My Bear's Page!

Bear represents Awakening the Power of the Unconscious.

Cycle of Power: Spring and Summer.

The bear is a powerful symbol and image in both myth and lore. The bear has lunar symbology as well, giving it ties to the subconscious and even unconscious mind. It was an animal associated with the goddess Diana, a goddess of the moon. It is also a symbol for alchemy. It relates to all initial stages of primal instincts. Like birds, the bear is often considered among Native American peoples as kind to humans because, like birds, it can stand and walk upon two legs. For some, the bear and wolf are the last true symbols of the primal, natural world. They really dont hibernate. They do live to a great degree on their stored-up fat. The body temperature will drop a little and the breathing rate can be cut in half. The bear can teach you to draw upon all of your inner stores of energy and essence even those which have never been tapped or accessed. Meditating and working with bear will help you to go within your soul's den--your inner sanctum--to find your answers. Bear medicine can teach you to go deep within so that you can make your choices and decisions from a position of power. All bear are astonishingly swift. The black and grizzly including the polar bear can climb trees. As bear teaches you to in and awaken the potentials inherent, the tree serves as a reminder that we must bring what we awaken out into the world and apply it--make our marks with it. Anyone with a bear totem should keep the cub in themselves alive and occasionally climb trees-if only to get a clear perspective. Also for those with a bear totem, it is important not to hide away and try to hibernate all year-round. You must come out of the den. This is even relfected in the birthing process of bears. Spring comes along and the mother and her cub come out of the den and the cubs follow her, this is significant for those working with the bear totem. It often reflects a need to go deep within yourself, to have periods in your life when you can be more reclusive. During these times of periods you will be able to go within yourself and even give birth to two or three ideas or projects. They can be nursed through the winter, and then as spring comes around, emerge with your babies to help them grow. Those who have bear as totem will find this cycle of semi-hibernation and reclusiveness during the winter very natural. They will also find that with the spring will come opportunities to act more assertively in regard to that which has been nursed through the winter months. Bear people should be patient though, as the cubs will usually stay with the mother for up to 2 years. This can reflect on projects you nursed may not come to full fruition until the second year of the cycle.