Adventures of the Blue-eyed Bear

Totem Pole a creation story.

The Blue-eyed Bear tells this creation story. You see Bears were the first creatures to walk on the earth. They were made from a lump of mud pulled up from the depths of the Earth herself  by the star nosed mole and shaped by the industry of the of the humble bee. Thats why to this day all bears love honey and are great diggers.

After a while the first Bears got real hunger and went down to the sea in search of some sweet fish meat. Well, those first Bears ate so many fish that they almost became fish themselves. And that is why to this day all bears love  seafood and are great swimmers.

After swimming for along while with the great cod fish, the first Bears and cod fish formed a creature that was half bear and half, well fish. At least this creature didn’t have much hair on its body but otherwise it had hands and feet like a bear but with no claws like a fish. Oh and its hairless body was green! And to this day you can see the ancestors of some of these creatures with their little hands and feet and hairless bodies. They are called frogs.

Others of these green creature followed the first Bears out on to the land when the Bears decided it was time to return and feast on the splendor of the Earth. You see, Bears to this day are always hungry.

The green creatures had a hard time adjusting to life on land. Because of their beginnings in the sea they could not see well with their eyes or hear with their ears so they made plaintive cries to the first Bears for help. Since this creature was part bear the first Bears felt obliged to find a remedy so that the green creatures could live on the land. And to this day you will find that Bears are very attentive to the cries of their offspring.

It just happened that night was falling and the first Bears spotted Little Owl. Little Owl had keen sight an great hearing so that she could hunt on land in the dark of night. The first Bears ask the Little Owl to give the gift of good sight and hearing to the green creatures from the Sea so that they too could hunt on land and make a living. But Little owl had a price. You see she had no voice. So for the gift of good sight and hearing she was given the plaintive cries of the green creature from the Sea. And to this day you can still hear Little Screech Owl’s own plaintive cry.

As time passed the green creatures became quite a good hunter on land. Their sight and hearing wasn’t quit as keen as the owl’s but it was good enough. Gift such as these don’t get transferred exactly. They also had bear heart and stamina as well as the fish’s ability to swim and love of the sea. Their skin went for green to different shades of brown as they were exposed longer and longer to the sun. And to this day you can find them  hunting on land, in the sea, and in the air.  They call themselves Human!

Fisher Bear

The Blue-eyed Bear is hungry for salmon and she has found them in abundance in the Book of Kells. The Greek word for fish icthus is an anagram for Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. And the fish symbolic of the Christ has been used since the 2nd century. The Kells serpents too, are thought to be a symbol of the resurrection as the snake is renewed to life by shedding its skin or physical body . The BE Bear just finds the Kells serpents supportive and the fish tasty! What more could a bear want!

Ubi mel ibi Ursa

The Blue-eyed Bear is exploring the wildness within the Book of Kells a 9th century Irish/Celtic illuminated Gospel. There is a whole bestiary within the pages of the book, but no bears. So the B-E Bear created her own illuminated passage. It states “where there is honey there are bears.”

The Arctic Hare paddles the Night Boat Moon across the sky bringing joy to Bears everywhere!

The Blue-eyed Bear looks up at the Moon and sees her friend the Arctic Hare taking the night boat across the sky. It is a hopeful sign that the natural order of this creation continues at the most basic of level no matter how many disasters be fall it. Life finds a way to flourish. The B-E Bear believes that life is the meaning of this creation, this world, this Earth.

A Rabbit, or for the B-E Bear’s mythology the Hare, in the Moon has a deep tradition in many human cultures. The rabbit is seen by the Japanese  and by the Maya for whom it was associated with the Moon goddess.

The night boat  or celestial boat is an old motif that comes out of ancient Egypt as that boat carried Ra the Sun through the underworld it was called the “boat of the Millions” because it carried the millions of the dead. The celestial boat was also important to the ancients of Europe and it appears on the Mittelberg disk the oldest known depiction of the night sky (ca. 1600 BC) found in central Germany.

A night boat, a celestial boat,  a chariot, or  a sleigh carrying a  god from the North Pole and pulled by reindeer are all one and the same. They bestow generous gifts (fertility) on those that believe. Today this myth is relegated to a child’s tale that is told only at the Winter Solstice to spur commerce. The B-E Bear believes that Arctic Hare’s moon boat bestows gifts all year long or at least reminds us of the gifts we already hold!

The bear is clearly reflected when the water is calm.

The Blue-eyed Bear was reminded yesterday how important it is to take time to check-in and take stock of how she is feeling, both on the inside and the out. Only in this way can she maintain a open and loving connection to all creation. Borrowing from and altering just a bit one of the Ki Aikido sayings of Koichi Tohei Sensei “The bear is clearly reflected in the water when the water is calm. In this same way when her mind and body are unified and calm her Universal Mind manifests itself completely. Once this happens all suffering and conflict fall away and the Spirit of love and protection for all things appears in her.”

This post starts a the new Category of Bear Reflections that is a way for the B-E Bear to better explore her inner world as well as her physical world.