The Polar Bear popped into my dream time, and said that one of the reasons that I was not sleeping well was because I was not warm enough. She said that I needed to pile on more covers. She sent me a vision of how she keeps warm – she huddles with her cubs. I must admit that I was skeptical. However, I piled on another quilt – and – I slept soundly.
Blessings,
Judy
I sat in meditation and breathed slowly sinking into a place of a running river, flowing over and around rocks. Forest bordered the river about fifty feet from the sides of the river. I then became conscious of movement to the right of me. There was a very, very large brownish red bear. I was startled even though I knew I had nothing to fear.
I welcomed the bear. He replied that he was a Kodiak Bear. He had some sharing to provide to the world.
I thanked Kodiak, and he drifted away.
Blessings,
Judy
While writing this, I was listening to "Unto The Burning Circle" by Andreas Vollenweider
Polar Bear north of Churchill from https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/polar-bear
In my blogs, I talk about about many topics connected to spirituality. Each topic reflects something that is going on in my life. Therefore, I truly enjoy writing about animals since the ANIMALS are such a large part of my life.
The Polar Bear has been receiving a lot of attention recently. Polar Bear, however, has been a part of my life since 1972. That is the year that I went to work with Hudson Bay Northern Stores. The clerical work that I did was for the Northern Stores in Churchill, Lynn Lake and north in Manitoba, Northern Saskatchewan and Northern Ontario.
In the winter, the Store Managers, Trainees, and sometimes District Managers from our office in Winnipeg travelled back and forth. Many of the residents from the north would come and visit at my desk. They always had great stories of encounters with polar bears, arctic wolves, arctic foxes, and whales and seals and walruses. As they realized that I really loved to hear stories of polar bears, they began to snap pictures of the animals and send them off to me in the next batch of books to be analysed. I began to get several pictures a month during the winter. I kept some of the pictures, however, the earlier photographic paper does yellow over time, and does not stand up to much handling. 
Pictures like this one, of a mother and cubs were common. This picture comes from www.nwf.org.
The point of the story is that when an animal shows up over and over in your life, especially from an early age, a Shaman says that this is one of Power Animals. A Power Animal both shows an aspect of your self as well as showing an external source of power that is always available to you.
At the time that I was meeting Polar Bear for the first time, I did not realize the implications of the true power of this Bear. Polar Bear is truly a specialist in the North - the colour, the ability to hunt all prey in such a camouflaged way as to be invisible, and the great speed - send a message that I did not "get" until a couple of years ago. I think that I am still learning some of it.
What Polar Bear did for me during the time that I worked at Northern Stores was create a love for all things Northern, and a great sadness that the company that I worked for was sponsoring hunters to kill the animals of the North for their fur. I realized that I did not want to be part of that culture and within the year of starting my job, I began taking night classes at University to become something else.
One of the messages that I received from Polar Bear, in a retrospective look at my life, was to move away from being somebody without a goal or a specific purpose. Polar Bear was a BIG motivating factor in moving into Education and then into Accounting, and finally specializing in Accounting Software.
The other thing that Polar Bear did was make sure that I was with the perfect mate. When I met the guy that is now my husband, one of the things that impressed me was that he had a picture of two Polar Bears playing. That picture hung in our bedroom for many years. It is now in our guest room.
I wish you happiness and days of playing!
Blessings,
Judy
In January 2024, we had abnormally high temperatures ranging from plus 4C all the way to plus 15C. This weather has confused the animals and birds. Here is what bear has to say.
Picture is from an email from a friend.
Great Bear comes out of his den early, and sees the ground covered with snow. He pauses. He says that the seasons of the Earth and the seasons of the Bear are no longer in synch. By Bear’s calendar, it is time for him to wake up. The agreement is that The Spirit of Mother Earth will have food available when Bear wakes up. In the Northern Hemisphere, this is not happening. Yes, there is some green sprigs of grass in places. However, the insects are still buried deep in the bark and the ground.
Bear notices the movement of the Sun. Many Moons ago, Bear could predict where the Sun would be in the sky, and could plan his route around his territory. In his mind map of the terrain, he could mark the far boundary by the Sun’s position. Now, he cannot. Sometimes the Sun seems to bounce around the sky. Sometimes, it seems like there are two Suns, superimposed on one another. Bear also feels the pull of the Sun – it has extraordinary strength. This has caused Bear to be pulled to be outside, and not underground.
As Bear rambles, looking for food, he remembers that there was rumbling in the Earth while he slept in his cave. The rumbling is new, like the mountain is restless. As Bear swings his head around, he senses too, that the birds are moving, heading North, even though this seems early. Bear grunts to himself and wonders if all the land is now in movement.
Many blessings,
Judy
When an animal speaks to me continuously through dreams, waves at me from pictures in a magazine, or even comes up in regular conversation, I know that I need to pay attention to what message is coming through.
Adult Grizzly
Picture from www.weforanimals.com
Sometimes, however, getting a message is like picking up a lot of static on your favourite radio station. And, I was getting lots of static. I could see Grizzly, and could not hear her. I was getting frustrated!
Grizzly cub from
Then, I was walking out in the provincial park. Even though it is only the end of January, I began to think about bears. As soon as I had this thought, the next thought flowed – Grizzly Bears are having their cubs about this time. Where did that thought come from? I was startled!
Mother Grizzly with her cub – picture from Wikipedia from Wikimedia Commons
To get in touch with the feeling around the thought, I began to do a deep meditative breathing. My dog looked at me, wondering what was amiss. And gradually, a message came. Grizzly Bear said:
This is the time of hibernation. During this time, many changes take place in bears. The female give birth to their young, usually from two to four cubs. It is a time of introspection. For bears, the long sleep lets us walk with The Mother Of Us All without the constraints of the physical. We learn from her, and apply the lessons when we wake up. Bears have been shy. We are now moving back to that place where we see humans as equals, and we will walk in the same places that they do.
There are many humans who are undergoing the same change that we are experiencing. However, these humans do not sleep the required time to germinate something new. They do not empty out their systems to give the body rest. I say this to you – this is a time of giving birth to new ideas, projects, and new ways of living. Listen to that inner voice. Sleep when you need to, and disregard the chatter of the masses.
Bears are solitary by choice so that we can move as we need to. We also can think, play, eat, and sleep when we need to. We are not governed by what others want to do or by any control. Will you let your self be so free as to walk away from those things in life that control you?
Many blessings,
Judy
Picture from notesfromthebartender.wordpress.com
We give babies a teddy bear for comfort. And, baby snuggles up to the teddy bear, and even cries if the bear is not present. What is it that gives us comfort in this “bear” image? Why are we not frightened, instead, of this representation of a large, fierce animal?
Well, Bear looks big and cuddly. Bear is chubby and that says comfort and safety. Bear hibernates through the winter so Bear is about sleeping through the tough times. Bear eats honey so Bear is about sweetness. Bear is a fisherman. We all identify with the fisherman. Bear’s ears are just so darn cute! And, Bear eats berries and grubs and roots and shoots. All of these characteristics simply support the idea that Bear is not that scary.
When Bear comes to us as a power animal, do not be lulled into thinking that Bear is simply “of the Earth”. The Greeks and Romans revered Bear so much that they named a constellation of stars after her. A different version of the story says that Zeus was so angry at the mother bear and her cub that he threw them up into the night sky to forever roam around the North Star.
from www.nmm.ac.uk
So why does Bear come to us in times when we need comfort? Well, when we need comfort, we are feeling weak or insecure. Bear is a universal symbol of big and of power. At our weakest, we need to be reminded that we have all the power that we require within us. Bear, who hibernates, and who sleeps easily, reminds us to go in and reflect on what we do know and to honour our strengths. Bear is about teaching the cub (often each of us) how to be a “big bear”.
I wish you a wonderful bear encounter.
Many Blessings,
Judy
