Regarded with fascination and awe, the owl is an enduring symbol of wisdom and the natural world.
In ancient Greece, Athena, the goddess of wisdom, favoured the owl above all other feathered animals. In early Rome, owls were thought to avert evil and the English held superstition that owls predict the weather.
Throughout history, they’ve inspired vast and often contradictory beliefs – feared and respected, loved and loathed, harbingers of birth and death. Few creatures evoke the mystery of the natural world as thoroughly as the bird of prey. To make your own origami owl, simply cut out the patterned craft paper from your Mindful Puzzles issue and follow the instructions.
1 Desired pattern side down and the paper cut into a square, begin by folding the paper in half and unfolding.
2 Bring the left corner across and fold, letting the corner meet the right-hand side of the paper.
3 Repeat with the right corner to overlap the left side.
4 One side at a time, half fold the corners outwards to form the wings.
5 As you lift the wings, half fold the inner corners underneath the wings and create a pleat fold on each wing as you fold the wings upwards. You may need to turn your owl over and carefully adjust each wing to ensure it sits correctly. Turn back and firmly flatten the back of the wings.
6 Turn owl over to look at the front and then fold the top of the ‘head’ downwards.
7 Half fold each corner diagonally towards each other. Leave a small gap.
8 Pleat fold the bottom corner upwards to form the face and beak of your owl.
9 Separating the bottom of the owl, mountain fold the bottom corners to sit inside the owl.
10 Mountain fold the side corners of the body to sit underneath the wings to complete your owl.
When you’re done take a cute snap and tag us in your photos. We’d love to see all of your beautiful creations!
@mindfulpuzzlesau
