Sunday, October 27, 2002		Dream Theme

Dreaming of owl
Vinaya Katoch Manhas

ALTHOUGH an intelligent bird, yet in most cultures seeing an owl or to hearing it hoot is not considered lucky. As per Indian mythology, owl is the vehicle of Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, yet seeing it in reality or in dreams is not considered auspicious.

As per Indian thought, to see or hear an owl in your dreams portends ill luck and is considered inauspicious. If you see such a dream you are warned to be very careful. You could fall ill or lose money. Your reputation could also suffer and you could land up in an embarrassing situation. Should you see a dead owl, it is a good omen as it means that you have narrowly missed the ill fate which was coming your way.

As per western thought, to hear the hooting of an owl warns you of an unexpected death. If you see such a dream you are warned to take appropriate precautions. Some bad tidings concerning loved ones far away could follow such a dream. Seeing a dead owl denotes a narrow escape from illness or death. To see an owl in your dreams warns you of enemies who are working secretly to malign your character.

Psychoanalytically speaking, an owl being a bird of wisdom and strategy can denote these qualities in a dream. As it is also associated with night, it can signify death.

A 26-year-old woman sometimes dreams of passing through a jungle, where light is filtering in through the trees. Then she hears owls hooting, and she sees one big owl hover above her, before it dives and takes away a rat in its claws. When she wakes up she feels that she could well be that rat as she seemed quite small compared with that massive owl. In this dream, the feeling smallness and being carried away by an owl in the form of a rat are feelings of insignificance. It is possible that her family or friends make her feel small and this has given her an inferiority complex. She seems to be overshadowed by an important person in her life. The dream is a more or less a portrayal of her tendency to give in to the superiority of that person. In this case the woman needs to develop her self-esteem. Once this happens and she manages to overcome her feelings of inferiority, such dreams of being overpowered would soon cease.