Bear's Blog

I believe two streams of karma meet in an individual to create a life that is utterly unique. The biological karma from our ancestors is embedded in our DNA. The soul karma has a history of past lifetimes, and actually chooses its parents and that particular biological line. Both influence the gifts and challenges of the current life. There is always an opportunity for each person to heal, and also bring healing to their family,  their lineage and ultimately contribute to the...

On May 8th, 1945, Germany surrendered, ending WWII (Hitler had committed suicide a week earlier.) It is known and celebrated as Victory in Europe Day, Liberation Day, V-E Day, and in Ukraine, Victory Day over Nazism. Ukraine is now fighting another dictator’s aggression (ironic, as they are being labeled Nazis by their enemy.)

How do we as humans overcome the fear, anger and violence that manifests in tyranny? The desire for power and, to maintain that power, exerting control over...

Are there situations where the suffering is deep and complex, and you don’t know what to do or how to help? It seems an appropriate time to share this Tonglen meditation again (it was part of my “Corona Care Series” in the spring of 2020.)

The pandemic, war, violence and natural (and non-natural) disasters are taxing our resilience and understanding of the world. Tonglen is an antidote to feeling helpless or fearful. In class many years ago, a student asked me during the...

Courtney Parkinson invited me to join her for an interview in the week-long series "Get Your Mojo Back." Our interview was a lot of fun, and I hope you enjoy it too - along with the other guests on the program.

Traditionally a magical charm, Mojo is also the ability or quality that helps you be good at something (or just plain lucky!)

Mojo is personal confidence and charisma, often in terms of sexual, 2nd chakra energy. Do you know what else the 2nd chakra is home to?

Emotions, Creativity and...

The natural world is eternal, and within that there are cycles, and within that – well, have you heard the phrase “the only constant is change”? We are also eternal, and yet constantly changing (and one hopes, evolving.) How can we feel so different over time, and yet essentially the same? It’s your soul body that moves through many lifetimes, but we can consciously track our growth and distinct phases in this lifetime.

The cycles of the natural world are reassuring in...

Photo: Odesa City Official

Thich Nhat Hahn, a humble Vietnamese monk, was a gentle and persistent warrior for peace who coined the term Interbeing. He died earlier this year and the whole world mourned. His Buddhist lineage (Mahayana) describes enlightenment as a call to “awaken with all beings.” In other words, no person is left behind. Interbeing points to the reality that we are intimately connected with every other living thing on our planet.

We measure war’s losses in...

The story we’ve heard is that a comedian with no political experience was elected President of Ukraine. Or was it a schoolteacher? He is an honest, educated man whose mission is to root out corruption and create a modern democracy. To build a better life for its’ citizens. What is real? What is imaginary? Who is Volodymyr Zelenskyy?

The world is surprised and enthralled watching this courageous, clever man respond to a superpower invading his country. He has emerged as the most...

A lot of people come to healing because they had a personal health crisis, but I never thought of myself in that category. I was, however, born with an extra lumbar vertebrae - and my spine curved to the left, then the right in a big “S” as a result. I noticed one hip was higher than the other when I got my first bikini at age 13, and soon was seeing a specialist. He referred me to Dr. Blount; the man who invented the “Milwaukee Brace” that I spent the next several...

When I was young I identified as a writer, and went to study at one of the best journalism schools in the country. If I had continued in that profession, I would have been drawn to reporting in a war zone. Something about immersing myself in a great battle, where everything is more intense, including suffering, called me. More than the "normal" suffering inherent in the human condition - something more abrupt, more acute.

In Buddhism suffering is viewed as having a cause which can be...

Photo: Ukraine Presidential Office

The war on Ukraine is still front and center in the world consciousness, impacting all of us and our capacity to stay present for the pain and suffering we see unfolding. Do you find yourself tuning out, unsettled, despairing, tired, restless, in denial, helpless or fearful in these chaotic times?

When faced with death I used to go into denial – "you’re going to get better!" What I missed was a chance to be fully present with the other person. I...

How do we think about good and evil? We don’t usually discuss morality in such stark terms, but when the subject of evil comes up Hitler is usually considered a prime example. Yet nobody can be 100% evil, or 100% good either. Human nature encompasses the whole spectrum. How we manage these impulses is the challenge. What are the drivers of one kind of behavior over another?

The soul is eternal; it comes in at conception and lives as part of the physical body throughout a lifetime....

So what to do, and how to think about being on the brink of war? When a bully threatens you with violence? This is something to ponder as an individual, a society, and a country.

My view is that everything boils down to a choice between love or fear (and its accompanying anger, hate, greed, etc.). It can be useful to simplify to that degree, but often the situation is a LOT more complicated.

I am reflecting on what I wrote for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, about how he and other great...