Guidance of the Bear
- Care for and protect those you love
- Prepare for the challenges ahead
- Introspection is the key to wisdom
- Create a comfortable space for moments of solitude
- Express your boundaries
- Live life with confidence
What is a Totem?
Your Totem is your spirit animal, a force of nature that best corresponds with your personal traits.
Long ago, our ancestors knew we are all a part of a great interconnected web of life. In their worldview, the trees, stars, clouds, and even the stones all embodied sacred consciousness. The universe was alive, full of signs and messages infused with divine wisdom. Heart didn’t lose faith in the enchanted universe, but the modern worldview muffles its voice. Our inner world is still interlaced with pathways connecting us to all forms of consciousness, most of all the spirits of animals.
Totems are your mentors, protectors, and carriers of messages from your higher self.
Each individual usually corresponds best with one animal based on the similarities of their personalities, but depending on the period of life and situation, other spirit animals can come to aid. The wisdom and power of totem animals help you lean more into the advantages you already have; it could be courage, intelligence, persistence, dexterity, or any other quality. In addition to making you stronger, your animal also teaches you how to use its power compassionately while empowering everyone around you.
Bear’s Energy
Bears have long been a symbol of power and wildness. While they can be intimidating for some, bears have a deeper, spiritual meaning. Bears guide you toward positions of leadership, help you stay patient, and unlock your dormant intellectual capabilities.
Inner guidance:
- Bear gives you the power of introspection; they teach you how to quiet down, be confident, and prepare for the challenges ahead
- While guiding you to fearlessness, bear will help you find ways to be strong and stand behind your beliefs
- Bear teaches you how to rely on your inner wisdom
- Bear helps you live a more harmonious and balanced life
Outer guidance:
- You have a talent for creating a beautiful and comfortable atmosphere, use this to help people come into their more harmonious selves
- There is a good chance you set strong boundaries with people, and sometimes you will benefit if you begin to slowly let people in
- You will defend your loved ones with ferocity, sometimes you need to take a moment to discern if the battle is worth fighting
Connect to the Bear
We discover or contact our totem by opening our hearts and minds. By following the path of our spirit animal, its energy awakens from within.
Activities of the Bear:
First on the list is spending more time outdoors. Hikes on forest trails or camping in the mountains will awaken the bear within you. Enjoy competitions or creative endeavors that have strength or resourcefulness as key advantages. And lastly, bears enjoy their solitude. Spend time creating a sacred space just for your personal pleasure and comfort.
Mindset of the Bear:
Bear asks us to accept an authoritative role; when you give yourself adequate respect and love, its power will help you lead and become more confident. Among all the animals, bears take rest most seriously. Before winter they prepare for months of inactivity. If you value rest like a bear, you will become stronger and more efficient in other areas of your life.
Stories & Worship
Almost all cultures that have any contact with bears have venerated them.
Prehistoric humans painted images of bears on cave walls more than 30,000 years ago. Ursa Major and Minor were seen as bears by ancient people more than 15,000 years ago, and the constellation names persist even today. Even Native Americans tell stories about Ursa Major related to the hunt of a great bear. But bears weren’t only hunted, they were seen as gods and powerful spirits on earth.
In many Chinese folklore cultures and among northern Japanese Ainu people, bear was seen as the king of gods. Ainu people even call them ‘kamuy’ which means ‘god’. Bear was associated with emperors in China because they could teach these ancient rulers how to channel power and walk with confidence. To this day, Chinese place bear figures in front of doorways to act as protectors of the family. In Korean tradition, the legendary founder of their first kingdom Dangun was born from a bear mother. In Korea, bears later came to symbolize royalty, motherly figures, and patience. In Native American cultures the bear symbolizes rebirth because of its ritual of hibernation and re-emergence.
Even today, we have many wonderful stories that feature bears and teach us lessons about confidence, patience, family values, and the importance of rest. The most famous characters are Winnie the Pooh and Paddington Bear, but there are many other wonderful stories like Brother Bear that all depict the guidance the spirit of the bear has for us.