***This post is not part of the review, but a description of how this book came to my attention and my previous personal experiences with birds.***
When I began my journey into paganism I was barraged with images of owls. I very literally would not go a single day without finding at least one owl staring back at me from somewhere. Fellow pagans even noticed that whenever they were with me owls would be present, whether that be in a store, hiking, or simply listening to a radio station. Something would grab our attention that screamed ‘owl’. Non-pagans who knew nothing of my religious interests began assuming that I had an obsession with owls, because even they saw the owls whenever I was around. I tend to get Christmas gifts every year that include something with an owl on it because of this.
And while owls have been a near constant for the last five years or so, other birds tend to grasp my attention as well. Ravens are much more prominent in my life now and red cardinals have always held a special place in my heart. I even saw a great blue heron for the first time of my life this year. To say the least, I’ve become much more aware of the birds that surround me and have a tendency to research them whenever I come across an unfamiliar species.
This, of course, led me to research different birds and the meanings behind their presence, particularly the owls. And the owls still are present, not nearly as often as they were when I first began my religious journey, but I have definitely learned to pay attention when they do show up. So it should be expected that when I was approached by the author to provide an honest review, without her knowing any of my past experiences and only finding me through WordPress and Goodreads, I couldn’t decline the offer after seeing the cover image. The owl staring back at me seemed to have the expression of shouting at me with it’s eyes, telling me to continue reviewing books, to continue learning, to continue on my path. After finishing Kynes’ book I believe that she backed up that message with her description of owls through the Goddess.
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