Bear of Compassion

Bear of Compassion brings love home. Here Great Bear gathers with the Snail of ‘home’, and the Butterfly of ‘Spirit’ for a communion of the heart. We can learn so much from each of them.

Great Bear knows to go within to find her strength and power for wellness, energy, or direction. Healing bear has strong intuition, and knows what she needs when the body calls for rest, special plants, or soothing waters. A protective mother, she cares for her offspring with diligence and gentle touches. Her fierceness rises up against any threat to the small ones, even if it’s an especially huge male bear, threatening the neighborhood.

I paint this gentle giant as Connecticut mourns the loss of their most photographed bear. Nicknamed ‘211’ after his tag number, he could be found swinging in hammocks, taking a dip in someone’s pool, or scaling tall trees. Sightings of him were shared regularly on social media. Everyone loved this solo, sweet, gentle soul. Another hit and run victim, he he has now crossed over the rainbow bridge.

Snail reminds us that ‘home’ is wherever we are. Snail takes their home with them, adapts to the terrain, and eats greens and plants they find along the way. They travel lightly and don’t let ‘thing’s tie them down. Related to the octopus, we can trace their origins back 500 million years. With eyes on the ends of large stalk antennas, they find food through their strong sense of smell. Adaptation has been their strength forever.

Bear of compassion connects us to spirit.

Thirdly, we have the butterfly of Spirit. Their lifestyle of beginning as an egg, then caterpillar larva, shape shifting into a cocoon chrysalis, and eventually breaking out as a brilliant adult butterfly, make it a symbol of change, new life, rebirth, endurance, and hope.

They are so beautiful and ephemeral, many believe they are visiting spirits, messengers from the other world. Butterfly reminds us that we are spirits having a human adventure. We get balance when we remember to take the inner journey, to make quiet time to listen, and to discover new parts of our hidden self. Transformation often comes as a surprising enlightened idea, a shift of feeling, or new insights, like Magic!

Butterflies coming in as your totem or spirit animal call you to see what parts of your life need change. Can you transform something dark in your life into a beautiful thing?

So remember your own personal Bear of Compassion, trust your intuition, and deeply love yourself first. Be like snail, travel lightly, and make yourself at home wherever you are. And finally, see the butterflies of spirit that bring the call to enchantment. Make your life more mindful each day. Expand and discover new life within you, waiting to be birthed. Beauty is just waiting to be touched, seen, and loved.

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