Keynote: Awakening the power of the unconscious.

Cycle of power: Spring, Summer

Bear is a powerful symbol. There are many myths and lore’s around the bear. Some myths have the bear as archangels and angels or emanations of the Force. The constellation Ursus Major, the Great Bear was named for the 7 stars that form what we call today the Big Dipper. The 7 stars in this constellation represent the lower 7 rays or emanations of the seperoth. Here is where different traditions have similarities. Obviously the American Indians thought of the emanations as well as the ancient Hebrews who used the Kabalah to describe the Force. The American Indians used nature.

The American Indians thought of bear as a kin to humans because they can walk on their hind legs similar to humans. The bear can walk on two legs even though they can use all four. The American Indians thought the same of all birds because birds walk on two legs as well.

The bear is the largest of the meat eating animals. Surprisingly the bear eats less meat than smaller meat eating animals, like the fox for instance. A bear will eat almost anything. They will eat plants, fruit and meat.

Bears sleep throughout the winter. How deep and long the sleep is depends on the amount of food and body fat stored at the beginning of the sleep. If bear turns up in your life as a totem bear can teach you how to turn inward to get wisdom on how to survive. The bear teaches you how to go into your soul's den to find your answers. This inward turning links bear to the moon because you also learn how to connect to the subconscious and unconscious mind. When bear sleeps his heart rate is slowed down to half its normal walking rate. Bear will teach you how to meditate. There are many tales in the far east in India of Yogis who can meditate and slow their heart and breathing rates. During the bear's sleep the kidney shuts down completely. Doctors dream of figuring that out to try to use it for humans who need kidneys to heal. The kidney shut down is unique to black bear. Bear medicine teaches you to go deep with in so you can make choices and decisions from a position of power.

All bears can climb trees. Bears will mark some trees with claw marks. Bears are associated with trees. Trees are considered natures antenna for linking the heavens and the earth. Trees also stand for knowledge and since bears are linked to trees bear can teach you this knowledge and make your antenna work so you can balance between heaven and earth. Trees also symbolize fertility of things that grow. Bear can help you meditate on tree. Bears love honey and the honey is also found in trees again linking the two. This also adds Bee to the mix since bees produce honey. Bee should be studied as well. Honey represents the natural sweetness of life. If bear shows up you will have to go inward to awaken your power but then you must bring it out in order to taste the honey you went in to get. When you go in, bear people need to bring it out and make your mark in this world with the sweet knowledge you have obtained. Bear also reminds us of the interconnectedness of all things with in the universe like all totems do. Notice that we went from bear, to tree, to bee this shows how they interconnect. One totem naturally led to another and so on.

For people with bear totem always keep your inner cub alive to keep your vitality. Climb a tree once in a while. Climb so you can see the world from a different perspective. This will kindle your creative juices. When spring comes the cubs that were born during the winter emerge with mother and are strong enough to fallow their mother. This symbolizes for those with bear totem to have periods of reclusiveness and "hibernation" from the world to charge your batteries and create your ideas to later emerge to share your brilliance with the world. A bear person has to remember not to stay hibernated all the time because the bear does emerge in the spring. It just means bear people need the cyclical pattern of hibernate then go out in the world with your creations. Your artists tend to be bear people.

Bear people have to be patient with their projects, creations ect. because the cubs have to stay with the mother for two years. This means it may take two years for the project, creation ect. to complete. For Polar Bear people it is a three to five year plan. So bear people with the needed patients makes you think of Yoda " Patient you will". Except polar bear due to there unique temperament. The kind of bear will impact how the totem will work with you.

There are several kinds of bears. The Black Bear is one. The black bear can be black but also can be brown or cinnamon or various combinations. The cub as well as the adult are playful. If your bear is a black bear you may need to play more even as an adult.

The largest bear is the Alaskan Brown Bear. This bear is related to the Grizzly. these bears are relatively solitary. The Grizzly is known to be fierce but not aggressive. They do not seek out confrontation but they can sure give one if necessary.

The Polar Bear is the most carnivorous and aggressive. Polar bear has no fear and predominantly feeds on seals. So seal should be looked at if your bear is polar bear. Polar bear is at the top of the food chain having no natural enemy. Though man is the only enemy of polar bear.

Most of the information was for all bears. The few towards the end showed the difference between different bears. If you know which kind of bear showed itself as a totem, that will help you know which extra traits unique to that particular bear, that the bear will teach you.

The bear is the most meditative totem as any animal that has long times of hibernation. For anyone that values meditating, bear is a good animal to ask.

Here is a polar bear:

Another bear: