LIL HOOT
Most stories begin with a character. One day I decided to create a wise owl character to be my internet trail leader. "Why an owl?"
Do you know what it means when you see or hear an owl? It means that spirits are strong around you, and it is a call to look and listen more attentively. I learned this from a book called Animal Speak Pocket Guide.
I imagined an owl in my mind and drew some pictures on paper, but I
did not like any of my sketches. So I stepped away from the project and went out for a walk, asking the spirits for some inspiration.
Halfway around the block, I came across a half of a black walnut shell, lying on the sidewalk, and to me, it looked just like an owl's face.
Within five minutes of walking back in the door, I put a purple marker onto a piece paper and sketched my new character – a baby owl with a heart-shaped faced and two stick legs, shaped like Y's - a word play on the word 'wise.' Wise means 'knowing what is right and what is wrong.'
Later I added some color... I settled my new friend down in a cradle of twigs... with a warm blanket of leaves... to take a nap... BUT she was not tired... and just sat there looking at me.
I had to think of what to call her. The name Lil Hoot magically popped into my head. Lil, because she is small, and because'lil' is short for the word 'little.' I realized, however, that there was more to her name than that.
Lil is also a nickname for Lilith or Lilian.
Letting my fingers do the walking on my computer
keyboard to search on the internet, I learned
the name Lilith means 'of the night.' The name
grew out of the root word 'lilitu,' meaning 'spirits'
or 'female night being.' How perfect, I thought.
Lilith. Then I imagined a young child finding it hard
to pronounce the 's' sound in the word 'littlest'.
His tongue was getting stuck to the top
of his mouth and a 'th' sound came out instead.
The word 'littlest' became 'lillith.' How perfect,
I thought.
So that is the story of how Lilith Hoot Owl, a.k.a. (also known as) Lil, came into being as the littlest owl in her family. "Where does Lil Hoot live?" you may ask. You will find out in the next chapter... stay tuned on facebok and twitter.
Click on the leaf arrow above to move forward along the Storywalker trail.
CONVERSATION STARTERS
Walking allows for a focused conversation with a friend or family member. Walking club members can switch talking buddies every five or ten minutes. At the end of the walk, members can share with the whole group what they learned. These first conversation starters are meant to get you to think about yourself as the central character in your own life story...
What does the phrase 'building your character' mean to you?
How do you think your name fits Whoooo you are?
Comparing yourself to family members, what makes you special or unique?
To learn the "Name Game Song" - Click here.
To decode your name into personality traits - Click here.
MYSTERIOUS QUESTIONS FOR THE NATURALLY CURIOUS
Do you know the differences between a black walnut and a regular walnut? Study the photograph above and compare it to the information on the NUTS page at WakeUpPeople.org and see if you can find the answers.
Follow Lil Hoot on twitter - click this icon >
Become a fan on the Netwalking facebook page - click here >
