There is a bear on Cape Cod that I heard swam across the canal and is now on the loose. This is for real. Today I was working with a friend and i told her the story and she could "bear-ly" believe it! This friend named Anne I havn't seen in years and were catching up on how we are and what we do these days. We grew up together here and then she moved to California so it's been great to see and spend time with her again. She so sincerely said to me how sorry she is that my mother passed away. I shared with her how I am doing now and the things I have done to get through the hard times of grieving. Writing, counseling, and creativity have been my main outlet and the past few years i have been working very hard at keeping a spiritual connection with my mom. During the last two winters I have dedicated much time and energy to putting my journal entries into a book. I have focused on the positive outlook that dealing with this grief has given me. When I told Anne about my writings she was so glad to hear I was going about it in this way and she was proud of what I was doing. That made me feel so good and confident about it. When I talked out loud about it I then realized that it's time to get this book published so others can relate and learn useful tools in handling the death of a loved one. When this bear showed up on Cape Cod I thought this must have a meaning and this is what I read about the bear;
"The bear is a powerful symbol and image in both myth and lore teaching you to go inward and awaken your true potential.
In spring mother and cubs emerge from their den as the cubs become strong enough to follow their mother. This is tremendously significant when bear has shown up, reflecting a need to go deep within yourself, to have periods in your life when you can be more reclusive. During these times,you will be able to go within yourself and create ideas and projects.
Those with bear totems will find this cycle of semi-hibernation and reclusiveness during winter very natural. They will also find that with 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 usually stay with their mother for up to two years. This can reflect that those projects you nursed may not come to full fruition until the second year of the cycle."
This month marks 2 years since I put my writings aside and said to myself that it will come out again when it's time to really make it happen. Last Friday Anne and I talked about me getting my book in print, the bear showed up a day or two later, then I looked up its meaning and it clearly states that it's time. My ideas have come to fruition and my project that I've been nursing has come to the end of it's second year cycle. I've been feeling lately there is something creative I must continue and this is it. Thank you Anne, thank you bear. I now feel connected again with my mom which I was seeming to be getting distant from.
"All bears have a great fondness for honey. Honey is the natural sweetness of life. It is a reminder to go within to awaken the power, bringing it out into the open and applying it allowing the honey of life to be tasted."
(all text with quotations from Animal Speak by Ted Andrews)
