In my framework of working with the world, collecting omens from wildlife requires synthesizing the Individual Personhood of the omen provider (they’re not there exclusively to create meaning) with the fact that all of us, humans included, are phrases in the Earth-Universe’s language (all of us create meaning constantly).
You never know if you were an omen to that squirrel.
Because people know me as both a diviner and a naturalist, I frequently get messages to the tune of “I saw an XYZ! What does that mean?” — and the truth is that at first I always bristle. Somewhat cruelly, my gut response is to think, “What do you mean, what does it mean? What are YOU to THEM, that they’re bringing you meaning?”
It’s not uncommon for these instances of someone reaching out, or that I see on social media, to involve someone seeing something they don’t realize is not unusual. It might be an animal they don’t know is common, or a behavior that seems strange that’s actually perfectly in line with a being’s seasonal activity.
None of this means that what the human saw wasn’t transcendently beautiful and special, or that it doesn’t mean anything — in fact, it always means something. But it needs to mean something within your own unique phrasing and context.
The context could be purposeful, like asking for a sign to answer a question earlier in the day, and receiving one. It could be cultural — maybe you keep magpie rhymes close to your heart and a line of the rhyme was fulfilled, maybe you love watching benevolent groundhog soothsayers for signs of winter’s end (I most certainly do).
If you think you don’t have context what you saw, that’s not true. You are also part of the Earth-Universe’s vocabulary, so you’re always part of the conversation.
So then back to the question — what does it mean?
You can’t ask that question of just anyone, devoid of the context of the conversation you were having with the universe through what you were thinking, seeing, smelling, or touching. Other humans can certainly give you suggestions. But unless you are part of a culture with a shared omen language you can turn to, there isn’t some other dictionary that has all of us persons inside of it, with how to correctly use each of us in a sentence.
Animals can sometimes feel startling, especially in urban environments. But often what’s happening is that you have gotten a chance to observe what’s always been happening.
I constantly think about the time I saw someone ask generally on Twitter about an Eastern Bluebird that they saw in their yard in New York City. Hey everyone, what does it mean when… — It was the beginning of migration season, New York City is in a flyway, and the bird saw a nice green patch in this person’s backyard. Devoid of conversational context, the “bluebird” didn’t “mean” something particular. But.
If sighting an animal feels omen-flavored to you, but you don’t know what it means, learn about the animal first. See if you can find some more photos of them and what they get up to. Read their Wikipedia page, see if local wildlife sanctuaries or parks have information about them. What do they eat, where do they live, what do they like to do at different times of the year? See if anything jogs your memory as relevant to what you were doing or thinking.
Learning about your new friend may uncover for you what the meaning of your omen was; and if not, it will at least give you a little more knowledge to now help you chase it down.
But I will also posit: it might not “mean anything” further than the actual experience itself. If you see a non-human animal, the likelihood is they’ve been eyeballing you for much longer, and have decided they’re okay with you seeing them. The omen could be a simple invitation to see and experience a bright little window especially for you. This is a gift!
More omens: On Omens is an introduction to my ideas about collecting omens and rules of thumb for divination, with excerpts from an own omen walk.