One of the assignments for the Tarot Classroom is to determine who my animal companion would be if I were the Fool… who is my animal daemon?

I found a site called Numenessence that combines numerology with animal archetypes, and according to this my life path of 7 makes me most like an Owl (my omniessence), with traits of the Eagle (my vibraessence) and the Dove (my chronoessence). I think all three are accurate, but I’m going to focus on the Owl.

I am going to go ahead and steal, verbatim, what that site says about the Owl personality:

How the Owl came to be recognized as the symbol of wisdom is anyone’s guess, but it probably had a lot to do with the Owl’s large searching eyes, with the ability to turn its head 270 degrees; and the nocturnal ability to see well in the darkest of night, while it silently observes its prey before quietly swooping in for the kill!  Since, all of the Owls acumens are synonymous with the elements of learning and knowledge, the Owl serves as the perfect emblem for the number 7, which shares the same qualities of solitude and observation as the Owl.

Those who have a number 7 birthday have an Owl personality because they tend to be somewhat quiet and solitary individuals who appear to be lost in thought at times.  In most cases this is true, because Owl people are nearly always thinking and analyzing situations looking for answers and resolutions to problems and issues.  Their innate power of observation, and the need to learn and understand what goes on around them are the true gifts of the Owl personality, as well as the ability to take time out to rest and relax and enjoy the leisures of life.  While these qualities may cause some to think of Owls as nosey, inquisitive, and indolent people, this is far from true, regardless of how their probing questions, and slow reactions may come off at times.  Owls are economical, deep thinking people and resolving problems is their specialty.  For this reason, many Owls are drawn to fields of study requiring in-depth knowledge and analysis, such as science, research, academia, mechanical, and investigative work.  Owls also tend to love the world of nature, and many have an adeptness for the outdoors, a natural green thumb, and especially enjoy the rain and being around water, accentuated by the need for cleanliness and purification.  As Owls tend to be intuitive people with an inborn sense of insight and awareness, another area of interest for Owl personalities are the mysteries of life which may lead some to the study of metaphysics and the occult, to tackle the greater questions of life.  Owls tend to be very private people who love lots of space, but are not generally reclusive; and enjoy preserving and saving.

Because of their quiet and reserved nature, Owl personalities tend to be somewhat philosophical and refined in manner and taste; but they may also have the tendency to be severely critical, know-it-all, perfectionists, with a greater tendency to over-analyze every situation to the point of possibly causing great stress and distress to all around.  This is an unfortunate side-effect to their quest for knowledge and information; and although the probing and over-analyzing may get nerve-racking, in the long run, the Owl’s sensible resolutions, and sharp powers of judgment come to be greatly appreciated by all who may benefit from the great wisdom they bring.

Okay, so that is a LOT of information right there. I won’t respond to all of it, but there are some key things I relate to. First off, “solitude and observation” are dead on. I appreciate alone time, which is why I like the Hermit (but more on that later). I like being by myself, and when I’m not alone I like observing people. I love photos of people who seem to be oblivious to the camera. I like to imagine stories about strangers, or just to notice interesting habits or mannerisms.

“The need to learn” is also very true. I have many interests and I flit around them, back and forth; sometimes coming back to one, sometimes abandoning it. I like to look up things. I like to take a difficult, strange reference question and poke around until I find the answer… I’m a librarian! What more proof do you need for this one? But it continues, it’s “the need to learn and understand what goes on around them” — I always love helping my dad. He’s a fix-it personality, he likes to tinker with things, see how they work, fix them himself instead of taking things to a repair shop or replacing them. I like helping him because I get to see inside stuff, to see how things work.

I do love being out in the rain, and I love the sound of rain pounding outside while I’m falling asleep. Clearly I’m intuitive, otherwise I would have no natural ability with Tarot. And insight… I think I’m pretty good with that too. Owls “enjoy preserving and saving” — does being a packrat count? Because that’s accurate too. We are also “perfectionists, with a greater tendency to over-analyze every situation.” Yes, that is so true. I make mountains out of mole hills, and I am still learning to embrace imperfection.

If I had to pick an animal daemon, I think the owl is a good fit. It reflects my powers of observation and judgment, my love of research, my desire for solitude, and my drive for perfection. If I was the Fool with an owl companion, he would travel far and wide while I slept at night, then return at dawn to share what he saw.