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the Snow Moon with bear Medicinewalker


I thought it was fitting since Grandmother Moon has been ever so playful of us as of late, keeping us on our toes and eyes wide open during her reign in our night skies, that I once again revisit the story of the Snow Moon. It has long been a favorite of mine and a story that delights the children as well as the child that dwells within. Yet it also holds valuable lessons of community, trust and working together. So I hope you can enjoy the story as much as I do telling and sharing it. Perhaps it will shine a little light in your life and illuminate your world to a better understanding of things….

As it was long ago and far to the north… winter nights were very long, dark and bitter cold. Nights were so long, dark and cold that all the Four Leggeds and their friends could barely gather enough food to survive the season. No matter how quickly they tried to gather nuts and seeds, the darkness covered them and stopped all their efforts. On such a day Squirrel decided that something had to be done. Her first stop would be a visit to her friends the field mice.

“Oh, we do not know what to do,” said Father Mouse. “We have so many children to feed, and the winter nights are so long and dark.”

“I will help you my little friends,” Squirrel replied.

Next Squirrel went to see Porcupine to ask him if he too had been having trouble finding food during the long dark winter.

“Oh, yes,” said Porcupine,“ nothing can be done it has always been this way.”

“I don’t believe that,” said Squirrel. “There must be something that can be done.”

“It’s best to leave things as they are for you never know what could happen if you try and change things,” said Porcupine. With a bristle of quills, he scurried off through wintery wind and snow.

Squirrel sat and thought for a bit and then decided to seek out Owl. Owl rested by day and flew the woods at night, with eyes bigger than all the other animals. Perhaps Owl would know a way to bring light to the winter forest.

Squirrel climbed high in Owl’s maple tree and waited for Owl to wake.

“What brings you to me Squirrel?” asked Owl.

“All of the small woodland animals need to hunt by darkness as well as day. The northern winter nights are far too dark for us. If we could only find a little light to help us see we could gather our food with ease”

Owl agreed to ponder on this problem. He lifted his feathery head and then buried it into his shoulders to think. He thought all day long, while Squirrel shivered on the windy branch. Finally, he startled with thought, “I will talk to the Sky Father and see if he can bring the stars closer to us during the winter time.”

Squirrel flicked her tail in excitement and hope as she raced down the tree to her spot in the woods. A few days went by and then Owl flew in and landed at Squirrel’s burrow.

“Tell our small friends that the Sky Father has decided he will bring the stars closer to us at night. But first, he must clear all the clouds from the sky. We must all prepare for a strong and terrible blizzard.” With that said, Owl flew off to his tree.

All the animals worked as quickly as they could to forage all the nuts, berries and seeds that they found. Then they gathered and huddled in a hollow log and watched as the huge storm clouds gathered in the sky above.

For three days the Sky Father gathered the storm clouds in the sky, stacking them in huge towers. The animals shivered below, waiting. On the third day, the storm arrived. The blizzard howled through the woods. The animals were frightened, all except Squirrel for she believed in what Owl had promised.
When the storm died away, a huge snowdrift had blocked the hollow log so that the animals could see nothing but the wall of snow and the darkness from inside the hollow space. They were scared and disappointed, thinking that only hunger and darkness awaited them.

Brave Little Squirrel made her way through all her friends and turned to them, “Wait here, I will tunnel out and see if the stars are closer as the Great Sky Father promised.”

Squirrel dug and dug, pushing through the cold and wet snow finally reaching the top. When her head popped out through the snow, she gasped in surprise. The winter stars hung so low in the evening sky, it seemed that she could almost touch them.

A large, antlered moose stepped forward and bowed his head, “I have been sent to help you, if you little animals can gather all the snow you can and push it into a giant snowball, I will then carry it cradled in my antlers across the highest mountain ridges, where it will shed light on even the darkest winter nights.”

So they all worked together with the help of the moose and the Sky Father to create the first Snow Moon. Now despite the cold and the long nights of darkness, all are happy in the winter when the stars come close and the moon shines bright like great snowball in the sky.

 


I am dedicated to Educating and sharing the lessons, teachings and culture I have been taught by my Elders and journey with the World. It is not enough merely to learn the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…

Blessings to you All,

bear Medicinewalker

Music provided by Chris Ferree and available at http://www.chrisferree.com  as part of the Wolf and the bear Network @2018

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Spiritual and Totem Insights for the Day the Moose


Moose what some view as gentle and cuddly are far from it! (Other than the stuffed toy ones that is!) They are true to themselves and set the example for their young. They are reminding us today to do just that, set the example… and instill in them the lessons and foundations that they need to have to move forward in life in a good and strong manner. We are responsible for each step and the chain reactions that we cause, no one else.

Our Elders and Ancestors have experienced much so we could be here… but not for us to hold onto the negatives they endured here as they walked among us, but rather so we would become stronger and wiser. Moose reminds us to remember the lessons so we do not have to relive them over and over again!

Moose reminds us of Life and the inner Strengths that each and everyone of us has deep down in our Soul’s. Moose is all about listening to our instinct and remaining in balance when using our strength, for sometimes situations call for gentle strength and at other times it calls on us to be fierce! They remind us to look to our Elders, our Wise ones in and around our Sacred Hoops for advice and perspective.

As large as Moose are they are still graceful in movement, stealth and quick when called for. That is a huge lesson for us to learn as we walk the Human. It isn’t always about being first, or always thinking that our way is the only way… it is about honoring and respecting all points of view and then choosing the most positive for you. Knowing our Soul’s true purpose is to walk in positives and experience life itself. Moose tells us to be proud of who we are as individuals and let no one tell you that you are less than.

Moose encourages us to be true to ourselves and who we are… Self Love is one of the hardest things to attain for many, so get your bootstraps, pull them up and walk proudly for who you are and remember it isn’t about ego, it isn’t about what others see in us… it is about balance and pride in the positives we are able to step forward in.

 


I am dedicated to Educating and sharing the lessons, teachings and culture I have been taught by my Elders and journey with the World. It is not enough merely to learn the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…

Blessings to you All,

bear Medicinewalker

Music provided by Chris Ferree and available at http://www.chrisferree.com  as part of the Wolf and the bear Network @2017

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Spiritual and Totem Insights for the Day the Hawk


Today the Hawk is here reminding us that we need to take a closer look at self and how we effect the things not only within our own lives, but in the world we live in. We Need to understand that only we give ourselves power, and that is controlled by what we allow to be factored into our awareness. If we allow the negatives from others in… then we in turn will allow it to eat away at our power, our Sacred Hoop causing unbalance. Which can lead to health issues, our ability to think clearly, to move forward in life in a good manner. If we allow and protect ourselves from those negative elements, we allow positives in and thus strengthen our Sacred Hoops. So as the Hawk shows itself to us today, sharing it’s insights… what will you choose to do? How will you move forward? Empower Yourself by keeping your focus on what is best for you!

Red Tail Hawk shows up to help us understand the meaning in ordinary experiences if open and become aware of our surroundings. The Red Tail Hawk is awakening our souls so that we may begin the journey of our spirituality, preparing us for those Life Lessons that will soon show up.

Red Tail Hawks are messengers of the between, sharing insights and knowledge extended to us from the Ancestors and the world of Spirit. They speak to us of looking from a different vantage point and thus giving us a broader view of any given situation, helping us to not only be aware that a message awaits us, but also helping us to understand those messages.

Red Tailed Hawks are sacred and as they enter our presence, we must honor them by opening our minds and keeping them sharp while we look for wisdom and answers as we walk the human.

The Red Tailed Hawk’s red tail feathers distinguish it from other hawks, and remember that it does not receive their red feathers until at a later point in life after it has matured and experienced life around it. These feathers must be earned. The color Red represents Power and Energy that will lie dormant until it is awakened by our Souls as they walk and journey life and honor its own Sacred Hoop.

2018 the year of “I AM”

“I am Dedicated to Educating and sharing the culture with the World. It is not enough merely to teach the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…”

Many Blessings to ya’ll
~bear Medicinewalker

 

 

Music provided by Chris Ferree and available at http://www.chrisferree.com  as part of the Wolf and the bear Network @2017

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A Gift of Time


So many times we wonder how time has passed us so quickly, where have the years gone, the days… How has the day itself gotten away from us so fast? Next thing we know it is another day, another month, another year, this is a human condition we experience… called “Time.”

So today I would like to share an experience of “Time” that I recently had….

This past weekend of December 9th marked 9 years from my Mother’s passing. Hard to believe so much time has passed here in my reality. It was a quiet weekend spent with a dear friend who is a Sister to me, as we chatted and relaxed in what I describe as a quick moment from her otherwise hectic life.

While she was here her attention was drawn during the evening to a clock on my fireplace wall as she checked the time which according to the clock was 9:00 p.m. and I replied, “Oh no, that can’t be the time. It was my Mom’s clock and it never runs on time, for whatever reason it just never has since she passed… I simply have it there as part of her.” Yet as we both looked the time was accurate, a fact I thought was a little odd since even though I change the battery every 6 months for 9 years, it has never been accurate and it is a fact that people visiting my home have always witnessed. However on the anniversary of Mom’s death, it was running correctly. I just sort of smiled on the inside and never paid attention to it the rest of the day.

It is funny sometimes to think of how the littlest things can spark memories or smiles from our past. My Mind played over all the times my Mom would ask me to change the batteries in the old little clock… she would say it is running off again, to which I would reply, “But we just changed them last month.”

“I know” she would say “But won’t you just please change them again?” And of course I did grumbling to her the entire time that she should just simply purchase another clock. But of course that wouldn’t do when new batteries worked just the same, even though they did not. Yet it was Mom’s logic and I bowed to it begrudgingly.

And now I would pay to bow to it in any form if I could share but a moment with her here once again in the human. To hear her sharply scold me and then laugh… and me replying how much I love her even though she drives me crazy. Yup those are the moments that are sparked in my memories… all from a little clock that sets on my fireplace wall.

As the weekend ended, my “Sister” had to leave to travel back home… and as the dust settled the dog and I went to the living room to sit and relax back into our cycles. I was sitting on the couch as I glanced up at the clock on the wall and it was stopped at the exact time of my Mother’s death. Now mind you it had run all night and morning… but to stop at that precise time was as if she was reminding me she is always there and sending hugs of encouragement and love from a place that has no time…and yet all time.

So when you are in doubt, when you are in sadness or perhaps simply when you are remembering the past, understand that from a place we can only get a small glimpse of understanding from… we are loved, encouraged, and undoubtedly watched over. At least that is this old bear’s belief for it makes my heart smile.

Oh and in case you were wondering… yes the clock has began running again… but only in My Mothers Time!

Blessings to you all this day and beyond,

~ bear Medicinewalker

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Remnants of the Past, Some Thoughts as we Enter the Holiday Season… as shared by bear Medicinewalker

As I sit pouring a cup of tea this day the steam rising from the cup takes my mind on a journey through all the memories I have stored of Holidays past. Filled with laughter, tears, anger, joy, chaos and calm… my story is no more or less than anyone’s I suppose, other than it is mine.

Thoughtfully I glance through old photo’s and little notes scribbled on the back of each… old holiday cards, notes from those long days ago from families I worked with back in Detroit at Children’s Hospital. People that I have never nor will I ever forget, all having left imprints on my soul. Family members I am no longer in communication with, or have long since left their Earth Walk… hard to remember and wonderful to remember at the same time. The laughter, the voices of the past ringing of wisdoms and love… Perhaps for a time dimming my inner light, but after the grieving process adding fuel to that same light enabling me to grow and become who I have become this day, this moment.

This journey each of us walk, this human affliction called life that builds us up, breaks us down and then allows us to grow and our wings to spread, when flight occurs in positives and we become the amazing I am… the person we are meant to be… all this passes by in a blink, a moment, a breath.

I often challenge Creator, the Ancestors and all the Realms to reach out and push me to be better, to move farther, and to do more… to become more. I wonder who I am meant to be, what I am supposed to do with the gifts that I was born with… for questioning is again a human thing we do, asking ourselves what are we doing with our lives. Is this all there is? Is this what I am supposed to be doing? Looking down at hands folded and seeing a shadow of my younger self echoed in the hands that are beginning to show time in each wrinkled line…

Sadness for those that seemingly were taken too soon, as I see familiar faces that smile or glance at me from the images in front of me… but who am I to question for I know as I have been shown all has purpose, all have contracted to have the life that we walk. Were a wish I could make true is that all of us could stay with each other in human form, especially when we are at our lowest lows or highest high points of life, to give comfort in those storms and accomplishments. But I suppose in a sense we do as we are left always with the imprints of souls long since passed on our own, having helped build foundations of love and strength and clear paths to our journeys.

I suppose some may say these are ramblings and thoughts of an old person, perhaps I am getting older…but I hope that it implies I have learned some lessons along the way and that I am simply being thoughtful…. Respectful… Honoring the Truths that have been shared with me and all of us really over the years.

People have given me many definitions to who I am or what I do in this life since I was little… but I choose to believe that the one I honor the most is the one my Mom and Dad told me a long time ago, “Simply be You… do your best, be your best and that is all we can ask of you.” I hope that I am honoring that definition and guidance they whispered to me so long ago and will continue to do so.

The holidays echo in my mind…the hustle of the morning getting ready to travel to my Grandparents home, gathering for gifts, family time and food. Trying to push my way into the bathroom ahead of my two brothers and my sister… really it was an attempt to get away from my Mom who was trying to put me in a dress, white socks and black paten leather shoes… and my Dad gently grabbing my hand and telling me to go to the other room as my Mom was waiting. My Brother laughing and sticking his tongue out at me cause I got caught as he ducked into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him…

Then finally all of us ready, piling into the car me shoved into the middle and all of us pushing and shoving for more room in the back seat of the old Dodge… but this is what life is no matter what or era, it is about pushing and shoving and making our way the best we know how to. We might not always get the spot we want right away, but it is the process that counts.

I once asked my Grandfather about life, about what is the secret to a good life. I remember his smile that crossed his face as he answered, “Well that is simple Granddaughter… the secret is to Live.”

For all those that have supported me in this life I thank each of you, whether the lesson was a good one, a tough one… I thank you.

Blessings,
bear Medicinewalker

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A Lesson from Long Ago…the Story of White Calf Buffalo Woman and the Sacred Pipe as shared by bear Medicinewalker


The story of White Calf Buffalo Woman was handed down long ago and is shared to this day. I revisited it once again this morning and had validation I needed to share it once more from an unlikely source that I was participating in earlier today. The reason I was reminded was that often people only remember part of the story, or even tell part of the story…. But it resonated so loudly today as Women (and Men) are rising everywhere and calling out their abusers. They are finding voice that will allow them to heal.

Why some might say does this have anything to do with the true teachings of White Calf Buffalo Woman? Well because she came to the people as Teacher/Prophet/Ancestor to teach All the Sacred way to Pray and walk the earth as Human… and we must remember that once again for so many are lost as they walk their journey among the chaotic world we live in today.

The story begins …

In the time of the Ancestors, two young men had left their village to hunt. As they walked to the hunting grounds they came upon a beautiful young maiden dressed in white buckskin. Upon seeing her, one of the hunters looked upon her and recognized her as a Sacred Being and immediately lowered his eyes. The second hunter did not and moved towards her with lust in his eyes, desiring to only take her as a woman.

White Buffalo Calf Woman beckoned the lustful hunter to her. He was happy to comply and quickly moved to her, but as he did a whirling cloud of dust arose engulfing them and causing them to be hidden from view. When the dust settled, nothing but a pile of bones lay next to her. She then moved towards the respectful young hunter, explaining that she had simply fulfilled the other man’s desire, allowing him, within that brief moment, to live a lifetime, die and decay.

White Buffalo Calf Woman then instructed the young man to go back to his village and instruct them to prepare for her arrival for she would teach them of the way to pray, the way to live as Sacred. The young hunter obeyed.

When White Buffalo Calf Woman arrived with the sacred bundle (the prayer pipe) she taught the People of the seven sacred ways to pray. These prayers are through ceremonies that include the Sweat Lodge for purification; the Naming Ceremony for child naming; the Healing Ceremony to restore health to the body, mind and spirit; the adoption ceremony for making of relatives; the marriage ceremony for uniting male and female; the Vision Quest for communing with the Creator for direction and answers to one’s life; and the Sundance Ceremony to pray for the well-being of All People.

When the teaching of the Sacred Ways was complete, White Buffalo Calf Woman told the people she would again return for the sacred bundle that she left with them. Before leaving, she told them that within her were the four ages, and that she would look back upon the People in each age, returning at the end of the fourth age, to restore harmony and spirituality to a troubled land.

She walked a short distance and looked back towards the people and sat down. When she arose they were amazed to see she had become a black buffalo. Walking a little further, the buffalo laid down, this time arising as a yellow buffalo. The third time the buffalo walked a little further and this time arose as a red buffalo. Walking a little further it rolled on the ground and rose one last time as a white buffalo calf signaling the fulfillment of the White Buffalo Calf prophecy.

The changing of the four colors of the White Buffalo Calf Woman represents the four colors of man–white, yellow, red and black. These colors also represent the four directions, north, east, south and west.

The sacred bundle that was left to the Lakota people is still with the People in a sacred. It is kept by a man known as the Keeper of the White Buffalo Calf Pipe, and today that man is Chief Arvol Lookiing Horse 19th generation keeper of White Buffalo Calf Woman and spiritual elder of Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people of the Dakotas tells of the White Buffalo prophecy and caring for Unci Maka Grandmother Earth.

So let us go back to our roots of who we are supposed to be…who we are supposed to walk as in this Human world, and remember we are all equal, we all need to walk with Respect, Honesty…share Wisdom’s that have been passed down to us by the Ancestors, to Love each other, to have Humility, to rise with Courage, to Own our Truths as positives and as Sacred…

May we All learn to walk in Peace…from this moment forward.

 


I am bear Medicinewalker and I am dedicated to Educating and sharing the lessons, teachings and culture I have been taught by my Elders and journey with the World. It is not enough merely to learn the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…”

Blessings to You All
bear Medicinewalker

 

“Prayers from Within” by Award Winning Musician Jan Micheal Lookingwolf available at http://www.lookingwolf.com/

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Spiritual and Totem Insights for the Day – the Butterfly


Today the Butterfly graces our day with messages from “Spirit” and lessons of migration and travel. Here at the lake the Butterfly has passed through heading for warmer climates and gentle breezes. It knows when to use it’s internal clock and instinct to guide it to where it needs to be. Sensing that there is a right time for everything, and everything occurs exactly when and where it is meant to.

Often we are in such a hurry that we miss lifes little nuances that it shares with us. Butterfly is reaching out to remind us to be aware of all that is happening around our Sacred Hoops for when we do, eyes wide open…we can see the Magic of it All!

The Butterfly is connected to the elemental Air. It represents to many cultures the story of Transformation. It teaches us how to shift, change and move with whatever life brings to our paths. This helps us to learn how to work through events and situations that we encounter in our lives so that we can move through changes in what appears to be effortless with grace allowing our Sacred Hoops to come into and stay balanced.

Butterfly shares with us the gift of understanding that we all have purpose, we are all part of a grander plan, that we all exist to complete the balance needed in the world we live in. Without each of us inputting our energies, our purposes… other things would not come to fruition. Such as the pollen that is collected when they land in a grouping of flowers, when they move from place to place they assist the species in continuing to exist. We too are much like the Butterfly, for without each of us to contribute our efforts, our knowledge sharing it with our young people, with each other… ideas and cultures would eventually cease to exist.

Butterfly teaches us that we need to quiet our minds to hear the echoes of our souls, to look around you and appreciate all that is Sacred. Teachings are also about how we move through our lives transforming and constantly changing. As we are seeded into the womb where we begin our earth journeys growing and nurturing to prepare to enter the world, we are much like the Butterfly in the cocoon until we emerge slowly transforming into what and who we are to become.

Throughout our lives this occurs as we move through the changes in our life. So don’t fight the changes, rather honor the process of it as your Soul grows and expands into all that it can be… the beautiful soul that is an intricate part of the Human Race.

So today take time and honor who you are, remembering that you and all that you are is meant to be for a purpose and wonderful reason…. Take a moment to breathe, take a moment to revel in becoming understanding that you are important to all life!

 


I am bear Medicinewalker and I am dedicated to Educating and sharing the lessons, teachings and culture I have been taught by my Elders and journey with the World. It is not enough merely to learn the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…”

Blessings to You All
bear Medicinewalker

music provided by Chris Ferree and is available on Itunes and at http://www.chrisferree.com

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