Bear's Blog
So, what is our new normal? Your new normal?
We will not be able to move in the world in the same way we used to, at least for a year or two. A vaccine will help a lot, and “herd immunity” – 60-70% of the population exposed – will take a few years to achieve. In the meantime, contacts outside our “bubble” need to be limited and carefully considered. So until then…
What is important to you? What choices are you making?
The only appointments I have...
Wow. Do we get to revisit the (Spanish Flu) pandemic of 1918, the Great Depression of 1929, and the Civil Rights Movement of 1968, all at once?
A friend recently noted that the current astrology* is very similar to the late 1960’s and early 70’s. Let’s remember what was going on back then…
…the Civil Rights Movement, the Feminist Movement, “Gay” Liberation, Vietnam protests, Cesar Chavez and the United Farmworkers boycotts, the Environmental...
This is the last Corona Care Kit newsletter. We are collectively diving back into action, for better or worse; going back to work, public spaces, stores and restaurants. Dipping our toes into the social pool, the new way forward is uncertain and tentative. Being propelled into the public square, literally or figuratively, we are called to make something new, and better from these times.
Last week’s newsletter – Stop, Drop, and Roll with It! – referenced what to do when...
Tumultuous times are with us. The tide of emotions and thoughts can be overwhelming. Maybe you are upset, angry, sad, scared, or discouraged. Possibly you are experiencing a mix of those, or a feeling that doesn’t even have a label. We are certainly experiencing a disturbance - in the energy field, in the streets, in our thinking and emotions, and ultimately in our bodies. I feel a heaviness in my body, and a numbness that slows everything down.
My self-care practices are helpful while...
Nature! Nature is all of us, and everything in the world. There is an ongoing mutual exchange, support and reciprocity between all living organisms. And while the natural world nourishes us in many ways, I want to talk about our direct relationship with FOOD; there’s the practical, the energetic and the spiritual aspects.
In recent years there has been more attention on local food, native plants, seed diversity and organic farming. Community gardening programs have sprung up in...
Is there a situation where the suffering is deep and complex, and you don’t know what to do (like now)? It seems an appropriate time to share this meditation, with Corona taxing our resilience and understanding of what’s happening in the world. It’s an antidote to feeling helpless or afraid. In class many years ago, a student asked me during the (first) Iraq war “what can I do?” and this was my answer (it’s now part of every Foundation class I teach)....
The next installment of the Corona Care Kit - Play! Or at least not trying to “apply” ourselves, plenty of that going on – as I said in the first Corona Care newsletter, the key to sanity is having a regular schedule. Then what seems to happen, at first or after a while is – the need for self-discipline. My schedule seems to get looser as time goes on and I find myself lost in thought more. So this week’s Corona Care is an alternative spacing out, but serves the...
Working from home, schooling from home, trying to organize ALL our activities and time – from home – gets exhausting. So here’s something you can do whenever the impulse strikes you – be inconsistent, undisciplined, irregular!
For this week's Corona Care Kit item, I want to suggest a BOOK that is a wealth of wisdom, a reference, a divination invitation, a philosophical perspective, and intuitive guidance. It’s next to my bedside, and has been for many...
Ah, MOVEMENT - this week's Corona Care Kit topic. We feel confined right now, but don’t let your body suffer! Movement supports all aspects of our physical health – circulatory and respiratory, muscular and skeletal (use it or lose it!), endocrine and nervous (sleep! reverse the fight/flight response!) and especially immunity. The lymph fluid cleans up cellular debris from antibodies fighting invaders, and then moves it out of the system. The problem is, it doesn’t have a...
And now, for Nature. There is always so much support being offered to us from the “natural world”. It’s ironic – but helpful! - that we are going through this big contraction at a time the Earth is expanding into springtime. Nature and its forces are eternal, moving through seasons and cycles that provide us with continuity and define our activity. We have become more disconnected with our inherent nature in the modern world. It’s interesting to see nature...
This week’s Corona Care subject transcends categories – it could be in play/art, meditation, nature, or gratitude. I’m going to frame altars as a way of bringing moments of gratitude into your days – but they can also evoke inspiration, contemplation, devotion and appreciation.
What is an altar? It’s a visual reminder that brings a connection to spirit into everyday life. A place for the mind to rest and appreciate a greater perspective of what is. Just...
Here’s the next installment in the Corona Care Kit, in the ”Play” category. Have you been breaking out a few board games, puzzles, or playing cards? Have enough people for charades? Here’s a unique addition…
A few years ago one of my students, Patty Lisieski, was inspired by a child in her life to do a “McKay Method” (Monopoly) game for her graduate project. It’s hilarious, and she was so creative with the format! So now we would like to...