Owls. I have always loved owls. As a child I remember my mother “calling the owls” in the woods near our home. It used to annoy me, but of course – it is the same thing I do now every time I hear the “hoo hoo” of an owl. I instantly respond to their call, hoping they will “speak with me” and return the gesture. There is something so peaceful about their language and graceful in the way they float through the forest.
The owl traditionally represents wisdom, truth and the ability to see in the darkness. To me, the owl has simply been the being that watches over, calmly in silence, observing with eyes and ears to take in all in the forest.
For years, I have had the business name Sage Practices. Sage has always been the name that represents me – someone continually seeking knowledge, wisdom and grace. The owl was also a symbol that I deeply connected with. Like the owl I am an observer, quiet often times, preferring to remain unseen in the background. Now of course, this may seem very contrary to what I currently do as for years, I have been teaching classes large and small to various groups of people. But, it is my continual quest for knowledge that nudges me to share whatever I learn with others so we can all grow together.
Owls have greeted me wherever I go. I find feathers when walking the dog, working in the yard or simply in the driveway by the car. The owls are with me. Before I had ever journeyed or explored alternative modalities to find my spirit animal, the owl has simply just been there, with me – all the time. I have always known that the owl is my friend. It is a feeling, a connection that I can’t explain, but just know.
This same connection with the owl is something that I have always experienced with my friends. The connection between like-minded hearts is something that is felt from within. It is different. A heart connection is easy, not forced. It simply is – without description or explanation needed. We all know that sensation of walking into a room and how it is easy to speak to one person and “uncomfortable” to speak to another. Some of us are meant to connect and some of us are simply not.
My life has been so greatly blessed by “birds of a feather” or “friends of a feather”. In my work with the singing bowls, sound & vibration have allowed me to open up to the possibility of connecting with others on a level that is deeper than words can explain. Whether it be through a sound healing session or simply connecting with someone in the grocery store, there is an opportunity to communicate with others through our own personal vibration.
The other day I got off the plane and I saw a gentleman across the way that got my attention. I don’t ask why, I just trust. So I went over and stood right next to this young man. Perhaps I stood a bit too close, but he became uncomfortable, looked at me and then returned to looking right back at his phone. Were we to connect? Were we to talk? I don’t know, but I felt his energy recede as he ducked onto the tram. I simply trust. We were not meant to meet. We were not meant to connect in that moment.
As westerners, we feel as if we must give each other “space” and “separation” but I ask why? In many cultures, there is not the same opportunity for all people to have separate spaces and in fact, there is a sense of community and connection by being in smaller homes and living spaces. There is obviously a trend in this direction now as we see so many mini homes popping up now:)
In yoga classes even, it amazes me when students are asked to have their mats touching – gasp! How could we be that close to another person while doing yoga, while sweating, while perhaps being in a possibly compromising or uncomfortable position? These are the moments I earn for and love – that pushing the edge between a connection of boundaries to an unspoken connection through our vibration.
Last night I taught an amazing class at Indian Creek Nature Center. We began the hike with an exercise in connection. We sat in the Tipi together in a circle, one hand on our own heart and one hand on the back of our neighbors heart. We mediated briefly allowing all of our vibrations to meld together. Then we began our hike. Some of us talked and some of us walked in silence. How we communicated was irrelevant as we were all experiencing together the beauty and resonance that only nature could provide.
About mid-way through our hike, we stopped and connected with a tree. We connected through sight, sound, smell and feeling. Again we were all able to connect with each other as we connected with nature without even knowing it.
We ended our hike with a short yoga practice in the tipi, where we had no choice to be right in “each other’s space”. Through breath and movement, we all gathered together to connect under the moonlight filled shadows of the tipi. As we ended our practice, we laid down together to enjoy savasana to the sounds of the Himalayan singing bowls and the Native American drum. Like a heartbeat, we connected through the beat of the drum and the bowls allowing sound and vibration to drift awareness into a state of relaxation. Without thinking, without judging we were all able to experience a unique connection to each other and to ourselves.
As our time together ended, I chanted to the sound of the singing bowls and I played the last note of the bowl. The sound faded away and the voice of an owl greeted the dissipating vibration. Of course I called back, “Hoo Hoo” and she returned the same song to me! Connection! We are all connected!
If we open up to the possibility to connect with others at a deeper level, we may find that “Friends of a feather” are around us wherever we go!