A Deeper Look Into Our History

Power Animals have a long history in the practice of shamanism. They are one of our primary spirit helpers. We have acknowledged such wisdom and ancientness in our circles this year.

 In circles past and articles written I have talked about caves with ancient altars to Bears and Jaguars. Cave paintings still adorn the walls where our Ancestors lived for thousands of years. Most cave artefacts were left between 35,000 and 10, 000 BCE. The most beautiful of what remains of cave art was obviously made during this long time period.

 In the cave Les Trois Freres inPyrenees, there are over 500 paintings and engravings. Many of the ancient paintings represent figures of man in various transitions between animal and human. From top to bottom a whole wall is covered with engravings. The surface has been worked by your ancestors with tools of stone, creating the animals that lived at this time in southern France: the mammoth, rhinoceros, bison, wild horse, bear, wild ass, reindeer, wolverine, musk ox; also, the smaller animals have been engraved: snowy owls, hares, and fish. In many of the pictures are seen darts everywhere, flying at the game, enacting the hunt. Several engravings of bears have holes where the images were struck and blood is shown spouting from their mouths.

 In circles past we gathered to do Jaguar postures. The postures we chose to do were of the jaguar shamans, half Jaguar/half shaman, referred to as the shapeshifter. Many of these paintings have very intricate details of the animals going so far in detail as to show movement. I believe the most intense of all of the trance postures I have ever done, Jaguar has been the most powerful.

 The Inuit call the shaman “lord of the beasts”. I think that we created such beautiful creations of animals because we found a medium to express our experiences traveling through the doorway. We could finally translate what we experienced. That very thought leaves an indelible impression upon me. The paintings of the animals are not symbolic, or at least rarely. Man is often a stick figure, not a great deal of attention was paid to humans. That may be for two reasons, first the artist knew everyone knew what a human looked like, and secondly the artist may have been attempting to portray that his presence was of little consequence. We move again to the cave, to the depth of the cave. I don’t think it is a hard leap to make, to say that the deeper we move into the darkness of caves in our journeys, the deeper we feel connected to the Sacred.

 We were originally hunter/gatherer societies. The animal would have been the most sacred and sought after spiritual helper. Glossolalia must have its origins in the first days of animal human relationships. For those who don’t know, glossolalia is the proper word for Tongues.  Shamans globally learnt the language of the animals, through sounds, gestures, observations, costumes… the shaman remembered the importance of NOT separating from a sacred language. One of the first things you learn at any basic shamanic workshop is to journey, or to take a voyage, to meet your power animal. This has been a basic step of shamanism throughout its history, which incidentally stems from the Ice Age and has continued without interruption to present day. If we look to the myths and stories we have studied this circle season we have seen a pattern. The myths tells us of a time when animals and humans spoke the same language and were in harmony. For various reasons the worlds, as they were, could no longer exist together. Separation occurred. The shaman’s first journey is to reunite the connection between the land of the animals and the land of the humans. That is an ecstatic experience. A balance between the human’s need to eat and the animal’s (often referred to as brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather…) right to life.

 In circles past I have talked about bear ceremonies and the altars.  Any trip to the library will allow the casual observer of shamanism the opportunity to see pictures in various books of shamans wearing head dresses of birds, coats of wolf skin as well as masks of all shapes and sizes. Power Animals still enable us, as they did our Ancestors, access to both the inner and the outer world. Over time we heal the rift that has developed and separated us into accepting that there is an inner and outer world, nasty duality.

 Story telling is an important part of our shamanic heritage. Some of the caves the initiates walked through ranged in depth of ½ kilometre to several kilometres. The use of stories told not only the initiates, but others involved as witnesses, the complex relationship between the world of the human and the world of the Spirits.  The stories also held deep meanings.

 Have you read the stories Bone Collector and Skeleton Woman? Skeleton woman is an Inuit story instructing the initiate about the importance of the skeleton. They believed that the skeleton was both death and resurrection. The flesh died away but the bones often did not decay, so it was an immortal event. Initiates journey to with the hope of finding their skeleton when they reach the Spirit World, for they then have truly crossed the barrier between the place where time exists, to the place where no time exists.

 The Bone Collector is a story of resurrection, however it also teaches the initiates to listen to the bones and to hear the language they speak. The phrase “the shaman is to be like a hollow bone” comes from these very thoughts. Shamans feel spirit in their bones, whether in their physical body or in the spiritual body. The Bone Collector sang to the bones, the vibration creating life in the bones. Healers sing to the bones of the dead, asking them to take their messages to the spirits and grant their request. Some Bear Shamans, as have been mentioned elsewhere on my site, were particularly adept at fixing bones, most times these shamans sang to their patients, the power of the song is what is used to bring the shattered parts of the bones back together. The divining shaman throws bones to find where the animals have gone. Animal bones played an enormous part in the role of the shaman.

Bear Medicine

 Bear Medicine

www.bearshaman.com

Power specifically associated with the Spirit of the Bear. Bear Shamans have been blessed particularly with the ability to heal. Anthropologists have remarked on this occurence as it is known in virtually all cultures within the bear’s range. In 1926, anthropologist A. Irving Hallowell studied bear ceremonialism throughout Europe, Asia and North America and noted that very different cultures shared language taboos when referring to bears. Often they called them Brother – and begged Brother not to hurt them. Sometimes the word for Bear in certain languages cannot be used when hunting them. They are often hunted with spears or axes even when guns were available. Many elaborate, and at times days long, rituals were held to honor Bear Body. It would be decorated beautifully, perhaps placed on a platform as a place of honor. Tribal members would make speeches.  It is also common in various tribes to observe similar restrictions on the eating of bear meat. Different tribes had different rituals or preparation ceremonies for the Bear Bones. 

Hallowell concluded that these ceremonial hunting practices shared a single, paleolithic origin that was then widely distributed around the boreal zone in Eurasia andNorth America. Even with much new data available about Siberian, Lapland Saami, and Japanese Ainu bear ceremonialism, scholars continue to agree with Hallowell’s thesis. Bears are referred to as the Constant Dreamer. In many traditions Bear is one of the Primal, or First Beings. So, to a simple person such as myself, it makes sense that Bear spoke to everyone who dreamed. Bear, apparently, was very specific regarding their treatment. I find that fascinating.

Certainly the bear’s liminal ability to navigate above and below ground gives it shamanic status in many cultures.  I use the word liminal to imply that Bear has the ability to see between worlds, as in between life and death. (hibernation).  

In western Siberia, the bear is thought to mediate between the living and the dead. In Jewish tradition, the bear is sometimes associated with one of the six directions—that of the earth.

 The bear is also known in many cultures as a great healer, since it seeks out plants for its own healing. North American brown bears and Kodiak bears are known to dig up Ligusticum porteri (also known, not surprisingly, as “bear root”) and chew on it and then rub it on their fur; the plant is known to have antibiotic properties, be good for stomachaches, and repel insects. I have been given a piece of bear root to stick in my mouth while singing. It worked quite well. Alaskan brown bears are known to chew on sedge to rid themselves of tapeworm and parasites before hibernating. And the common names of many other plants reflect bears’ usage: bearberry, bear’s paw, bear tongue, bear clover.

 As an animal that disappears in winter to reappear only in spring, the bear is also the symbol of renewal, rebirth, and the regaining of health. The ancient Greeks associated Artemis, goddess of plants and regeneration, with Bear; indeed, before marriage young Greek girls were secluded and called arktoi, or “she-bears” (interestingly, a menstruating Ojibwa woman was called Mako-wii, “bear woman”).

 Bear is also a species known for its strong maternal ties. The she-bear was worshipped by the Celts as the bear goddess Artio. And of course, Zeus changed Callisto into Ursa Major, the “Great She-Bear” of the sky.

 Bear medicine is powerful medicine, bringing healing, renewal, and rebirth. This is the gift that Grandmother Bear brings those who live in bear country.

Carl Jung referred to Bear energy as feminine. Many myths refer to Bear as Female. In my shamanic journeys I have often met Bear when she is digging or just inside her den. All around her are roots of many plants hanging down. She has been a good teacher of medicine for me. One of my journeys I was buried in the Earth and Bear dug me out tearing the nose off my face. She got my attention. I did take her advice and dug around deep into my self,  ‘rooting’ out what was hidden. Caverns, Caves, Grottos are often referred to as symbols for our deepest levels of subconscious.

Spend some time with Bear. I have found Mudjekeewis to be a splendid teacher. Not always a gentle teacher, but deeply loved and appreciated by myself.

Further thoughts on Waking The Bear

Waking the Bear – March 17, 2012

When we Dreamt the Dark for Winter Solstice we sang, drummed and aspected Eros. We learnt the word “parthenogenesis” which comes from the Greek  parthenos, meaning “virgin”, and genesis, meaning “birth”. Just in case you missed that the first time <insert fun wink>

 We discussed the duality of Eros the “ two-sexed, two-faced, glorious Eros”. Eros portrayed as a beautiful golden-winged hermaphroditic deity wrapped in a serpent’s coils. I picture the coils of the serpent to be silver, liquid silver.

 Eros, in the beginning myths, was that of “coming together of that which has always been separate.”  The Unconscious and the Conscious… the Primordial Creative Cause – the element that binds and attracts Spirit and Matter together. The binding together of two aspects of Eros – the penetration & blending energy of matter, with its counterpart and complement, Spirit. Esoterically, Eros is the leading force within a seeker that takes her/him away from a level of duality to a level of unity and wholeness. Eros wedded Psyche – Goddess of our Soul.

 Eros bestowed upon us a powerful vision; the passionate bond between the Seer and the Seen. Cosmic Eros “creates living seeds” and harmonizes the random elements of Primal Chaos and Primal Earth into a living world. Eros not only drives all organisms to procreation, but also into relationship with each other: mating, bonding, nurturing, and all other forms of desiring, not excluding hunting and preying, for passion hungers like the hunter for its prey.

 Eros is the cosmic force which causes the unmanifest (Chaos) to seek self-manifestation: it is divine love, will, desire; the desire to manifest in creative activity, and thus to give life and existence to all beings. This desire, which “arises first in It”, is in the gods and in all nature. After the worlds have been manifested, Eros then becomes, the ever-active force which brings together and combines the elemental atoms.

 Funky heh!! I thought so. And then I asked to be placed in the Bears Den and Dream Waking the Bear. How does a Bear Dream from Eros. How do we gather to Manifest Bear from the “ever active force which brings together and combines”… Bear, The First Being; One of  THE ANCESTORS.  A sky nation recognized by Beings on Earth.  Bear led me on a Dream….

 Come on into the Den…. You know you wanna…. <insert yet another playful wink>

 On March 17 – Waking the Bear – we seek to expose the soil of our souls; the dark rich soil, much like the Dark –  Den –  Bear –  Slumbers. In. Waking the Bear, our chance to connect with our Constant Dreamer. Bear also known as the Dreamer That Never Awkens. Dream on Mama, Dream On

 Give me Your Visions Mama

We seek Bear Dreams the World – the Constant Dreamer, as our guide to waking our Dreamer within. Eros awoke us to the Duality the Unconscious and Conscious within ourselves. Now, we must awaken from the slumber of the Dark Night and put our Dreams into Action. Do we have a clear vision? A good question to ask ourselves.

 I do not know what position, or role, you will take in the coming time nor do I have to… our work together for Waking the Bear is just about March 17, 2012. How, you will be, on March 18, 2012, is your own story.. your own mystery… a mystery of which I am not involved in.. but for right that night…you are in My Dream, My Mama Bear Dream, you are all a part of Bears dream to Embody (Aspectors), Aliven (Joikers) and awaken Her Dream (Drummers) … We are all a part of the Dreamer That Never Awkens. Constant Dreamer, Dream On Mama Dream On

 We are in very troublesome times. However, as the end of 2012 approaches, my dreams are asking me to become solid within myself  (ourselves) and (my) our own intuition BEFORE we reach out to others. 

 I Give you My Body Mama

 We are all gathered here and we are all healers in our right.  Bear in long old myths refer to Bear as the Original Healer. It is speculated, and I imagine true, our Ancestors – GLOBALLY – watched what Bears ate, so they too could learn which plants are safe. So, how did they know the Bear stomach would be similar… and not the Dear? Just asking…. We know some of our strengths, but certainly not all of them. 

 Healers come in all forms, shapes and sizes. All forms of abilities. Some, gasp, even work with the Light. Why yes, yes they do. Shocking to the likes of me… <smiling> One aspect of healing for me is altering the world from within the parameters you have.

 Waking the Bear require the Dreamer within each of us, to be awoken (oxymoron I know, but…) to function fully from Higher Self and ourHigher Place. 

 Much like Eros, the Constant Dreamer, is considered to be a Spirit of Creation. There was a belief once commonly held that bear cubs were born without a physical form, and that their mothers licked them into shape, creating order out of Chaos. The Bear thus became widely seen as a symbol of creation. In Greek mythology it was the sacred animal of Artemis the huntress who, although a virgin, was also the Goddess of childbirth.

 Give me your Wisdom Mama

 The Bear is one of the symbols of renewal such as is the Moon and the World Tree.

 We are gathering together this evening to support one another in our endeavour to become more self-aware.  Now self-knowledge is a solitary path, no one can do it for you and nothing can create it instantly for you.  Our dial a day mentality does not lend itself to nurturing self awareness.

 As Bear is connected with each one of us, each one of us is connected to each other as well.  On the Medicine Wheel North is the place of Community.  Everything is Community.  We are a part of the Whole, whether We are conscious of that or not. Reality does not necessarily require your belief to continue to exist. It can however, be shaped… Reality can be quite the mind bender.

 We do not know where the world is heading to politically, environmentally, socially or even human to human. We are gathered here today to Waken the Bear, The Bear is not only a healer but is guardian of the hidden time, the dream time… we are allowed this evening to take an active part of Bears Constant Dream. We will Breathe Deeply Bear, welcoming Her Wisdom through our Drums, Our Voices and Our Bodies.

 We sing songs of Bear to all of us and sing songs to awaken the Bear Within.. the healer, the mother, the father… the wisdom keeper. The time of Mudjekeewis is the Evening til Midnite, Autumn, our adult years to elder time. This is the time of slowing down, of taking stock of experiences, of going within, like the Grizzly in autumn, but going within spiritually, to gain strength from the knowledge thus gained; the time to prepare for the times of “winter” or later times.  Like Eros, manifest the unmanifested.

 If you are reading this last sentence… Bravo, you have a great attention span. Thank you. I ask that you remember we are on this journey together. How can we truly do our spiritual walk and create a global spiritual community without walking through the fires together  — confident that we have ancestral resources and spirit helpers that shall guide us and show us the way. All traditions, through their deep mystical paths — often hidden beneath contemporary, obscuring clothing–offer us much. Such explorations together can restore vision to eyes and hearts weary with the conflicts of the world. Thus restored, we can bring sustenance to others — and we need this in these times.