Symbolically, the owl represents wisdom, change, and the ability to connect to the spiritual world, so this symbol encourages us to connect with our inner selves. Hearing the hoot of an owl has several spiritual meanings, including a protective sign as well as an omen of impending change.
I have been fascinated by birds of prey my whole life, way back when I was a very young child. Owls, in particular.
I have always had a natural curiosity for owls – whilst I am not entirely sure where the love for these magnificent birds began, they have always mesmerized me.
They’re stunning to look at, they come in many shapes, sizes, and species, and they’re one of the most spiritual animals you could ever imagine.
The hoot of an owl is something that most of us associate with Halloween, with stories of ghosts and the paranormal or with so-called haunted houses where owls have quite rightfully earned themselves the title of being bad omens.
But I was never scared whenever I heard an owl hooting in the dark.
Quite the opposite.
A distant owl hooting in the still of the night was a comforting sound, and I was almost asleep in no time.
Now that I’m an adult, nothing has changed.
One of the mysteries around owls is their unique appearance — more specifically, their exceptional ability to rotate their heads nearly 360 degrees and that they are too rare to spot.
Now, you may ask – what is the spiritual meaning of hearing an owl hooting at night? Let’s take a look, shall we?
Owls and Ancient Cultures
Owls are birds of prey. This simply means that they have to hunt and actually KILL their food.
Interestingly, as opposed to diurnal birds, owls are mainly nocturnal animals, meaning they only come out to hunt or fly during the night when most other species of bird or mammal are in their sleep.
Owls are in the order Strigiformes, which varies from source to source from 222 to 268 species worldwide.
Even more interestingly, the composition of an owl’s eyes are little windows to its soul, so to speak. The dark-eyed owls are nocturnal and hunt primarily at night.
Orange-eyed owls are crepuscular and tend to hunt more so in the first hour after dusk and before the first light, while yellow-eyed owls are highly diurnal, hunting at all times of the day.
This magnificent bird of prey has been both revered as well as, feared by most ancient cultures around the world for centuries. For example, the Apache Indians believed dreaming of an owl, someone was going to die.
To some tribes of Native Americans, owls were looked at as symbols of courage and strength. The great horned owl was respected. According to Native Americans, owls are the resurrected spirits of their bravest warriors.
In contrast, the owls tended to be associated with bad omens and death by the ancient Romans. A hoot of an owl was considered an omen of an impending death. That is why most of the ancient Romans also considered owls to be a secondary form of a witch.
In Nepal, although owls are usually associated with wisdom, they are instead called latokosero — the word means “bird that is not clever.”
The Spiritual Meanings of Hearing an Owl Hooting at Night:
Because I’m so fond of owls and because I hear them hooting at night quite frequently, I decided to look into them a little more deeply.
Here’s a look at several possible spiritual meanings of hearing an owl hooting at night.
It is about protection
While owls can appear sinister and threatening, it has never been like that for me.
I never found the calls intimidating, but they kinda made me feel safe.
I was never scared of them, and hearing them hooting at night made me relax and even feel secure.
As a matter of fact, there may be an explanation for it. See, if you hear an owl hoot at night, that means you are saved.
Owls are predators. When these nocturnal creatures go hunting at night, they know exactly what they are and where they want to go.
Their spectacular night vision and sensitive hearing allow owls to glide almost silently through the air. This is why they are considered excellent guardians and that they protect you from negative or bad energy.
But the owl singing to you at night may be actually helping to keep you safe.
Inner Wisdom
After researching different meanings of hearing an owl at night, I discovered one of the meanings is inner wisdom.
When an owl comes talking to you through its hoot, you take it as a call to speak to your inner wisdom.
Maybe the owl you hear hooting outside your window in darkness is warning you that you should clear your “monkey mind” and listen to the wisdom that the universe is offering you.
It is about intuition
We are advised to ‘listen to our gut’ and ‘trust our instincts,’ and I would like to include that kind of wisdom as sound advice.
I have also experienced enough scenarios to know that I am often right, even when I wish I were not. The issue is, I hardly ever followed it, and I would tell myself after that I wish I listened to my gut.
If your gut tells you to do something, stop relying solely on logic, and an owl hoots at you in the night telling you to listen to your intuition, you need to do it.
If you are indecisive about everything in your life – your next job, a suitable partner, or that jacket you keep forgetting to buy – an owl that hoots at night suggests listening to your inner voice.
Basically, owls symbolize great intuition. Therefore, if you hear one in the middle of the night, pay attention to your gut feelings next time.
Time for a Change
The owl was a symbol of death in some cultures, while for others, the symbolism was not so clear cut — the owl is frequently considered as a symbol of change.
For instance, at night, when the owl is hooting, you can find yourself receiving a sign that you must move on.
Hence, the next time we hear an owl hooting in the dead of the night, we should not conclude that death is right next door.
Quite the opposite.
Consider it a winds of change period.
For example, if you have been thinking of leaving your job or to upgrade in your career for a long time, the hoot of an owl during the nighttime symbolizes this is your time to move on to something new.
A Sign of Romance
If you’re asleep in your bed at night and hear two owls calling to each other in a tree just outside your house, take that as a very, very good sign indeed.
Once they mate, the owls let out loud hoots and calls, impersonating each other’s mating calls.
Only once a male has proven himself to be a possible mate will the female owl respond to his mating call.
As such, if you hear two owls hooting in the night means that you are meant for your partner, and your partner is meant for you. Like the owls hooting outside, it shows you that you guys are speaking the same language.
A pair of owls hooting at night signifies that your partner is right for you and you for them. It demonstrates to you that you guys are on the same page, just like the owls hooting at each other outside.
The hoot of an owl in the dark of night is another little nudge that maybe, maybe, you should start having kids.
Owl chicks use begging calls, and this means that if you hear an owl at night, then you and your partner are ready to have a child.
You’re a Very Spiritual Person
Spiritual people find owls and other spiritual creatures drawn to them.
I consider myself to be quite spiritual, which is perhaps why I find I’m so in tune with nature.
Owls are the symbol of the spirit world.
They are seen as the protectors and guardians, therefore they attract spiritual people and so on.
When you hear an owl hoot at night, it is these spiritual attributes you are tapping into that allow you to connect with heightened emotions and feelings of the spiritual nature.
Tenacity
The tenacity of owls is one of the main reasons I love them so much.
Most owls are active at night; they’ve developed unique behavioral adaptations that enable them to hunt successfully in the pitch black when most of their potential prey is finding a safe place to hide. If owls fail to catch prey, they do not eat, and if they do not eat, they will die.
Not only can owls adapt to using human-made structures for their benefit, but they also flourish in diverse environments. Woodland, the countryside, towns and villages, even within cities and busy urban areas.
As you can see, owls are very resourceful beings.
The sound of an owl hooting at night signifies that you are much stronger than you realize and that no matter what, life will improve, and life will become worth living again.
So, the next time you are lying on bed at night and you can hear an owl hooting, listen more carefully, there are a lot of spiritual meanings behind it.
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I’m Bulgarea Candin Stefan and I have started Spiritual Whirlwinds to pass my learnings from my spiritual journey. Spiritualwhirlwinds.com provides a space of spiritual awakening with guided meditations, e-books, mantras, and pendulum readings.