The owl is Lakshmi's
animal conveyance, according to Hindu mythology.
A person desiring "Lakshmi" (money and success)
will be single-minded in their pursuit and unable to "see" anything
else, such as deeper knowledge, much as an owl is said to have difficulty
seeing in the sunlight.
In contemporary Hindi, calling someone a "owl" or
referring to them as a "stupid" is a minor insult.
Planetary Conciliation The sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars,
Jupiter, and Saturn are the nine "planets" recognized by Indian
astrology (jyotisha); the remaining two are Rahu and Ketu, which do not match
to any Western astrological qualities.
Nature considers each of these planets to be either
beneficial or detrimental.
Any planet's relative power is said to be determined by its
location in the horoscope and in relation to the other planets.
All are seen as minor divinities rather than plain material
things, and as a result, a potentially dangerous planet might be
"pacified" via ceremonies designed to reduce its disruptive
potential.
Wearing the gemstone that corresponds to the particular
planet, in order for the stone to neutralize the planet's influence, is a
typical method of pacification.
More unfavorable circumstances need more drastic procedures,
which sometimes include ceremonies in which the planetary inauspiciousness is
disseminated via presents (dana).
Gloria Goodwin Raheja's The Poison in the Gift, published in
1988, is a good place to start.
