Issue #70 The Magic Heron Newsletter – What creature symbolizes wisdom and mystery?

Welcome to the 70th issue of The Magic Heron Newsletter, a fortnightly newsletter with a focus on journaling, writing, and learning nature’s wisdom through midlife. 

Did you miss a past newsletter issue? I’ve put them on the blog. Click here to read them: Newsletter Archive

If this newsletter was forwarded to you, you need your own: Subscribe here.

New to our newsletter? Welcome!

Looking for the unsub button? Check the bottom of the newsletter!

You’re on this list because you signed up on my website for a free printable or pdf. You can unsubscribe at the bottom; please don’t mark as spam. I hope you’ll stay as I like to give out FREEBIES. 

Note: This email has affiliate links to partner deals. If you make a purchase, I get a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my business.

Thanks for being here. I appreciate you.

Texas, October 22, 2023

Be sure to hit the SUBSCRIBE button to receive The Magic Heron Newsletter in your inbox!

Hi there Shanna

What do you journal about?

You can record more than just your day-to-day happenings and thoughts when journaling.

Write about your feelings, sights, sounds, and smells around you. What color is the sky? Do you smell fresh cut grass? What was your spouse or child wearing today? What does the texture of your chair or a nearby tree bark feel like? Describe the taste of your coffee or breakfast.

Writing through our senses helps us strengthen our awareness of the world around us. It also helps us develop our focus and attention span, something we are all short of in our modern life due to our constant scrolling on the internet.

Check out 5 Senses Journal: Build awareness skills of your surroundings, a journal to record your observations through your five senses.

If you are just starting to journal, try a 30 day challenge to get you in the habit. NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is a 30 day challenge to write 50,000 words that many writers participate in every November to write the first drafts of their novels. Why not use the challenge to start a journaling habit? You don’t have to write that many words. Just use it to journal. It starts this November 1^st.

This week Owl has shown up as the Spirit Animal for the newsletter. Check it out below and see if any of Owl’s teachings resonate with you.

Happy journaling!

This week’s Newsletter Spirit Animal

Owl Symbolism and Meanings:

Owls symbolize wisdom and mystery of the dark, shadowy unknown. They maneuver these realms with ease and help us manage these dark places.

When we connect with Owl in its own environment and way of life, we can better decipher the messages it has for us. Owls come from a place of wholeness and are pure energy. Owls speak the language of the trees, wind, moon, and sky. To learn Owl language, learn the owl’s habitat and you can more clearly understand when she brings messages and tune into to her wisdom.

In different cultures, Owl was honored as keeper of spirits who had passed from one plane to another. Many people today still have a fear that seeing an owl means they are going to die.

Today, we have to consider from where and whom meanings originate for our own growth and self-reflection. An owl appearing for a Druid in 600 BC is going to have a different message and meaning than for you and your life in 2021 AD. And that’s the way it should be.

Build on the great foundation of wisdom and knowledge our ancient ancestors gave us to base your own understanding to gain realistic interpretations.

The association of owl with death is often misunderstood, as symbolically death simply means “transition”. It’s just one state of energy changing into another.

Death is not always physical. Transition (or death) can be a change in emotion, mind, and spirit. Seasons of change, a change of heart, a breakup, or any other transition from one phase to another.

Owl Symbolism and Meanings:

• Wisdom
• Mystery
• Transition
• Messages
• Intelligence
• Mysticism
• Protection
• Secrets
• Dreams
• Shadows
• Otherworldliness
• Secret knowledge
• Psychic awareness

Because owls are able to see in the dark, owl meaning also deals a lot with uncovering secrets and hidden knowledge. They fly silently through the forests in pitch-black darkness of night, teaching us to maneuver through the unknowns of life, explore hidden wisdom and gain insight for moving forward—even if our situation is unclear.

When Owl appears, transition and change come on its heels (err, wings). Owl can assist you when moving through these transitions, especially through dark times. Owl is the master of maneuvering within the realm of the unknown and thrives in the world of shadows and she can help you manage those scary, dark spaces.

Remember, as with all creatures, owl meaning will be different for you than for me or anyone else. Do your research, journal, and contemplate on what message Owl is bringing for you and your life situation and what it means to you personally. Then, you and Owl will have created a personal partnership and make meaning from coming together on your life’s journey.

SPIRIT ANIMAL Owl, Animal Guide Totem Meanings, Spirit Companion, Spirit Companionship, Printable Journal Prompts and Cards

Recently Published . . .

New in the Etsy Shop

1. Halloween / Samhain Planner & Coloring Journal, Printable Holiday Weekly Monthly Templates Organizer Insert Pages for October, Letter Size

2. Witch’s Broom and Pumpkins Stationery, Autumn Fall, Falling Leaves, Printable Stationery Writing Paper, Letter Writing Paper

3. Halloween Graveyard Cemetery Scene Bats and Spooky Haunted House Stationery Writing Paper – Printable Paper Digital Download Letter Size

4. Shop all Fall/Autumn and Halloween stationery

New Books!

My daughter and I created a whole line of Writer’s Notebooks. Use them for NaNoWriMo, notetaking, for work, or journaling! You can find the notebooks on the Magic Heron Amazon Author Page

1. Halloween Coloring Planner & Journal: Coloring Pages, Planner Pages for Recipes, Weekly Menu, Decorations, Shopping, Trick or Treat, Costumes, Activities, Crafts & More!

2. My Feather Signs Journal: Tracking sacred messages and meanings on my life journey

Interesting links . . .

Here are some interesting links I came across on my ventures through Internet Land this week that I thought you might enjoy.

1. 7 Best Herbs for Natural Hair Care

2. How to Make Mulch With Fallen Leaves

3. What The Heck Is Mincemeat?

4. HOW DOES SCENT AFFECT MOOD?

***I use Mountain Rose Herbs for ordering all the herbs I use. Every order I’ve received has always been fresh and gorgeous. Click here to order the herbs you need for your teas, infusions, spices, and other ingredients for your kitchen:

Mountain Rose Herbs

On Sale Now . . .

Learn how to make your own tinctures!

In the online, self-paced Tincture Making 101 Mini Course, explore the craft of tincture making from the ground up, giving you a solid foundation that will prepare you to make, use, and formulate tinctures confidently!

TINCTURE MAKING 101 MINI COURSE

Autumn Recipe . . .

Celebrate Autumn with seasonal recipes! Make a pot roast in the crockpot!

We just made this recipe. But we don’t add water to the slow cooker. Instead, we add a can of cream of mushroom or celery soup and spread over the roast just before putting the lid on. The meat makes its own juices as it slow cooks.

The Best Ever Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Autumn Fun  . . .

Autumn Nature Bucket List! Go to a Pumpkin Patch!

The Best Time to Go to the Pumpkin Patch with Kids

Journaling Inspiration . . .

1. Fall Apothecary Beginner Junk Journal With Me | Fall Junk Journal Page Ideas

2. Grow and Heal Through Journaling

3. 7 Ways to Keep Your Journal Private

4. Junk journaling beginner? Start here! Page ideas, upcycling papers & EASY no-sew journal!

5. THE 4 SEASONS OF LIFE – WHAT ARE THEY AND WHAT DO THEY MEAN?

Random Nature Fact . . .

Butterflies can taste with their feet!

Butterfly Rainforest Moment, How do they taste?

Nature Journal Video . . .

1. Join award-winning artist, scientist, and master educator John Muir Laws (aka “Jack”), author of The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds, for this class “owl” about drawing these magnificent, mysterious, and majestic raptors of the night. This is Part 1 of a 2-part class.

How to Draw Owls with John Muir Laws (Part 1 of 2)

Nature Journal Prompt . . .

Use the picture above to practice drawing in your nature journal and noticing details about this animal.

Owl facts:

Lifespan: can live up to 25 years, the larger ones live longer than the smaller ones

Scientific name: Strigiformes

Weight: Great Horned Owl weighs 3 ½ – 4 lbs. Snowy Owls weigh 4 lbs. Great Grey Owl which is larger only weighs 2-3 lbs.

Wingspan: Great Horned Owl wingspan is 3-5 ft. The smallest owl is the Elf Owl with a wingspan of only 9 inches

Habitat: coniferous forests, mountains, deserts, plaines, cold tundra of the north

What it eats: insects, spiders, earthworms, snails, crabs, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, small mammals

What eats (or preys on) it: foxes, snakes, squirrels, wildcats, eagles, coyotes, many are struck by cars at night

Did you know?

I love this video that shows an experiment of different birds and owls on their flight patterns:

Experiment! How Does An Owl Fly So Silently? | Super Powered Owls | BBC

More fun facts:

13 Fun Facts About Owls You Should Know

What I’m watching . . .

1. I’m looking forward to watching this one this weekend! Morgan Freeman narrates.

Life on Our Planet | Official Trailer | Netflix

What I’m reading . . .

What’s on my bookshelf:

These have been favorite writing books I’ve always kept on my bookshelf to refer to over and over.

1. Walking on Alligators: A Book of Meditations for Writers by Susan Shaughnessy

2. Page by Page: Discover the Confidence & Passion You Need to Start Writing & Keep Writing (No Matter What) by Heather Sellers

3. Chapter by Chapter: Discover the Dedication and Focus You Need to Write the Book of Your Dreams by Heather Sellers

Quotes I’m pondering . . .

“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”

– Lauren DeStefano

and

“Fall colors are funny. They’re so bright and intense and beautiful. It’s like nature is trying to fill you up with color, to saturate you so you can stockpile it before winter turns everything muted and dreary.”

– Siobhan Vivian

Questions I’m considering journaling on . . .

If I could tell my younger self one thing, what would it be?

Journal Prompt . . .

Have you ever encountered a ghost? Journal how it (or would if you haven’t seen one) impacts your belief of an afterlife.

Reviews . . .

If you have bought any of our books or printables and enjoyed them, please leave a positive review on Amazon, Etsy, or Zazzle. Those reviews mean the world to us and help boost us up on the platforms. Thank You!!

Happy Journaling!

. . . Shanna

P.S. Is there something you like or would rather see in the newsletter? Hit reply and let me know!

I’ll be back on November 5th !

P.P.S. If you like this newsletter and want to support it, buy a book or notebook. Or forward this newsletter to a friend with an invitation to subscribe, right here.