Bear's Blog

This time of year we’re urged to be of good cheer, enjoy glad tidings, rejoice and embrace the holiday spirit. It’s a good thing generally, but for many it highlights their loneliness, isolation or what’s missing in their life.

“Blue Christmas'' services are held in early December for those who have lost a loved one in the past year. So many have died through sickness, violence, or desperation recently. The Covid era accelerated all those issues, taking a big toll on...

You hear a lot about gratitude around the Thanksgiving holiday, but ideally it’s a daily practice. I do it in the evening with meditation, movement, and Tonglen. Gratitude gives us a moment of perspective on what’s going right in our lives. These can be things that happened that day, or ongoing, longer-term situations. I can’t help comparing myself to others, thinking of what they may lack; feeling safe from bombing, being warm enough, having food to eat. We tend to take so...

It’s been a tumultuous few weeks (that eclipse window!) but I’m welcoming a little lighter energy in general, punctuated by hopefulness. Even so, there have been lots of twists and turns - from dread to elation, fear, surprise, disgust, pride and denial - and that's just the last 3 days!

These influences are best navigated moment to moment. We have a certain amount of control in this flux, like steering through waters that can be smooth, rocky, or have challenging currents.

We are...

We just had a full moon, lunar eclipse and - election day! According to astrology, and most analysts and pollsters, we were primed to expect the unexpected. Turns out it was NOT typical but - the more things change, the more they stay the same!

My main take-away today is that we are still deeply divided, which was predictable. Why? Is it because we basically have two choices? Nothing is ever black and white, but people with different perspectives have been able to work together in the past.

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There are big energies that affect us all - those of the moon, stars and planets! We can experience an intensification of energy around the full moon, and there is much anecdotal evidence (and legend) around it. If you’ve seen a total eclipse in person, you know it’s a profound experience - one that has mesmerized humans for centuries. Several times a year there is a two-week period bookended by eclipses; it’s known for the way it brings forth dynamic, unpredictable, and...

What is it about fall? Activity is winding down from summer, yet it's exciting. It’s a time of connection, celebration and reflection. Clearly a transition, this is when we also acknowledge one of the biggest transitions - from life to death.

Did you know that half of Americans now believe they are living with ghosts? That is a big change. Our European counterparts have been living with ghosts for centuries. What does dealing with a ghost entail?

Many people have made peace with the...

Fall is a time of transition. Seasonal changes affect the planetary whole - that includes us, and definitely our bodies! In the Indian system of health, Ayurveda, the fall and spring are the optimal time to do a cleanse because we are more susceptible to getting sick when “weathering” these changes.

We undergo many major transitions in our lives; it’s these in-between times that create higher levels of stress in our physiology. How can we navigate challenging conditions with...

Called world wars because they involved Europe and other major countries, the war in Ukraine is different; it affects every country, every person. The ways in which we are completely interconnected are clear.

The impacts are two-fold. It’s devastating in many ways, but on the other side is this - the outpouring of care, concern and support for Ukraine has united the world in a positive way. The power of attention, intention and the energy of love cannot be minimized as a factor in this...

We measure time in natural cycles; days and nights, the waxing and waning moon and seasons. Equinoxes and solstices are calculated according to the positions of the earth and the sun. The fall equinox is today, September 22nd - when day and night are the same length.

Ancient peoples created monuments marking the precise moment of the seasonal shift. Why? In earlier times people lived more “in tune” with nature. We may think it’s less relevant for us today, but our bodies...

With her passing, Queen Elizabeth II exemplifies both stability and change. A steady, wise presence that defined an era, her death highlights the underlying chaos of the times.

We crave the illusion of constancy because the reality of continual change is terrifying. Hardwired to control our environment for physical safety, stability equals survival. To get beyond this ingrained, instinctive drive we can look to the three marks of existence in Buddhism - impermanence, non-self, and suffering.

Getting started with a healthy practice - and staying the course - is challenging. It’s easier to take a walk with a buddy (my dog, every day!) because it provides companionship, a timeframe and a no-excuse zone. Learning something new is also harder on our own. It helps to have a trainer at the gym show us the ropes rather than trying to figure out what we need.

Do you want some company to get started with a few go-to energetic practices in your daily life? I’m here for you!

I...

I’ve been studying, practicing and teaching energy healing for over two decades now. In the beginning I was so excited about the work I wanted to stand on a mountaintop and broadcast its value! I soon realized that I was an outlier.

The main focus of Western medicine is the physical body; those working with an expanded understanding of human physiology were dismissed. After all these years we're now “cutting edge”. It’s wonderful to see the acceptance and popularity of...