Dark Angel on the Bayou

Last night I saw an owl. He must have been about 2' tall. I was so excited, which my cousins couldn't understand. An owl is not something you see in Center City Philly. I crossed the street to try to see him better. We were sitting outside just talking and spending good and much needed time talking and connecting. About 1/2 hour later the owl flies over to the tree right by us. I walked over and we made eye contact. I felt this strong feeling of awe and respect. I kept thinking of the High Priestess. I just received my new Dark Angels Tarot deck and I freakin' love it! And that's what the owl looked like as it flew, a beautiful dark angel. So when I came inside I did a reading asking "what was the message from the owl?"

Justice (for me, I don't care what roman numeral is printed, it's always XI), 3 of swords, 2 of swords
I've never seen any positive side to the 3ofSw until now and I think the other two cards in this particular reading are why I can. The two I was with are siblings. They love each other dearly, but there have been a lot of serious issues that were extremely painful that have come between them and caused a lot of heartache, pain and regret. I have always tried to instill in them the extreme importance of the bond of siblings, so the Justice card I see as being me. I am always the peacemaker. They have both always told me how much they love and appreciate me because I am always honest with them and treat them fairly. Even when they were young children, I talked to and treated them with dignity and respect and I always tell them there are 3 sides to every story. So I see the angel on the 3ofSw as the same angel who is pictured on Justice. On Justice it shows when I am weighing the situation and how I can say what needs to be said without taking sides of being judgemental, or when I just need to shut up and listen. The 3ofSw shows when I have to get in their grill a little bit and let them know, don't b.s. me or play me stupid and do NOT lie to me or I'll jack you up! So instead of the 3ofSw meaning a negative outside party coming between two people, it shows when I have been the peacemaker. The 2ofSw shows the choice they both made to bury the hatchet, if only for last night.

I wondered when I was shuffling if the High Priestess II would come up and was a bit disappointed when she didn't, then turned over the deck. Last night, as we sat under a gorgeous moon only one day past full, The Goddess watched over us and in the form of an owl and I am so grateful for Her.

*A great resource for learning about animal symbolism is Avia Venefica's site.