Evil Eye

Votive tree

Amulets to ward against the evil eye. I have the feeling we need all we can get.

Portents

Driving down to the shop tonight, I saw a screech owl drop to the ground from the trees. I slowed to look at it; It turned and raised its wings and stared.

Oh, I know they live around here, I hear their eerie trills in the woods, but they are rarely seen. To see an owl is rife with portents. It causes a shiver down the spine. It's an uneasy feeling to be caught in the gaze of those predatory eyes.

But I've had them swoop over my head before and hoot outside my window, and nothing in particular came of it. Regardless, superstition is not so easy to dismiss. I had a  dream once, years before I came back here, about seeing owls in that self-same creek.

I suppose if there is a meaning to be drawn from this, it's a reminder to be alert and aware. Polish your aura, cast out your demons and hope the fates are kind.

Black Witch Moth

The black witch moth likes to lurk in dark doorways at night. In Mexico, its appearance is seen as an omen of death, but in the United States, it's more often a sign that money is coming. In Jamaica. it is called the duppy bat, and is the embodiment of a lost or restless soul. 

Whatever meaning you might give it, if you should startle one on your way home in the dark, it can give you quite a fright.