A Personal Journey: The Bear, The Great Mother, and Inner Strength

Encountering a powerful internal image, I saw a figure appearing older than expected, bent and burdened, her long hair nearly touching the ground. Within the space her body created, I perceived shifting, colored lights. She moved with a heavy pull, dragging something substantial behind her, her foot scraping the earth. Yet, amidst this effort, she paused to gently touch small creatures she passed.

Her posture wasn't due to strain; it seemed she was built to bear the weight she carried. My initial sense was weariness, but this feeling contrasted with the strong connection I felt to her. Having shared a body with her my entire life, I saw her clearly for the first time – beautiful, robust, resolute, compassionate, and fierce when needed. I understood then: this figure was a representation of my own heart.

[Image description: Close-up photo of poison ivy vines climbing a tree trunk.]

A Period of Reflection and Unburdening

I spent time in quiet contemplation, largely disconnected from the outside world during a hospital stay. Hospitals often feel like places where life and death converge, where the usual boundaries soften. The unit's layout, configured in a figure eight or infinity shape, with one part unused, offered a sense of solitude and dim lighting that felt conducive to introspection.

Walking through that quiet, unoccupied space, I felt layers of emotional armor accumulated over time, particularly from recent challenges, begin to fall away. I consciously chose to release protections I no longer needed, allowing myself to become more open. This internal work – self-healing and awareness – proved to be the most valuable outcome of my time there, vital for the richness and significance of my life going forward.

[Image description: Blurred image showing a loop or figure-eight pathway.]

Navigating External Turmoil

For a while now, I've had many conversations with people grappling with the difficulties of the current social and political climate, often described as a "living nightmare." Common questions arise repeatedly:

• How did we reach this point?
• How can people behave this way?
• Why are people so... [various adjectives]?
• Why aren't they doing something?
• Why aren't *we* doing something?
• What if...?

These questions often culminate in a feeling of utter disbelief about the circumstances. During my time in those reflective spaces, I pondered these questions, considering the state of my local community, the nation, and the world. In fragmented sleep, I felt glimpses of answers, though the specific details eluded waking memory. In one particular dream, I found myself sitting by a fireplace, and across from me sat the Great Mother, present in the form of an American Black Bear, calmly sipping tea and eating bread.

Return to Nature's Resilience

Driving home, I asked my companion to take scenic routes to reconnect with the natural world's activity. Spring was bursting forth in a display of vibrant colors and lush greens. Trees like redbuds, azaleas, dogwoods, and Bradford pears showcased beautiful blooms, while gardens displayed a spectrum of colors. This part of the world felt renewed and full of potential, reflecting a similar feeling within me.

My own gardens, by contrast, were quite overgrown. In the past, I might have seen this as messy, but now I perceived beauty in their sheer determination to persist and flourish despite complexity. Wildlife like rabbits, songbirds, bees, and even a fox were active among the wild growth. It struck me that what might seem like a chaotic, difficult situation, much like an overgrown garden or a challenging societal landscape, simply requires support and protection to reveal its inherent vitality.

Each evening, I spend time in the garden, observing growth, natural patterns, and opening myself to the presence of spirits. The liminal spaces feel accessible, though different from those encountered during my hospital stay. My home feels filled with strong life energy, and perhaps this energy influences, or is influenced by, the paths to other realms. It's a question I continue to explore.

[Image description: Drawing of a mother bear sitting upright.]

An Encounter in the Dreamscape

Night after night, I sought the Great Mother in my dreams, hoping for another encounter in her bear form. It was some time before she returned. When she did, she met my greeting with laughter – a peculiar sound emanating from a bear. She began to walk across a wide valley, her golden-brown eyes inviting me to follow. Our path mirrored a river's course, and I felt we were at the ancient source of my local river. Though the distance seemed great, we reached a tall, sturdy weeping willow by the bank in just a few steps.

"Come, daughter," the Great Mother said, and she disappeared beneath the willow's cascading branches. I entered the space and sat beside where she had been, waiting. When she spoke again, she acknowledged the difficulty of the current times and the fear and anger present. I could only nod, holding back tears.

The curtain of willow branches before me filled with moving images – scenes from history. Some depicted humanity's failures, others didn't. There were images of conflict, natural disasters, deceit, urban decay, and the decimation of populations, both human and animal. I found myself unable to speak. Then, the scenes shifted to show countless instances of human kindness and goodness throughout history.

Leaning against her substantial form, I wept until my tears subsided. As silence returned, I became aware of the sound of her steady breathing, then the rhythm of her beating heart. She sighed, a deep sound, but remained still. It seemed to me that she was weary, yet this perception of fatigue did not diminish the profound sense of her presence. Like the figure I saw representing my heart earlier, she embodies weariness alongside undeniable beauty, strength, determination, and fierceness.