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Tania Marie: At the Threshold of Autumn
There are moments when life seems to gather its threads together so quietly that I don’t recognize the pattern until I am standing inside of it.
September 15th would have been Astrid’s birthday, and three years since my soulmate rabbit left her physical body, our relationship continues to find its own language.
That morning, the language came right to my back door.
A young black bear appeared on the deck, followed within minutes by one of the wild rabbits who lives here.
Bear and rabbit.
On Astrid’s birthday.
The bear was also my eighth sighting in just a couple of weeks. When I explored the symbolism, I found the idea of a gathering phase—a time of accumulating wisdom, patience, and inner strength before a deeper cycle of introspection and renewal.
But Astrid apparently wasn’t finished.
Later that day, I suddenly felt the impulse to message a friend at the Denver Gem and Mineral Show and ask her to look for two very specific crystal rings.
Among hundreds of stones spread across vast tables, she found the exact two sitting side by side.
And between them was a ladybug.
My friend then shared an extraordinary story about how ladybugs had become deeply meaningful to her as signs of connection with loved ones who have passed. Only afterward did I tell her it was Astrid’s birthday.
Some moments invite us to explore their meaning.
And then there comes a point when the heart simply knows.
I carried the magick of that day with me into a long weekend in the Bay Area, stepping outside our usual routines for a refresh through different scenery and simply allowing life to move differently for a few days.
I’ve been thinking about how unfamiliar places can turn up the volume on what is already speaking within us.
Away from our usual routines and reference points, what resonates can become more alive, while what doesn’t can become harder to ignore. A new place doesn’t necessarily give us answers. Sometimes it simply changes the acoustics enough that we can hear ourselves more clearly.
And then, while hiking yesterday at Mt. Diablo State Park, another messenger appeared.
A magnificent buck was resting quietly in the shade directly upon the trail, almost hidden until we were close enough to see him.
He didn’t startle or run.
He simply watched.
When we drew closer, he rose gently and began walking ahead of us, repeatedly turning to look back before continuing down the trail and eventually disappearing up the hillside.
With his full antlers illuminated like a crown within the branches, he looked like a king of the forest.
Later, exploring some of the symbolism associated with the buck—sovereignty, higher awareness, gentle strength, and mature embodied power—something about the encounter landed even more deeply.
He had been resting when we found him.
Power spacious enough to rest.
And when the time came, he simply rose and moved ahead.
I couldn’t shake the feeling:
I’ve been waiting. Now follow.
Not an invitation to rush toward the future, but something quieter. A reminder that perhaps what lies ahead doesn’t need to be chased or completely understood.
We gather. We listen. We embody what we’ve learned.
And when the moment comes, we move.
Which feels like a fitting place to arrive on the threshold of Autumn.
The Autumn Equinox is tomorrow.
There is something about this season that feels like both gathering and release. We gather what has ripened and nourished us while allowing what has completed its season to fall away.
Perhaps gathering and release aren’t opposites at all.
We gather what strengthens us.
We loosen our hold on what no longer needs to remain.
And somewhere between the two, space opens for what is quietly preparing to emerge.
Soon the colors will begin popping in the Sierra Nevadas, and I’m excited for that brief, brilliant transformation when the mountains become their own celebration of golden change.
I feel that threshold strongly right now.
October will carry me back to Egypt, and I’m becoming increasingly excited to return to a land that continues to open new layers within me each time I arrive.
And alongside that return, another circle has quietly completed.
Our April 2027 Returning to the Temple of the Heart pilgrimage is now officially full.
Four beautiful souls have heard their own call to join Mody and me for this intimate journey, and my heart is full knowing the circle has come together exactly as it has.
For now, I’m simply enjoying this threshold.
Astrid weaving her magick.
A refreshing change of scenery.
A crowned buck walking ahead.
Autumn preparing her colors.
Egypt calling again.
Life gathering and releasing in its own mysterious rhythm.
And me, listening for what wants to come next.
Tania Marie: The Eclipse and the Six Bears
This Pisces Full Moon Lunar Eclipse felt less like a single moment in time and more like a conversation unfolding around me.
Perhaps it began long before I arrived in Yosemite.
Three years ago, beneath this same late-August Full Moon, my beloved rabbit companion Astrid transitioned. There are certain dates the heart remembers differently than the calendar does, and this one has remained quietly alive within me ever since.
So returning to the wild beneath this Moon already carried something tender and meaningful.
We went to Yosemite to meet friends for a week of camping, hiking, exploring, and simply disappearing from the usual rhythms of life for a while.
I also arrived with clear intentions for the eclipse and several things close to my heart for which I had been asking for guidance.
Each day became its own little pilgrimage.
We wandered trails into beautiful places, gathering pieces of quartz that called to us along the way. When we reached the alpine lakes waiting at the end of our journeys, we returned the crystals to the water with our intentions.
Earth back to Earth.
A simple exchange of gratitude, prayer, and possibility as the Full Moon approached.
And other things began finding their way to us, too.
A handful of grounding obsidian. Beautiful stones that seemed impossible not to notice, including one shaped like a nearly perfect pyramid and another carrying three distinct pyramids that astonishingly mirrored the three Great Pyramids of Giza.
Feathers appeared at meaningful moments, including a Great Horned Owl tail feather on our very first day.
The night before the eclipse was anything but quiet.
Coyotes howled and yipped through the darkness around us, their voices weaving through the forest for hours and continuing remarkably into the wee hours of morning.
Then that morning before the Full Moon Eclipse, we were sitting beside the campfire when KC – aka Bean – suddenly pointed.
“Bear.”
A large black bear was sauntering directly toward us.
There was no urgency in her. No apparent concern. She seemed completely at ease, as though wandering over to join our morning gathering was the most natural thing in the world.
Of course, we made noise to discourage her from coming closer. Loving wild animals also means respecting the boundaries that help keep them wild and safe.
But something about her presence stayed with me.
Bears are so often interpreted through the language of strength, courage, protection, power, introspection, or hibernation.
Yet that wasn’t what I felt.
What struck me was her complete lack of performance.
She wasn’t trying to embody power.
She simply was powerful.
There was an extraordinary peace in that.
A confidence without assertion. A strength without tension. A presence that didn’t seem to require anything outside itself for confirmation.
Embodied peace.
Perhaps one of the deepest expressions of power is not needing to demonstrate that we possess it.
Many deer appeared along the hike that followed, adding their own gentle presence to a morning that already felt touched by something larger. The renewing presence of deer continued to grace us each day, in fact.
Then, on the morning of the Full Moon, after I had specifically asked again for signs and guidance, another Great Horned Owl feather appeared alongside a beautiful piece of obsidian in a place I never would have expected to find it.
I didn’t need to decide immediately what any of it meant.
The simple fact that I had asked and then encountered these things directly after was enough.
And then the weather began changing our plans.
Large storms were moving toward Yosemite, and after our hike that morning, we abruptly decided to pack everything and leave rather than remain for the days of heavy weather ahead.
We finished loading the car just as the rain began.
Three-plus hours later, we arrived home in time for the sky to erupt into one of the most spectacular sunsets—a fiery, passionate blaze stretching across the horizon that uncannily mirrored a nearly exact sunset that lit up the sky the night before leaving for Yosemite.
Just before reaching fullness, the Moon had risen with such brilliance that she seemed almost like the Sun, illuminating the night sky and softening even the stars within her radiance.
Yet on the night of her fullness and eclipse, she appeared differently.
That night, I stayed awake and continued getting up to meet the Moon.
She glowed behind a mysterious moving curtain of clouds, appearing and disappearing throughout the night.
There was something strangely perfect about the contrast. At one moment, illumination so brilliant it transformed the darkness around her. At another, the same light partially veiled.
I had entered this eclipse asking for clarity, messages, and guidance. Yet the Moon herself seemed unwilling to reveal everything at once.
Her light was unmistakably there.
But clarity remained partially veiled.
And perhaps that was part of the answer.
Some knowing doesn’t arrive as immediate revelation. Sometimes we are asked to feel what has shifted before we understand what it means—to allow the heart to hold something the mind cannot yet name.
The following day brought rain at home as well, but we were still able to continue our time with our friends. Rather than planning anything ambitious, we chose an easy walk before lunch and errands.
That seemingly ordinary choice became anything but ordinary.
Up ahead, I spotted a mama bear.
And then her two cubs.
We stopped at a respectful distance and watched as the little ones ran, played, wrestled, and scrambled up trees while their mother remained nearby.
She was watchful and protective, yet what moved me most was the joy unfolding around her.
Watching them shifted something in the usual symbolism of protection for me.
Protection is so often imagined as guarding against danger. Building walls. Keeping something precious from harm.
But perhaps there is another form of protection.
We protect joy by helping create the conditions in which joy can exist.
We protect love by giving it room to express itself.
We protect what matters not only by defending it, but by nourishing the environment in which it can flourish.
Mama Bear wasn’t preventing her cubs from exploring because something might happen to them.
She was present enough for them to play.
Her strength created room for their freedom.
And suddenly the bears seemed to be speaking to one another across these encounters.
The first bear had embodied a power so completely at home within itself that it needed no performance.
The mother bear embodied a power secure enough to become spaciousness for joy.
Presence and creation.
Peace and play.
Power without force.
Protection without constriction.
But apparently the conversation wasn’t finished.
After watching the mother and cubs for a long while, we finally continued back. Along the way, KC suddenly spotted another large solitary bear among the trees before it disappeared into the forest.
Four bears that day.
We could hardly believe it.
Later, we returned home, settled into the coziness of the rain, and played cards together.
Then Clint – aka Happy – noticed something just outside.
Another large resident bear we’ve seen before was making his way across the street and into a neighboring backyard.
Five bears in one day.
Six surrounding the eclipse.
The following day carried us onto new trails we had never explored together, chasing waterfalls and climbing to great heights to reach them. There was something beautifully fitting about continuing into the unknown this way, discovering what waited beyond each rise rather than needing to know beforehand.
And still, the bears remained with me.
For us, seeing even one bear is an extraordinary gift. Six arriving within such a concentrated threshold felt impossible to ignore – a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
And perhaps I don’t need to decide exactly what it means.
That itself feels connected to what this eclipse has been showing me.
We had gathered together at the peak of the eclipse and placed our intentions consciously into this threshold. I had asked for messages around things deeply important in my own life.
And messages came.
Just not as neatly packaged answers.
They came as coyotes calling through darkness.
Quartz gathered along the trails and returned to mountain lakes.
A handful of grounding obsidian appearing along the way.
A piece of obsidian naturally shaped by the Earth into a form that mirrored an ancient arrowhead.
Beautiful stones, including a nearly perfect pyramid and another carrying three pyramids mirroring the Great Pyramids of Giza.
Feathers appearing at meaningful moments.
A Great Horned Owl feather and an unexpected piece of obsidian arriving together on the Full Moon morning after I had asked for signs.
A bear walking peacefully toward a morning fire.
Pairs and triads of deer moving through the forest.
Tiny tree frogs somehow at home within the vastness of the world more than 10,600 feet above it.
Storms changing our plans.
Bookended and mirroring, fiery passionate sunsets seeing us off and waiting at home.
Rainbow winged clouds greeting us upon entry into Yosemite’s epic vastness.
A Moon repeatedly disappearing behind clouds.
A mother bear creating enough safety for her children to play.
Bears appearing again and again.
And dreams.
So many dreams.
Each night while camping and again after returning home, I remembered vivid dreams filled with remarkable threads of telepathy, communication, and messages that felt intimately connected to what has been moving through my waking life.
Something has shifted.
I can feel it even without being able to explain where it is leading.
And woven quietly through everything is Astrid.
Three years after she left her physical body beneath this late-August Full Moon, I found myself beneath it again surrounded by wild beings, mysterious communication, thresholds, endings, beginnings, and a love that has never depended upon physical presence to remain alive.
I can’t say where she ends and synchronicity begins.
I’m not sure I need to.
Perhaps love has its own language for continuing.
The eclipse has passed, but its unfolding has not.
I have no idea what may manifest next.
Nor do I know what the coming weeks and months will bring.
But something about these bears has changed the way I am holding that unknown.
The first didn’t ask permission to inhabit his presence.
The mother didn’t protect joy by containing it. She created enough safety for it to run wild.
And none of them seemed concerned with becoming anything other than completely what they were.
Perhaps this is the bear medicine I needed.
Not simply strength.
Not retreat.
Not protection as we usually understand it.
But the quiet power of being so deeply rooted within ourselves that we can create from peace rather than fear.
To become protectors of joy by becoming creators of it.
To trust what we know without forcing what we cannot yet see.
And to inhabit our own lives so completely that we no longer need to chase what is meant to meet us.
I asked this eclipse for guidance.
It didn’t give me a map.
It gave me six bears.
For now, that feels like more than enough.
Morning Bear Surprise ~ The Magick Continues
In line with yesterday’s post on Nature’s Powerful Reflections of Resonance ~ Plus Bear Magick & Medicine I thought you might get a kick out of seeing these photos and video of this morning’s visitor just as much as I did. Yes, Black Bear was here again! This time seeking us out. That’s 5 Bears in the last 3 days now. Talk about potent energy all at once!
We’d just gotten out of bed and went to open the blinds when Black Bear appeared just below our window. These are just a couple photos I captured, but I thought I’d include a link to the video so you can see what a gift this was to witness a playful and delightful display.
I couldn’t upload it to this post, so I’m including the link to my Instagram feed if you’re interested in seeing it and the other two videos from Easter there. And if you’re on Instagram, perhaps you might connect there so we can share and follow along together there more easily.
Enjoy and bask in the message of Black Bear medicine that is reflected to you!
Nature’s Powerful Reflections of Resonance ~ Plus Bear Magick & Medicine
Just sharing a short post reflecting the powerful nature experiences and medicine that took place each day over the weekend, back-to-back. Very potent and mirroring of the shamanic energy I’ve moved more deeply into over the last two years. This also reflects the rising Schumann resonance that hit an all-time high for Earth this weekend, spiking on Easter itself.
Laura had just sent me a link this morning about this (I wasn’t familiar with this term) and shared about its connection to the collective’s awakening. The link basically explained this as the natural resonance or frequency of the Earth that had a huge peak this weekend (Easter was its spike, as mentioned) to the highest recorded value it’s been.
I call it “a return to natural harmony,” which has been my focus since I first really started connecting dots on my own awakening path.
Anyway, beginning Friday there were some very pronounced experiences that took place alongside a lot of beautiful and instant nature reflections, as manifestation to things in the moment taking place or being thought or spoken of.
This included a magnificent sighting of a Bald Eagle on our Fallen Leaf Lake hike while Lynne was visiting, not more than maybe 1/2 an hour after talking about Bald Eagles with someone we met along the way.
The Eagle swooped ahead of us through the trees, then circled round over the edge of the lake and disappeared to the left, later to be found by us sitting atop a tree where he sat waiting and connecting with us for quite some time. Lynne got some great shots with her zoom camera (just received them so here’s one above), but during the time I was watching him he tucked his head under and plucked out one white feather that floated off into the wind. I thought that was quite significant.
Then the next day when my parents surprised us for a visit, we took them on a walk and right when we got to an opening where two benches sat overlooking the lake, a Sun Dog appeared above Tahoe and we sat there for about 10 minutes taking its beauty and symbolism in together. I love how in these photos the sun appears as a hexagon.
And on Easter, yesterday, (right after seeing this lenticular cloud appearing like a UFO over Lake Tahoe’s portal) Dave and I decided to drive up to Tahoe Meadows for a snow shoe hike, which took us to the top overlooking the lake.
We made it there just as the snow was about to blow in, which it did on our descent back along with strong winds that made the journey double the work, along the way passing through trees with singing and visiting Chickadees – all quite magickal.
But it was on our drive from the top, back into Incline Village where we were going to get a drink at the Lone Eagle Grille overlooking the water, that we came upon a mother Black Bear and her three yearlings.
We hadn’t seen bears since our RV adventure on the Magick Bus up in the Montana and Canadian Rockies area where we encountered Grizzly Bears several times (twice on one hike along our path – one of which was a mother Grizzly with three cubs too, as well as a few times off the side of the road close to our car, and Black Bears a couple of times).
I also had some potent Bear dreams and visions while on that journey, eventually leading me to purchase a Native-made copper ring with Bear totem on it.
But yesterday it was a Black Bear family that graced us with their presence, although their fur had turned golden and reddish, making them appear a bit like Grizzly Bears, minus that signature pronounced shoulder hump.
Anyway, we caught glimpse of a yearling running across the road, then slowed and saw that he’d been going over to where mom and the others were pine cone foraging.
At first we only saw mom and two yearlings, but after a few minutes, a third appeared. This being very symbolic to a significant unfolding taking place in my life.
They were not newborn cubs, given their size – their mom likely had them last Winter -so now were yearlings coming out of hibernation and looking for food. Young bears stay with their mom about two years and are born during hibernation. You can still see the mother’s nipples in the photo above.
We stopped to observe them, sitting in our car just across from them. They were completely absorbed in eating and not at all disturbed by our presence in observing them, which allowed me to watch and receive what they had to share.
This reflected to me a time in my own life where I am nurturing what I’ve received in inner reflection during my own period of hibernation. A time of nourishing my soul needs in Spring’s cycle of renewal and creative birthing.
Eventually all of the yearlings made it over by mom and I was able to capture some video I shared on social media – Instagram and Facebook – along with these photos here.
So much bear magick and fearless ancient medicine! Not to mention, empowered Sacred Feminine energy and that Divine Mother embodiment that has become so deeply experienced within me.
I love their strength and transformative energy. They remind me of the courage I have within to call upon in order to take action without fear, while remaining grounded and in rhythm with Earth and Nature’s cycles.
As I observed them, it was a reminder of observing myself in every moment and self-reflecting – something I do all the time by stepping outside of myself and remaining detached, as I review what I am doing, thinking, or feeling.
Their coming out of hibernation (just like I’ve been quieter during the Winter months) also was reflective for me in that creative rebirthing taking place in my life currently after having gone through my own vision quest, returning with even greater comfort in the solitude of my own company, enjoying exploring the dark and unknown, going deeper into intuitive trust, and with Nature as my constant companion and guiding force.
Their coming out mirrors my own vulnerable, but strengthened reveal.
It has been a time of deep soul searching during the Magick Bus journey and these Winter months, really seeding what eventually I would bring forth into the world anew. And that was done through decisions made from the power of my Spirit.
Bears teach us about knowing the timing on things and aligning with the “when” and “where,” which specifically messaged me in trusting how things are unfolding with my life and new, and especially with something I’ve been waiting to hear about.
In the meantime, the teaching of laws of respect and boundaries that Bear brings forth continues to get reiterated for me. Both in strengthening, anchoring, and voicing my own, as well as mindfully being present and mutually honoring of those around me.
And because of this mutual honoring, there was no need for mother Bear to feel threatened, nor did I disrespect her boundaries invisibly understood.
In this way we could mutually be in a safe space together and share the love, connection, and reflective wisdom.
I loved watching the yearlings rolling the pine cones with their big paws, while trying to get the nuts from the cones. This was a reminder of keeping that playful energy alive (so reflective of the time spent with Lynne the days leading up), and simply of my own inner child that thrives on playing, laughing, giggling, and being imaginatively silly and in the moment with the energy moving through me.
While Bears reflect the natural leader abilities within us when they show up so profoundly, they also summon us to relax into our vitality, bringing that forth in innocent, creatively passionate channels of self-expression.
Such beautiful gifts and reflections received and integrated.
Thank you.
Bearing Your Heart & Soul ~ Bear Messages to Support Your Journey in Life
I mentioned in my return post about how bears had shown up a lot near the end of my sabbatical, beginning with a dream and then culminating with seeing two in person while in Sequoia National Park, and one I felt and saw in my vision while listening for any messages in the forest.
I haven’t had a whole lot of visitation from bear spirit in the past, although has come through before as animal spirit guides in sessions I was doing for clients.
The one time I had the most amazing experience with them was in Alaska last year where we went bear viewing – one of my all-time favorite experiences (you can scroll through that post for the amazing photos of the brown bears I captured).
It was there that we had opportunity to see both black and brown bears….the brown bears up very close and personal, walking among many of them and having the chance to experience these awesome beings in their domain going about life. The black bears we saw were farther in the distance, snacking on berries on the tundra we were hiking.
But when bear showed up in succession of several days in a row for me at the end of November, I had thought to reflect more on that.
I always seem to have a theme of one or a few animal spirit guides around and showing up for me to take notice of, as I’m very animal connected. However, I believe they are always around us and showing up at opportune times, but we just likely aren’t paying attention to it and passing it off as “just part of life without significance.”
When they show up for me, this always reflects the energy I’m working with currently and/or need to integrate. And so they appear as reminder of the message and to let me know they are there to assist me, as well as empower the energies and medicine they carry.
Anyway, since I promised writing a bit about bear – black bear in particular – since that is specifically the one I kept experiencing recently, I’ll just share a bit of what I take away from the symbolism of them showing up for me, personally, and some of the collective meanings that are possible with these beings presenting themselves to you.
Like with all things, there is indeed collective symbolism that you can draw from in terms of what the meaning of anything is for you.
And yet, there are many ways to interpret things and so using your intuitive guidance and nudges will help you to discern the meaning better for yourself and how it translates relative to you and your current experiences.
For sake of this share, I’m focusing on animals – bears in particular – and some clues to help you piece things together for yourself when they show up for you in waking life or dream time.
I’ll show you how I walked through my own experiences to draw forth my personal messages from them.
As mentioned, for myself I had dreamed of black bear cubs and their mom…or at least that’s what they felt to be in the dream. There were quite a few of them and they were not babies, but young adolescents. They were in no way ferocious or on the attack and I was completely not in fear. They were simply standing there sporadically around me, as I walked through them. And Dave had blown something magickally that put them into a slumber, as I continued walking among them.
I took away several things from this, given my personal circumstances at the time and currently.
The first thing that came to me was how mother bears are so nurturing and protective of their cubs and how she was at peace with me walking through and they all just continued to go about their things. She didn’t feel threatened or the need to attack to protect her children.
So it felt like I was in a time period of self-nurturing and nurturing, what I’ve been calling – my “babies” – which are the projects I’ve been working on, as well as caring for my rabbits.
There was nothing threatening me in the dream for need of protection, but instead I felt there was something I needed to preserve, which to me was a piece of me.
And since black bears usually hibernate, especially if moms have given birth, this was speaking to me as my need to continue to remain inward, although out of my sabbatical, and to finish out the winter focused on my “babies” and nurturing the things that I need right now.
The fact they were put into a magickal slumber, was speaking to the fact that this was important despite anything else presenting itself or that I might “think” I need to be doing otherwise. Call it divine timing, cosmic alignment, a soul path nudge….something beyond myself would see to it that I maintain this magickal bubble to continue what I’m being inspired and guided to do and that I am able to do so easily, if I don’t fight it.
Some facts about black bears, which are the smallest of the bear species in North America…and thoughts for myself:
They don’t attack or anger unless vehemently provoked ~ I am not easily provoked either, as it takes a lot for me to anger as well, and since the bears were calm in the dream this felt like I will find peace by continuing in the vein of what I’m doing and honoring my nature within. They were also fully focused in their own thing in the dream, and not at all distracted by me, preferring to focus on their task at hand, which seemed to be eating. This speaks to my preferring to focus on my personal endeavors at this time, rather than worrying about anything going on in the outside environment and that I have the capability to dedicate myself deeply to an intent or task until it is achieved because of how entranced I am in my work. It takes a lot to pull me away when I commit. And so commitment is needed to ensure completion.
They tend to sit around, sleep, and walk aimlessly until hungry ~ I tend to naturally like to flow and be in peace, allowing how I feel to guide me, and so I’m not to get caught up in things that can create anxiety, over-stimulation, and sensitivity, which I found myself a few days ago feeling by being overly immersed in other things and losing time for myself and my projects.
They have anywhere from 1 – 6 cubs, although 2 is most common ~ my dream showed quite a few, so it was closer to the 6, which feels like fertile energy and ultra abundance is available right now…this is a richly creative and fertile time for my projects to take advantage of.
They are extremely adaptable, although primarily found in forests with thick ground vegetation with an abundance of fruits, nuts, and vegetation – places like the tundra, where I saw them in Alaska. They forage in fields or meadows, and in general can live in a variation of habitat types. They are also a symbol of living off the land and being resourceful ~ I, too, am very flexible and adaptable, like a chameleon and can be resourceful in many regards. So this speaks to my needing to stay open to the possibilities, knowing when to harness timeliness and what is being presented, as well as may be speaking to how we are about to begin our travels in the RV to many different and varied places. Honing in on my resources available will also support my endeavors and the simple life we’ve chosen, which will be following seasons more for travel and having me/us even more self-sufficient and living with Nature and her cycles.
They mostly are found traveling high in the mountains and symbolize living off the land ~ as mentioned this speaks to my ability to be resourceful, which this lifestyle now is emphasizing, but also speaks to my ideal and most personally nurturing location of living as well, which I have finally understood for myself as being in the high altitudes of the mountains, in forested areas near water like a lake or river – so much like these bears. And that while we are on our RV adventure, will be looking for that ideal place to later settle and that brings together the other aspects of my personal dreams and project focuses.
They tend to be solitary animals and forage alone with exception of mothers with their cubs and foraging in groups if the habitat is very abundant in an area where they then tolerate each other ~ I tend to also be a solitary person and enjoy my time to myself and the much needed away space to recharge, be able to live and create most optimally, and to give in the ways that I do in the areas of service.
They mostly hibernate depending on local weather and food availability during winter, yet will leave dens from time to time during the season. Females usually give birth and stay denned during the winter, however. ~ I’ve become much more attuned to the seasons over time and the natural rhythms of nature, so this wintering or self-hibernation feels especially nurturing and productive to honor at this time. Remaining inward and partially in retreat, venturing out from time to time, as the bears might, feels healthy and nurturing right now for me.
Their being black also, to me, signifies the shadow aspects and the ultra sacred feminine energy for me to deepen into and integrate further. This includes a connection with the Moon, which I/we just so happen to continue aligning with when we make big moves. The ancients understood the connection of the Moon and the bear, due to their hibernation patterns. It also includes introspection and the subconscious, as well as dreaming and sleep. I’ve not only been sleeping deeply and dreaming profusely and clearly, but I’m seeing the continual layers reveal themselves and with willingness to face these pieces they easily integrate and fuel greater strength and possibilities. Not only may I be understanding parts of myself even better now, and releasing and cleansing out more, but am having a stronger, clearer connection to my deepest passions and the compass directing my heart and soul.
In many ways I am identifying much with black bear at this point in my life, in general, and can see how it may be with me for quite some time.
The black bears just kind of doing their own thing and wandering around me in the dream feels to speak to my own experience and journey toward greater and continual peace, patience, and presence. So, it’s important to be mindful of not turning that into a quest, rather than allowing it to just unfold, as a quest for patience can intensify impatience and provide a block to reaching that goal. True patience waits for it.
And so I embrace the journey.
These were the things I took away in terms of black bear showing up in my dream time and waking life, but here are just a few general additions about bear symbolism that I can also draw from and receive in messages, and perhaps if bear has shown up for you, you will as well.
See how any of these things may apply in your own life.
Bears are solitary creatures, capable of living and thriving alone. They can challenge your feelings, beliefs, and conditioned ideas about being independent or may empower them.
They are not threatening as many movies and ideas would otherwise have you believe. So look at the context in which they show up for you in a dream, meditation, or the way you feel if you see them in person. This will speak to something going on in your life and if you feel threatened or they are attacking, then where are you experiencing this, feeling fear, feeling controlled or overpowered, and not being able to stand your own ground?
Phrases like bearing your soul or being over-bearing may come to mind and you can see how those relate to what would be most supportive for you at this time.
Since many tend to hibernate, look at where you may need to withdraw for a while in your own life, or if it’s time for you to take action and harness your own resourcefulness with intents you’re trying to manifest.
Bears carry both yin and yang energy since they have both hibernation and active periods of life. This is symbolic of your own inner feminine and masculine energies and balancing them in your life. There are times for retreat and nurturing, and there is a timely alignment for action.
Bears symbolize strength, personal and raw power, peace, sovereignty, duality, mother energy, nurturing, courage, fearlessness, teaches us about respect and boundaries, vulnerability and honesty – as bear doesn’t hide intentions, being inward to reflect, being comfortable with yourself and being alone, stillness and meditation, protection, dream time, and vision quests.
If bear shows up for you, pay attention to what your dreams are sharing with you, as messages will be revealed there. Also, be aware of your environment when awake and what is calling to your attention. You have the ability to harness both worlds of inner and outer, since bear represents both in balance.
Bear protects you as you walk through the journey called life and is there to help you connect more deeply with your natural rhythms, as connected and in alignment with the rhythms of nature. You’ll understand where you need to go and the travels ahead on the path, as you acquire the resources along the way that you will need to support you. You’ll also learn how to rest, recharge, and retreat when necessary to conserve your resources and energy for optimal use and action, when called for.
And she encourages you to enjoy the sweetness along the way.
Bear may be sharing that now is the time to unleash the essence of your inner power, along with your gifts and greatest strengths. You have the ability, with patience and nurturing, to confidently move forward with authority in your chosen path, knowing you have everything you need and will be protected always.
The bear may be inviting you to discover the calling within your heart and soul, much as she is doing for me.