This Sunday, we will be reflecting on 1 Kings 2: 10-12, 3:3-14 which happens to be King Solomon and Wisdom.
I am always amazed how those cosmic threads weave through our lives, randomly tying and binding things together. As it turns out, our garage has been abuzz with the sound of a chain saw all week. Having been forced to take down a dead elm tree, we were left with a great pile of logs. We do our best to find ways to wisely use all of nature’s gifts in whatever creative way presents itself. So, owls have been appearing as rustic garden art.
Owls have long been thought to be a sign of great wisdom and femininity. The owl was a symbol for Athena, goddess of wisdom and strategy, before the Greeks gave their pantheon human forms. According to myth, an owl sat on Athena’s blind side, so that she could see the whole truth.
In Ancient Greece, the owl was a symbol of a higher wisdom, and it was also a guardian of the Acropolis. Diana, the Roman response to Athena, was strongly associated with the moon, and also the owl.
In North America, the Pawnee and the Sioux saw the owl as a messenger to the first of all evil creatures. On the other hand, the Lakota tribe had an “Owl Society,” where the warriors fought primarily at night and painted dark rings around their eyes because they believed that would allow them to have an owl’s acute vision.
Even our own Voices United has a wonderful hymn about wisdom; number 287, Wellspring of Wisdom. I particularly love the first verse:
Wellspring of wisdom, hear our cry, the way ahead is parched and dry.
We seek a source to satisfy our thirst for sanctifying waters,
wisdom for your faith-filled sons and daughters.
As we continue to live out these times of uncertainty, I leave you with a prayer for wisdom and, hopefully, something to make you smile.
Touch us, O Lord, and fill us with your light. Give us strength when we are weak, love when we feel alone, courage when we are afraid, wisdom when we feel foolish, comfort when we are confused, hope when we feel rejected, and internal peace when we are faced with the folly around us. Amen.
A couple of Koji’s owls.