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This newsletter is the teachings of bear power. The secrets
are hidden in the following LEGENDS. Read them and please write to
me on what you think the sacred bear medicine gave to you .
Email your thoughts to mahinto@lvcm.com
Website: www.windwolfwoman.com
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BEAR SAYS: Walk gently with me so you can sustain your new endeavors,
but never cross my boundaries.
BEAR
Throughout history, Bear has held a place of honor among
the people and has been viewed as having distinctly human qualities. California
Indian tribes recognized the bear as their closest non-human relative.
Among the Cree, Bear was called "Chief's Son." The Sauk called
him "Old Man" while the Menomenee called him "Elder Brother."
The Ainu tribe of northern Japan viewed Bear as one who could
talk to God and bring messages back to man. And in Buddhism, Bear was
the emissary of KwanYin, the Goddess of compassion.
LISTEN
to BEAR here:
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Bear Medicine |
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Big Bear Medicine and the Power of Woman
From birth, Bear and Man are remarkably similar. They each enter the
world as a blank slate with only instinct. They each must master, through
their experiences, the tasks required to operate in their world. They
each exhibit vast differences in temperament and develop distinct personalities.
They are each equally unpredictable. It is impossible to predict the
behavior of a strange human or a strange bear but is not complicated to
predict the behavior of a familiar human or a familiar bear.
Both are at risk for physical and emotional damage if they are not cared
for early in life. Without the skills acquired through being taught by
a mother, neither bear nor man would survive. There have been observations
of bears displaying mal-adaptive behavior or acting "neurotic" in the absence
of an other to teach them.
In bringing Bear into our lives, we must feel the power of the feminine.
Bear lives alone and relies on no one but herself. She is a single parent
and must provide all physical and emotional needs for her cubs.
She is loving and kind as she teaches her children about life but she is
also a fierce disciplinarian if her children do not learn the lesson fast.
She is disciplined in all things, including her own behavior.
She sets limits and boundaries for herself and for others and will not
tolerate others taking advantage of her.
These limits and boundaries are communicated by attitude rather than
by words. Bear demands respect.
She has a high level of concentration and focuses
on a goal without wavering. It has been said that Bear can stop a hunter
from shooting her through her concentration. Making and maintaining
goals is using the power of Bear. Bear will help with the focus and concentration
needed for the completion of goals.
The yearly cycle maintained by Bear symbolizes the cycle of birth, growth,
decay and rebirth. This can be seen in the ability to regulate one's
life, on both a physical and emotional levels. Bear is the supreme
model of this cycle and therefore the guiding spirit of the theme of renewal.
Living Bear is to move in these cycles, be fully alert at all times but
settle down into a hibernate state to renew energy and prepare for the next
cycle. The renewal process provides a pressure gauge for our emotional
well-being, allowing us to cycle our emotions inward and outward as the
situation demands. Bear teaches us that we can be kind without giving
up our boundaries and that we can be generous without giving up our selves,
we can, like Bear, go to the cave and hibernate.
CLICK HERE for FILM CLIP of BEAR:
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The Bear and the Porcupine |
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Developing a trusting friendship
Once, long ago, a big, black Grizzly Bear roamed through the forest. All
the other animals would hear him and take off running. Bear would be mad
if they were in his territory. Bear was big and mean and everyone in the
forest knew to run when Bear was on the move.
One day Bear entered a hollow. When he arrived there, he saw a small,
female Porcupine playing with a log. She said to Bear, "Come play with
me Bear, this log is great fun." His reply was loud and mean, "Why don't
you run? I am Bear!" In her sweet, little voice the Porcupine simply asked
him again, "Why don't you come play with me?"
The Bear told her he could not play with her, for he was Bear and he had
a reputation to uphold. "I have to be mean and rough and tough. I can
not afford to lose my reputation. Everyone has to know me this way."
Still the little Porcupine remained and continued her games with the log.
The Bear watched and debated. After some time, the Porcupine told the
Bear, "Come play with me, I won't tell anybody." And so they made a deal.
The Bear would indeed play with the Porcupine in return for her not ruining
his reputation by letting anyone know.
On and on they played that day. The Bear would put the log on his head
and the little Porcupine would slide down and tumble onto the ground. He
picked her up and tossed her on his feet. They played 'seek and find' with
the wonderful log. They laughed and giggled until the sun went down. When
it was time to go home, the little Porcupine anxiously asked the Bear, "Will
you come back again tomorrow and play with me?"
The Bear answered, "I will always play with you, if this playtime remains
our secret.
So it is said, and so it is so.
Because the Bear accepted the Porcupine as his playmate, you must know
how to play with secrecy as Paheen, then you too can play with the Bear.
This legend also explains why the Porcupine quill is so important to some
Native American tribes.
CLICK HERE to LISTEN to PORCUPINE:
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Old Man with Four Claws |
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Bears come in many shapes and sizes, brown, black, cinnamon, red,
blond and a mixture of all. In 1918, Dr. C. Hart Merpiam who was then the
authority on Brown Grizzlies, said there were no less than 86 species
and subspecies of the Bear.
Bears are a very territorial animal. Depending on the type of bear, the
territory can be from 1 square mile to 40. Claiming or marking, is done
by horizontal claw marks on trees placed up as high as they can reach.
As well as with urine. They do not tend to wander from established territories
unless dictated by food supplies or hunters.
Bears on the whole can adapt to a wide range of temperature and climate.
Thus, they can be found within forests, river valleys and open meadows
world wide. Even the Arctic is not extinct of the Bear.
Contrary to popular belief, a Bear's diet is mostly vegetarian.
Less than 25% is animal matter. They are considered carnivores, but tend
to be omnivorous. However, everything found in it's home is considered
fair game.
Their diets change with the seasons and the availability of food. Generally,
they feed on: berries, animal carcasses, fish, ants, insects, acorns,
grass and herbs and of course, honey. Bears are well known for their
cravings of sweets. Honey and tons of berries are used to satisfy them.
Their thick fur will protect them from bee stings or sometimes they will
just eat the bee too.
In spite of the Bears lack of an opposed thumb, they perform many feats
that seem to call for hands. Both the Black and the Grizzly commonly use
single digits just as people would use their fingers.
Although the Bear is a solitary animal, rare occasions such as a salmon
run, will allow you to see them in a sleuth, or group. When Bears mate,
they stay together only a short time. The female then goes her own way
to have the cubs and raise them herself.
Female Bears breed every other year. A female is mature for breeding between
3 to 5 years, some won't mate until 7. When a female Bear becomes impregnated,
her fertilized eggs will float in the uterus all through summer and fall.
It's development is arrested until she begins hibernation. This delay
in the embryos attachment to the uterine wall, allows her body time to
assess it's own condition. If she is healthy, the embryo will implant.
If she is in poor condition, they will not. Those same embryos will continue
to float in the uterus for one year. Thus allowing her the opportunity
to become healthy enough to birth cubs. There are usually 1 to 3 eggs,
sometimes more. Upon completion of an 8 week gestation period, the cubs
are born in the winter months.
The cubs are very small at birth. Their eyes are closed and they are shapeless
with only a fine fuzz visible. For the next few months, mother Bear will
nurse and clean her young. Meanwhile carefully and literally, using her
paws and tongue, she will pound and lick the babies into the shape of
a bear. For about 2 summers, the cubs are protected, fed and cared for
constantly. The mother Bear has a deep devotion for her young. If danger
is sensed, the mother orders her cubs up a tree. As all Bears are fierce,
a mother with cubs is the most dangerous. All Bear battles can be vicious,
but she will fight to the death, if necessary. However, Bears do use threats
and intimidation for measures to avoid actual conflict. Whatever the circumstance,
the cubs will not come down until she tells them to, they know better.
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Mama Bear |
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Mother Bears are very strict disciplinarians.
The cubs are told only once. The second time is accompanied with a swift
blow. She will send her cubs sprawling in order to teach them that she
will not tolerate disobedience of any kind.
For the most part, Bears are playful unless provoked. They are content
to amuse themselves. While young, they tumble, play and imitate the mother
in securing and eating food.
When the female is ready to breed again, she will begin to force the cubs
away. She will smack them angrily to make clear she no longer wants them
around. Then the cubs must set out to establish a territory of their own.
When hibernation time nears, Bears are good and fat from gorging all year.
One reason for hibernation is winter causes a scarcity of the large amount
of food required to satisfy the Bears constant hunger. By eating heartily
and packing on weight, the Bear is able to survive the scarce months by
remaining as dormant as possible while living off of his own body fat.
They head to their dens in early to mid Fall and remain there until April
or May. Most Bears don't sleep in caves during winter, but instead make
dens in roots of blown down trees or dense underbrush tangles, or even hollow
logs.
A lot of dens have been used for centuries, passed down. The Brown Bear
will construct a new den each year. In the South, some Bears don't den
up at all!
When preparing to den, Bears will carry dead leaves, boughs and grass inside
for a soft bed to insulate them from the cold winter ground. Normally,
after denning up, the Bears metabolism lowers and reduces it's caloric
need. Because the Black Bear's body temperature does not go drastically
down during denning, the is not considered a true hibernator.
Opposing the myths, Bears can and will wake during this winter sleep.
He will quickly wake and rush out, if a disturbance outside the den warrants
his attention. Or if his body temperature has dropped too low, he will
stir inside to bring it back up.
Black Bears can range in weight from 150 to 300 pounds. They have a potential
life span of 20 to 25 years. The Alaskan Brown Bear, the Kodiak and the
Alaska Peninsula Bear differ from the typical Grizzly only in degree.
However, they are classed together by most studies. The Brown Bear tends
to be larger with a more massive head and shorter claws. Their faces are
dish shaped. The Brown and the Grizzly both, have a definite hump on the
shoulder. The Browns can weigh between 800 to 1200 pounds and are usually
9 to 10 feet in total length.
The Grizzly stands about 3 to 3 ½ feet tall at the shoulder and
when standing on 2 legs, total body length is usually 6 to 7 feet. Grizzly
Bears have no natural enemies, therefore they do not conceal themselves
when disturbed.
Bears are nearsighted mammals that rely on their excellent senses of hearing
and smell. If danger or food is not identified by smell first, they will
draw on hearing second, then sight. Normally, they will function on all
4 legs, but they will not hesitate to stand as a show of strength or to
see farther. As a rule, Bears shuffle along sniffing for food. They do
however, have the ability to gallop and cover a lot of ground in a short
time. If they are chasing something and going all out, they can run as
fast as 30 mph. However, down hill a Bear can not run as fast or as well.
Because their front legs are shorter than the back, all the body weight
is pushed forward onto the smaller legs making them less stable on the type
of terrain.
Bears are excellent swimmers. They can be found fishing in the water as
well as swimming to cool off. They use all 4 legs to paddle and can hold
their breath for long periods under water.
Polar Bears can weigh up to 1500 pounds and spend quite a lot of time in
the water hunting the staple of their diet, seals. They are found mainly
near water, rarely inland. A Polar Bear's paws are webbed with sharp claws
that enable them to climb sheer ice columns and slabs. Their tundra is
ice and snow, so they are sometimes called the "Ice Bear". Their oily fur
allows them to endure frigid waters for long periods of time. Polar Bear's
have almost transparent eyelids that filters and protect their eyes from
the suns glare, as well as while swimming. For hibernation, Polar dens are
dug into snow banks near mountains. They allow the wind to blow snow over
the entrance and close them in. As for the Panda Bear, some of the last remaining
can be found in a huge section of China know as the Wolong Preserve. Although
the Giant Panda Bear really is a Bear, the Red Panda were believed to be
related to the Raccoon. Millions of years ago there was a split from a
common ancestor. One line led to the Bear and the other to the Raccoons
and Red Pandas. Because the Giant Panda specializes in eating bamboo, they
have slowly drifted away from the rest of the Bear family tree.
Film Clip of BEAR CUB in a tree
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The Dance of the Seven Sisters |
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Long ago, when earth and the sky were new, seven sisters lived
in a village. The sisters loved to dance together in the forest, and wherever
one sister went, the others followed. Every evening the sisters returned
to the long house to rest, but by morning they were ready to dance.
One evening, as the sun began to set, the sisters heard in the distance
a glorious song. The song seemed to be calling to them, and in a moment
they forgot about their home.
They stood still and listened, and then, without speaking a word, they
danced off toward the source of the song. They danced through the woods
and into the forest. On they danced as the sun dipped toward the horizon.
The stars began to gleam and the sky grew darker, but still the sisters
danced toward the sound. Then, suddenly, their feet seemed lighter, and
when they looked down they saw that everything they had ever know was far
below them. They knew they were dancing up into the sky.
They danced on, higher and higher, moving toward the beautiful sound, and
the song grew louder and louder and more and more beautiful and more and
more mysterious. Below them the tipi dwellings and the trees and their
friends and families seemed to grow smaller and smaller.
And then the song became a sweet, gentle voice. "I came to the sky...for
a hunter pursued me. And now I am lost in the sky." On the sisters danced,
higher and higher. "Come my sisters, come to me in the sky and I will
watch over you."
Then the sisters saw who was singing the song. It was a great black
bear. Her tail glistened, for it was strewn with stars. her nose and
her toes twinkled with stars, and around her belly hung a belt of shining
stars.
The sisters danced closer and closer and the Bear went on singing. On
and on she sang, and the sisters continued to dance for hours. Slowly they
saw her toes, nose, tail, neck and belly glistening with stars. After many
hours, the sisters looked up and saw how very dark it was and how far away
they had traveled, and they could not remember the way home.
The moon smiled and winked and watched as the sisters went on dancing.
"My children," she said, "this is your home now. The stars and
I love the way you dance, and we wish you to live here with us forever."
The sisters leaped and twirled and whirled and swayed and twisted and tapped
and toed. To their amazement, they did not grow tired. They twirled faster,
they whirled faster, and each time they twirled another star twinkled and
grew, and the great black bear's song grew sweeter still.
Then suddenly the smallest sister heard a voice. She heard another voice.
She heard it over the sound of the song and over the tapping of her sisters'
feet. And she knew it was her mother's voice. Her mother was calling
to her.
The smallest sister began to run toward her mother's voice. "Come back,
sister," cried six dancing sisters, but the little girl was racing now.
"Come back, sister," called the dancing sisters once again, and they watched
as their youngest sister ran with a bright star trailing her. Together the
youngest sister and the star descended from the sky. Down, down, down
they sped, past clouds and past the eagle's nest and past the tallest branches
of the trees. On they raced, down, down, down. At last the smallest sister
saw her mother and she raced faster still. And finally she landed on the
ground.
But when she landed, she vanished, and there in her place, was simply a
hole. Her mother looked down at the hole, and she began to weep. And then
she looked into the sky and she saw her other daughters dancing still.
"Stay in the sky," she called to warn them. "Stay there and dance with
the great black bear or you will crash to earth." The sisters heard
their mother's pleading voice over the sound of the great black bear's song
and they nodded their heads and waved and smiled.
The stars behind them twinkled more brightly. "Yes, mother," they called,
"we will stay in the sky." Down below the mother sat and wept, and soon she
saw a small green shoot spring up from the hole. Quickly it grew, higher
and higher. This was the youngest sister reaching up for her sisters.
Higher the shoot grew until at last it reached the six sisters, and they
cried, "Welcome back, sister."
Five nights after the new moon in January, the constellation Pleiades reaches
its highest point in the night sky. Pleiades is a group of seven stars
sometimes called, The Seven Sisters, part of a larger constellation know
as Taurus, The Bull. On a clear winter's night, look south; you
may see this constellation. The Dance of the Seven Sisters is one of many
versions of a traditional legend about the origin of the Pleiades. In some
versions you will find reference to seven brothers.
BEAR SAYS, "Don't cross my boundaries."
All My Relations,
Mahinto
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Wind Wolf Woman |
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"Wind Wolf Woman", an autobiographical account,
chronicles the life history of a fourth-generation American Indian medicine
woman who learns to balance on the razor's edge between two cultures
- the Red world and the White world - with vastly different belief systems.
In this epic journey of her search for identity and spirituality, she struggles
determinedly to find a place for herself in both cultures while battling
rejection. After traveling around the world and learning from many spiritual
teachers, she returns full circle to her traditional Indian roots.
Born an illegitimate breed and deposited days later on her father's doorstep
she knew nothing of her birth mother until later in life. Named Sunbeam
by her paternal grandmother and raised under her strong hand of discipline,
Sunbeam learns the sacredness of all life and how it relates to the medicine
ways.
In crafting her life story, Mahinto - lecturer, teacher, and medicine woman
- reveals the twentieth-century plight of the Indian people, who until recently
were portrayed as a nomadic race riding free as the wind over the land
they called home. At the same time, she offers promise that all cultures
can, by honoring the preciousness of life, walk together in harmony on our
sacred Mother Earth.
Order book "Wind Wolf Woman": »
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