What Does Dreaming About Owls Mean? Our Professional Dream Analyst Weighs In

When imagery repeatedly shows up in our dreams, it's only natural to wonder if there's a larger, underlying message behind the symbol or theme. While some rarely recount their dreams, others experience vivid storylines that they can't seem to dismiss as random happenings of the subconscious. If you fall into the latter camp, you may have some experience decoding dream symbolism and getting to the core of what your dreams might be trying to tell you. Some common dream themes include flying, running away, experiencing your teeth falling out, or a wild animal appearing. The latter is particularly interesting because different animals can indicate different things. Let's hone in on the owl — just why does that pesky bird keep flying onto the scene?

To get to the bottom of owl-centered dreams, Glam spoke exclusively to professional dream analyst and author Lauri Loewenberg. "An owl is not one of the more common animals we dream about, although they certainly do show up in our dreams," Loewenberg told us, before coincidentally adding, "I dreamed about owls about a week ago." We know that owls generally represent wisdom, but do they symbolize it in dreams, too — or do they have another meaning altogether?

If you've dreamt of an owl, you may have had an inkling about its meaning. After all, it's natural to associate owls with wisdom — and you may be right. "The most common association we have with owls is 'the wise old owl,' so, in a dream, it will most often represent your own wisdom that needs to be put to use in your real life," Lauri Loewenberg exclusively told Glam. "Depending on the context of the dream, an owl could also represent someone else's wisdom that has been offered to you recently."

If this doesn't quite resonate with you, don't fret — other valid meanings may apply to you. Sometimes, it's the details we write off as insignificant that can actually be quite revealing. Again, you may naturally assume an owl represents a call to tap into your wisdom or turn to an elder in your life, but if that doesn't resonate, examine other factors in the dream that speak to you, like where you saw the owl. 

"Pay attention to where the owl is in your dream because the setting will provide more clues. If the owl is in a tree, it can mean the wisdom you need to apply involves family, as trees in dreams often represent the family tree," Loewenberg shared with us. "If the owl is in your kitchen, it may be a message to be wise in whatever it is you are planning, preparing, or 'cooking up' at the moment." Fascinating, right? Every detail matters.

Decoding your owl dream is just one part of the equation, though. Once you understand the message behind your dream, you'll want to explore how to apply the message to your life. Keeping a dream journal can be a great helper in remembering key details and allowing yourself to let the dream really sink in. Again, the symbol of an owl might be urging you to focus on a particular person or area of your life. 

"Your personal associations, as with any dream symbol, will always matter. So ask yourself what comes to mind when you think of an owl. Does your grandfather look like an owl? Was an owl your school mascot? If nothing comes to mind, then use the [Merriam-Webster] dictionary trick," Lauri Loewenberg exclusively told Glam. "Pretend you are writing the definition of an owl for [the dictionary]. How would you describe what an owl is and what it is known for? Whatever you come up with, there will be something there that will apply to your life or yourself right now."

So, if you're stumped about why an owl is hooting in your dreams, try out some of these exercises to uncover the significance behind it. It may be a straightforward message, like tapping into your innate wisdom, or it could represent something only you could decode, like an owl necklace you wore in high school symbolizing the need to give your inner teenager some love.