goddesses. My computer's hard drive is Seshat; the Egyptian goddess of writing, my Kindle is Clio; the Greek muse of history (represented by a tablet get it?), my old ipod was Persephone and my external harddrive is Proserpina, the Roman equivalent since the Romans copied everything from the Greeks and my harddrive is a copy of everything... look, I mentioned I was a mythology nerd ok?

I like believing in the mystic and I like that people used to believe there was someone to protect them in ever part of their lives. All of my tattoos are all either visual representations of my countries, Turkey and Iran (Persian teardrop with a Turkish evil eye, crescent moon)

and the two outside cultures I've found a connection to, Egypt and India (Eye of Horus, ohm symbol, peacock feather which are also prominent in old Persian mythology and art).

The teardrop has been touched up recently and I don't have any pictures of my two other feathers.

They all have an event of the mystical through symbolism too like the ohm

(as creation began, the divine, all-encompassing consciousness took the form of the first and original vibration manifesting as sound "aum" or ohm, thank you wikipedia for explaining it a lot more snootily than I could), and peacock feathers have powers to help when you need more vibrancy and vitality in your experience. The peacock can also help on your spiritual path, and breath new life into your walk of faith.

If I ever get another tattoo, it would probably be of an Indian, painted elephant.

My sister and I got to ride this gorgeous creature:

I have longed loved animals and I think my connection to them, especially my darling kitty (LOOK AT HER, SHE'S SO WONDERFUL) is worth celebrating. Elephants symbolize power and intelligence and peace to me and every time I've ever seen them, I'm silenced into just watching and taking them in. They're almost noble and other-worldly in their movement and behaviour that yeah, it truly must be something inexplicable and mystical about them that gets me to just shut up and watch.

I like symbols, especially symbols of protection and reasurance and as everyone knows it has the wisdom connotations and was te symbol of Athena but then I saw this:

"In India, a white owl is considered companion and vāhana (vehicle of god/goddess) of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and therefore a harbinger of prosperity. In many Indian languages the word owl is used as an insult, usually in the connotation of calling someone a fool. Prior to the rise of Islam, owls were considered bad omens and associated with evil spirits in most Middle Eastern pagan traditions. In modern times, although such superstitions are less prevalent, owls are still popularly considered "evil" because of their fierce appearance."

Hmm.

Further research turned this up:

"In some middle and far eastern cultures, the owl is a sacred guardian of the afterlife, ruler of the night, a seer and keeper of souls transitioning from one plane of existence to another. The owl’s gift of heightened senses enables it to see through deception, external appearances and illusion and to discover hidden truths."

Of course. Of course I go find something that has ties to death and the afterlife to feel a kinship with. No wonder when we went on that falconry outing on one of our family cruise's, this little fellow was the first thing I saw. He was so cute! There was a lady that was even cuter especially when she swallowed a dead chick but I could only find a picture of this guy.

Yes, my family used to go on a yearly cruise and every stop had outings and we went to falconry in Scotland. We also sailed around the Norwegian coast. Our cruises were so much better than your average, lame, overdone Caribbean vacation. I miss them.

"If you are drawn to owls or owl symbolism, you may have this same ability to uncover secrets. People may feel uneasy around you, as if you are able to see through pretence. The owl also teaches us to acknowledge the dark side of our personality, and in that darkness we may find food for growth.

If people do not speak words that reflect the truth of their actions and motives, owl medicine (as referred to by aboriginal cultures) will guide you with vision and inner knowing to reveal the truth. The owl puts an end to doubt and offers vision and clarity of the truth of events, people or circumstances in your life.

Well then.

"The owl is deeply connected with magic, shamanism and heightened senses throughout the ages. Some have thought of the owl as a “cat with wings” as they share similar characteristics of personality."

!!!

That's perfect, my new owl pet (I have just decided, I need an owl now) can get along with my Egg! I will name him Owlice Cooper. I will of course keep him away from my future bunnies, Bun Scott and Bun Jovi. I have great plans to be a crazy animal lady.

Since owls are nocturnal, a lot of facts about nocturnal animals came up too and since I'm basically nocturnal (I fell asleep around 7 this morning. SEVEN A.M. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?) I thought it could apply to my behaviour too, though I kind of turn my nose up at hunting mice by the light of the moon.

"Nocturnal creatures are symbolic of inner-knowing, psychic ability, and intuition. Birds are considered by many cultures to be messengers between earthly creatures and spirit."

Dear Inner-Knowing, Psychic Ability, and Intuition,

You guys are quite the troublesome trio, aren't you? Either manifest already or let me go to sleep.

Love,
Leyla

P.S. I am not a bird.

P.P.S. If you could send me my new pet owl soon, I'd really appreciate it. I have some hidden truths I apparently need to uncover.