Barred Owl
Meaning & Symbolism
The Barred Owl, with its distinct call and striking barred feather patterns, symbolizes curiosity, vigilance, and protection. Known for the unmistakable “who cooks for you?” call, the Barred Owl reminds us to stay curious and use our voice to seek answers. This sense of curiosity invites us to explore the world around us, ask the questions that matter, and listen carefully for the wisdom in what we hear. Just as the Barred Owl uses its keen senses to navigate the night, we, too, can embrace our innate curiosity as a tool for learning and growth, allowing us to explore new ideas and paths in life.
Vigilance is a key trait of the Barred Owl, which is always alert to its surroundings. This Owl is a master of observation, watching for even the smallest movement in the forest as it silently hunts. As humans, we can learn from the Barred Owl’s vigilance by staying aware of the things that matter most in our lives. Whether it’s paying attention to our emotional well-being or keeping watch over our loved ones, practicing vigilance helps us stay grounded and prepared for life’s challenges. By cultivating this attentiveness, we protect ourselves from potential threats and ensure that we are able to act when needed.
The protective symbolism of the Barred Owl is also reflected in its name, which comes from the bar-like patterns on its feathers. These markings are not a sign of limitation, but rather a strong representation of boundaries. Barred Owls know how to establish and enforce their personal boundaries, showing self-respect and demanding the same from others. By radiating this self-assurance, we, too, can protect our energy and our well-being by setting clear boundaries. It’s a reminder that protection is not about isolation, but about knowing what we need to feel safe and secure, and having the courage to defend those needs.
In many cultures, Owls, including the Barred Owl, are seen as spiritual guides, especially when it comes to death and the afterlife. They are believed to carry the souls of loved ones to the other side, offering a protective and gentle passage. This symbolism invites us to reflect on how we can be guides for others in our own lives, providing comfort and protection to those who need it, especially in times of grief or transition. Just as the Barred Owl offers protection and guidance in the night, we can be vigilant caretakers for those we love, watching over them and helping them navigate life’s darker moments.
Different Owls offer a variety of other symbolism:
- Barn Owl: Symbolism: stealth, mystery, and silent guidance. The Barn Owl’s nearly soundless flight teaches us to navigate life’s challenges with discretion and to trust unseen paths.
- Great Horned Owl: Symbolism: strength, adaptability, and fierce determination. As a powerful predator with keen hunting skills, the Great Horned Owl teaches us to face challenges head-on, using all our available resources.
- Pygmy-Owl: Symbolism: resilience, courage, and resourcefulness. Small but bold, the Pygmy-Owl embodies the power of standing tall despite your size, using quick thinking to overcome obstacles.
- Screech Owl: Symbolism: transformation, listening, and inner awareness. With their ability to blend into their environment, Screech Owls encourage us to listen more deeply to the subtle shifts around us and embrace personal change.
- Snowy Owl: Symbolism: clarity, focus, and intuition. The Snowy Owl, with its pristine white feathers, symbolizes seeing through the fog of life’s distractions and trusting in your inner wisdom to guide you.
- Tawny Owl: Symbolism: perspective, insight, and understanding. With its wide range of vocalizations and keen night vision, the Tawny Owl reminds us to broaden our view, see situations from different angles, and trust the wisdom gained from diverse experiences.
-Tanya Casteel ©Cosmic Animals
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I want to hear about your Owl experiences. What stories or dreams have you had? Please share and join in the conversation below!
A few years back My wife and I were driving home About a quarter mile from our house on the side of the road stood a Barred Owl. I asked her to pull over and I walked up to the Owl. I lowered my arm to his feet and he climbed on. Normally this was a busy road but empty at the time. Either way he wasn’t going to be safe there for long. It was dark, so I decided to walk him to the house where I could see if he was injured. When we got for the house, I places the Owl on a stump to turn the lights on. It took me maybe 30 seconds to do so. I turned back to the Owl and he/she was gone. Neither one of us heard it take flight and did not see it anywhere the ground. After that night we started hearing an Owl in the woods. At our new place we have Screech Owls around us. Ill never forget that day
Whoa! This story gave me chills. Thanks for sharing! So magical. Strong owl magic runs through you and that land.
That is beautiful- you protected the owl and now the owls protect you!
I had a barred owl come visit me twice last Monday and she let me get very close to her. We just stared into eachothers eyes and I got a message “calmness during chaos.” I felt this was a VERY powerful and important interaction for me especially with where I am on my life path right now ?
Yes absolutely. Eye contact is so powerful — connecting us to soul to soul. What a lovely message/gift.
Driving home in the dark tonight I was running one of my fear tapes in my head having decided earlier to step out and take a course later next year with a teacher lthat I’ve been strongly drawn to but have not met in person yet. Turning the corner onto my road home with this loop running through my mind a beautiful barred owl flies out from right side of the road right across the path of my moving vehicle. I hit the brakes to avoid hitting the owl it was that close. I stop and back up to see if I can see it in the woods across the road but no sighting. It snapped me right out of my unconscious mind chatter. This is the 3rd or 4th time I have seen a barred owl in that vacinity, this was the first time at night, in flight, and right in front of me. It was a bit shocking and frightening in that we almost collided, but also rare and awe inspiring. The owl was beautiful and highly visible. I thought it was an omen. I am fond of owls. One night many years ago there were three in the trees right by my house which was really pretty special. I’d love to hear your thoughts and love your barred owl painting!
Thank you 🙂 It sounds like you have a close connection with owls as they keep appearing for you. Having almost collided with the barred owl is most definitely a “wake up call” from Spirit to help snap you back to more productive thoughts. Keep your owl totem close to your heart and trust in its gentle flight and ability to navigate in the dark (unknown). When you feel afraid know that you have these abilities within you and owls to guide you.
Thank you Tanya!
I live in the heart of the city in Atlanta Georgia. My townhouse backs up to some woods. I often see a Barred owl perched on a limb. It will stare at me and observe, and I do the same. My back porch sits high off the ground I am at eye level with the owl. I enjoy seeing it very much. What could it mean I see this owl often. The owl brings me comfort.
Keep receiving the gift of comfort from owls. They are surely sending that to you. It seems that you (like owls) are keen observers. Try taking these skills to all places of your life. What do you notice in nature, in people, at work, in society? Then ask, what could it mean? And most importantly, how can I be useful with what I see? How can I use my observations to better serve myself and others? Even if you don’t know the answer right away it’s important that you start asking the questions.
Hi Tanya,
Thank you so much for your intuitive interpretation here. Barred Owl called to me this past weekend while I was at the end of a solo hike, sorting love and other detours.
You’re welcome!
Here… Love & other detours. ❤️
I dreamt last night of a lone perched barred owl in a sterile white room. I could not see him, until I looked around a wall, tho in my mind’s eye, I could sense he was there. He just sat there, blinking and staring at me. Later, I also saw two fairly young deer in a green field grazing about, very calmly. I have had two other dreams of owls before. They are, I am pretty sure, my spirit animal. In waking life, they used to visit and surround our house, and I would see images of owls all the time. Though my favorites are the Barn and Snowy owls, the Barred keeps making itself known to me…
Please help me decipher my dream, and thank you!!
Thanks Holly for sharing your dream! It does sound like owl is working closely with you. The barred owl, in particular, works with vision because the depths of it’s dark eyes. Your dream also seems to speak strongly about vision. Showing you that you don’t need your physical human eyes to “see” things around you. I gather that barred owl is asking you to trust your intuition when it comes to knowing things that can’t be seen or are currently obvious. What are you sensing around the corner? Trust that vision/feeling/knowing. Deer asks us to be more present and alert – fine-tune your observations skills.
I have many experiences day,night awake with people who witness and even when I go asleep..I have b dreams conciece encounters . I am clarvoyant.the barred owl is one of my animal totems..I need recently found one deceased and wondered what I should do to send his spirit back to the creator?anyway this medicine is strong with me and I will share a dream .. so I was in a dream full color.i noticed a little girl upside down off the ground by about five feet or so.she had owl wings and human hands like an image of an Angel but,she was a little girl ,eight so,she was Tangled in a fence it looked like.i free her and she tumbled to the ground but before she would touch the ground she flipped upright and talently sat on a fresh cut tree round I had as chairs or was ready to be split maybe..I noticed as I sat in front of her that she was a platinum blonde hair,red rosy flusshed cheeks and a purple sweater matching pants and a owl figure on her chest.like what grandma would stich on you in the 1970’s..anyway she rolled out her impressive wings and arms or whatever and opened a bag of gummy worms…I remember I could smell the sweetness of em.and I especially wanted to share a couple of them with her.or rather her share a couple with me..as I reached out to pick a couple from her bag she resisted and pulled away the open bag very swiftly and as any normal child learning a sensitive and rather difficult moral of sharing.. as I wasn’t really happy I recall I sat down on the wood log that was cut into short piece sat on end as chairs.. she me face to face a small fire next us slight dew like drissel but not enough to make you real wet.wellbshe definitely had never shared any gummy worms ever before me and let me Kno it by actions and expression.paused for a moment and gave me a couple..I accepted happily and was pleased by her showing me favor..I believe that more was to come again later but not that time..the girl stood up and extended her wing/arms and flew away.i new I’d see her again.. haven’t yet been babout two years ago in clock time or twelve month American calendar time .it’s all I know for sure anyway..so that’s it.. thanks for your time and attention
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I love the connection you have with Owl. Thanks for sharing this vivid dream.
Hello, last night I listens to a CD by Dick Sutphen to help me meet my spirit guide. I did this on a whim to help me fall asleep. I ended up dreaming of Owls. Three of the came to visit me. I held them and they sat on my shoulder. I looked into their deep dark get/blue eyes. The owls were friendly and blue/grey in color with huge eyes. Searching the web for the meaning the owls closely look like your drawings of a barred owl. Were these my spirit guides? I guess so. What do I do now? Do you do paintings?
Hi Michael, Wow that sounds like a meaningful dream! Yes, owl (or more specifically the barred owl) could most definitely be your spirit animal OR just a spirit animal messenger. If owls keep presenting themselves to you regularly in life and in dreams then most likely owl is one of your main spirit animal guides. If not, then owl is bringing you a message for this time in your life. Reading about your dream it sounds like it has a lot to do with vision and your ability to look deeply within yourself and others. Yes, I do paintings. I offer prints and original paintings here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SpiritAnimalPainting
Yesterday i had cleaned some of my cats catnip to the front porch. I did not sweep it up immediately. I had an odd dream that morn as i awoke. I stood reading an article about dreams by the window next to the front door. A burroughing owl swiftly flew to my doorstep and flew away. I opened the door to see tiny bird feathers. And felt i had put this lil bird in harms way by not cleaning up the catnip.
Maybe or maybe not. What I find interesting about this story is the blending of cat and bird energy. It always makes me think of griffins. I love when birds and cats merge together.
This morning about 6:40 am, still dark but sun ready to start gracing us with it’s presence; I walked out to the side of my house (normally I don’t do this). An owl flew into the tree just in front of where I was standing and rested on a branch just looking and watching. It made no sound. It just sat there until I walked away to grab my phone to see if it would show up on my camera. I was only gone a quick moment but when I returned the owl was gone.
I was outside around 2am trying to see the meteor shower and I heard and recorded a barred owl. at first it called 4 times. I responded back with the same call. I waited and then he called again. 4 hoo hoo hoo hio. except it was louder and closer. I moved closer to the call and he continued to hoo hoo hoo hoo. I turned me phone light on and shone it in the tree he was in but I wasn’t able to see him. still it called and I responded the same call. I even played back the calls I had recorded on Mt phone. still we continued call response for a long time. he was definitely close. then he got quiet as I started slowly moving closer to my magnolia tree hw was in my backyard. he called again. only this time UT was a single hooo… I repeated. same call. again he responded. it was so cool. we continued our conversation for about an hour. I know because when I got tired and came back inside it was 2:30 am. I started recording a little after 1am. I wonder if that was a message from spirit world about me and what’s going on in my life or if it was a visit from my recently deceased support dog Baron. my golden retriever thirteen years old. I’ve been grieving his lose the last ten days. either way, it was a nice visit. I have been feeling alone and depressed and it was nice for a spirit animal to visit and talk with .
I am part shawnee and I know I have owl medicine and I honor the visit.
I have been visited by owls a couple of times but those were different. they flew close to me looked at me and flew away. I knew my grandmother would die soon and the other was a message about my best friend fighting cancer. she died soon after the visit too. u didn’t ever see this owl and he stayed a while and chatted. it was special. my father is sick with covid and 80 but I didn’t get that same encounter. no eye contact. only vocalization. I muss my losses loved ones.
A friend and I were hiking in a nature reserve and startled a barred owl. Later we came up on her again and she flew into a tree and just gazed into my eyes for the longest time before falling asleep. It was the middle of the day.
A day after the eclipse, I went outside in desperation for answers. Things had gotten really shaky in a deathly way in my life n for the first time ever I called out genuinely to my spirit guide for a sign. N an owl appeared.. I knew the universe was speaking to me. She came to me twice after I prayed hard to the universe. I know I’m in the middle of my ascension. I feel it in every aspect. I pray that I connect with her. I had just recently been given an owl lamp n some owl glass cups which sparked my sudden love n interest. I knew I had a purpose but I never knew my journey would be this beautiful. About 2 years ago when I was homeless i passed an owl of the same stature on a pole. I do believe it was the same owl, the same spirit thatis visiting me. Maybe my mother who passed when i was 4. Idk but i hope the truth unveils itself so i may learn about myself, my purpose n spread knowledge of the greater good.
What a beautiful journey you’re on. The truth is blooming, blossoming, and unfolding all in its own perfect timing for you.
Wow .. the universe is showing you how much they love you .. I bet you are really gifted as well .. I have always wondered about seeing an owl some day .. it happened to me tonight after a long years of battling disappointments I saw a barred owl .. I guess the owl means that you and I are shedding the old and greater awareness is coming our way .. I wish you the best in life .. sometimes I resign but I know deep down inside it is not worth quitting.. ❤
I have lived in my home for 26 years and GOD told me 2 years ago to get it ready to move, and 2 years to the day it ready. In putting my home up for sale I have experience 4 different realtor estate firms that created mistrust, conflict of interest a botched my home description keeping me off the internet to show my home. I have lowered the price 7 times all to no avail. Now out of no where a owl has come out twice in 3 weeks the 1st time was at 01:30AM in the morning and hooted for 1 hour solid and then stopped for the night and then 3 weeks later at same time and this time the moon is out for 3 hours straight and then stopped for the night what does it mean I am confused and No other time in 26 years have I heard an owl..
Myself ,My husband daughter and a couple friends where all working in the yard on Monday evening,When a barred owl fly down right in front of my face nearly touching or at least it seemed like it,It then flew onto a branch in a tree directly in front on where I was .I hollered for my husband and daughter to come look ,We took pictures and admired it.My daughter notifies me that the owl had been watching me even flowing me with its eyes turning its head in order to see me ..I’m a very spiritual person ,I read tarot and always turn to the universe for answers and help ..So normally I wouldn’t be confused by this kind of visit but This time I’m extremely confused because later that evening A dragonfly flew into my bedroom where I was with a few of my girlfriends it flew around and around and threw and between us and then disappeared until everyone had gone and it came back flew around my head a few times then it flew to the top of my room and just stayed there and again just like the owl just hours before it just seemed to be watching me ,It didn’t even seem to be moving its wings just completely still focused on me ,I watched it until I fell asleep ..,So With all that I have to add that makes everything so confusing The next moving there where several ravens crowing outside my bedroom and they stayed for what may have been hours ..There’s another part of my story but that I think I should keep to myself but with that being said I have had a lot going on in my life a lot I’m unsure how to deal with .So I’m not sure if I should connect all these visits or how to take it at all. Thanks for reading..
I have a good friend that I stay with a good bit. Just about 2 weeks ago a barred owl has showed up right before sundown I listened to him for over an hour didn’t think much of it at the time after nightfall this barred owl sat on a limb right above the camper where I was at. He stayed on this branch and screeched for at least another 2 hours. I finally went outside to maybe find out what was causing all that noise. All I had to do was look up and there he was. So every time now that I go over to my friend’s house this same owl comes to the same branch and screeches most of the night. My friend has told me that this I will never shows up until I am there. Don’t know exactly what this owl is trying to tell me but I know it’s something. He is a very majestic creature that I enjoy listening to and now I sit outside when he’s there and listen to him screech