Bear's Blog

Let’s get personal…

What is an altar? It brings a connection to spirit into everyday life. Whatever the context - whether it’s an altar in a specific religious location, or one in our homes, people have always naturally been drawn to create these reminders.

In fact, you may have an “altar” without labeling it as such. Whether it’s small or large, placed on a bedside table, fireplace mantle, windowsill or kitchen counter, it’s a collection of items that are meaningful to you. An altar is an invitation to pause; to celebr...

Sacred sites drew people to pray, bury the dead and honor their transition to the afterlife, and ask for blessings from the gods. We have marked these places recognized as spiritually significant. From a pile of rocks, to standing stones, to altars, outdoor cathedrals and eventually buildings, these edifices allowed people to worship in a more formal way, and in groups.

Many ancient sites have layers of historical, political, and religious importance, built over centuries to create a large complex. An example of this is ...

Natural features in the landscape that were recognized as having special energies or qualities attracted people; they became focal points of mythological and religious significance. These sites are found in most every culture and time, across the world.

Many of these sites have water as the predominant element.  The town of Calistoga, California grew up around effervescent hot springs that were known for healing by many Native American tribes. The Virgin Mary was sighted at a water grotto in Lourdes France, which then be...

I like this format of writing a series of articles on one subject – it keeps me focused and allows me to go deeper. So, through the end of this month, we will be exploring altars – such a rich arena! - and hopefully providing inspiration to keep your head above the political fray. It’s important to participate, and at the same time keep the big-picture perspective lively.

Starting with the history of altars, I was initially going to write about those grand religious monuments and eventually come around to personal home a...

Somehow, by happy accident? – medicine wheels have been a part of every School Retreat we’ve held since 2008. Several have been at the WD Ranch north of Big Timber, Montana. It’s a special place where Paul and Ellie Hawks, students of mine, built a very large wheel – a single circle – with a VERY large crystal planted in its center. We would begin with the silent “walk of intention” – like the Buddhist kinhin walking meditation – up the hill, with a few rattles and drums to accompany us.

Once there, we did some ceremony ...

Even more fun than visiting a medicine wheel, is building one! Chris Snell helped me build my first one in 2003. He had built many as large as 40’ wide on his family’s ranch (the Lazy EL) in Roscoe, Montana - but Chris has built medicine wheels in many environments, even a city backyard.

The McKay Method energy healing community has built three wheels over the years on a hill just east of Bozeman, Montana. They are smaller (approximately 10’ in diameter) but have a powerful energetic effect on the whole Gallatin Valley. ...

Medicine wheels are a creation of Native Americans that have been built for thousands of years. It’s a structure made by rocks placed in the landscape; it typically has a central stone(s) surrounded by one or more concentric circles, and/or two or more lines radiating outward from the center point. Most of the few hundred that survive are found in Canada and the U.S. Mountain West.

Some scientists and historians believe these forms were related to the stars, reflecting various celestial alignments (not unlike Stonehenge ...

I teach and practice “Full Spectrum” healing; that means I include the physical body as well as all the more subtle energetic forms that make up our whole being. It’s all connected, and it’s all important.

Just as we need to pay attention to our physical being, we also need to address and be engaged with the practical aspects of our lives. That includes participating in our group “consensus reality” - our families, communities and governments. We are fortunate to live in a democracy, having the right to vote, protest, an...

Whew! From looking at the general Presidential Energy Signature (44 from the past) and the Democratic primary field (28 candidates), we’re now down to two – and their plus-ones. It gives me an opportunity to delve into more of the dynamics of Energy Signatures, specifically the pros and cons – gifts and challenges – of the five energy types. 

Like so many things, there are “2 sides of the coin” to each energy type. In reality, the gifts and the challenges are at the edges of a spectrum; the more you’ve worked through you...

Last week I wrote about the typical Energy Signature of Presidents – now let’s review the Democratic primary candidates, for those who followed it. I will cover Joe Biden (and possibly his running mate!) again in Part 3 – the Final Nominees.

And in reviewing this, I notice that all the ”moderate” candidates had the same 3 types in their Signature (Royal, Warrior, Gardener). The ”progressive” candidates had Priest instead of Gardener in their signature – verrry interesting! 

(Here’s a cheat sheet on the physical characte...

It’s really hard to plan these days (we make plans and God laughs?) – but plan we must, and stay flexible from day to day.

There is the known; the unknown; and the unknowable. While the post-Corona future is unknown, we do have glimpses into what it might look like (based on what we’ve lived through so far). Some immediate takeaways from our current limbo land –

1) We are appreciating technology as a way to stay socially engaged on a bigger scale than ever before -

What would we have done without Zoom? Facetime and vide...

What’s REALLY killing us -

Having an either/or mentality will bite you back every time. When making a decision, I often have to jog my thinking to realize there is a continuum of choices available to me. It allows me to consider many variables and access their importance in the bigger picture.

Black and white, us and them, is easier to navigate than a “grey” zone of possibility.

Americans have hardened into debilitating partisanship; each “side” has its own facts, its own reality, and no room for other perspectives. It...