Twin Peaks seems to be a relatively generic PNW town yet it is simultaneously shrouded in crime and mystery (one of Lynch's favorite themes is the seedy underbelly underneath a society with a well-polished and maintained image [as in don't let civilization throw a veil of arrogance/ignorance over your eyes, we are all self-serving primal creatures not always acting from sensitivity and our hearts]). The magnetizing enigmas in Twin Peaks allowed Lynch to use the show as a vehicle to captivate hearts and emotions while safely bringing minds into an unknown world, stringing viewers along by their voyeuristic inquisitiveness.
While the act of questioning is commonly regarded as virtuous, it can also seen as dangerous since it can lead people away from their comfort zone and shake their beliefs. The well-known maxim "curiosity killed the cat" speaks on this, but the second half (on spiritual redemption) is often forgotten; "contentment brought it back to life." There may be an abyss in your mind, but there is also a rich and lush garden in your heart. A place both safe and unknown, secure and insecure, Twin Peaks allowed mainstream America to explore their curiosity from the safety of their living rooms.
Without getting into the show too much (check it out for yourself if you haven't seen it), a central character, FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, is scientific and pragmatic yet has utmost regard for mysticism and the spiritual realm of intuition, dreams, and omens. Cooper receives in his dreams 3 mysterious clues to the death of the local high-school Homecoming queen, charity volunteer, and all-around beloved community asset Laura Palmer. One of these clues was "The owls are not what they seem" (which probably could have gone without saying since not much in David Lynch's works is what it seems).
Owls are mysterious creatures, generally nocturnal and stereotypically motionless except for their eery/amazing smoothly-swiveling head. I think of an owl perched above, silent, detached, simply observing its surroundings without judgment or any energetic, mental, or emotional investment what it witnesses. Those traits are all huge in spirituality, mysticism, and meditation and it is no coincidence that owls are viewed by some some (and judge this generally maligned practice however best serves your truth) as a totem or spiritual animal of intuition, wisdom, change, death, and unbiased observance that pierces through appearances, deceit, and illusion.
However, it's importance to note that death in this sense does not necessarily mean literal death, but the liberating destruction of illusion. To quote Tim Robbin's doctor in the great psychological horror film Jacob's Ladder, "Eckhart saw Hell too. He said: The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of life, your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you, he said. They're freeing your soul. So, if you're frightened of dying and... and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth. It's just a matter of how you look at it, that's all. So don't worry, okay?"
Anyway, "the owls are not what they seem" was taken so I had to drop the "m". The title still works beautifully (arguably better) for me in spite of the tweak from its origin due to its nod to Advaita Vedenta (Hindu), Zen, Taoism, Kabbalism, Christian Mysticism, Gnosticism, and non-dualism in general.
