Lessons from Polar Bears

Now that we have passed the point of no return, I see no reason whatsoever we should not explore our connections to animals. For the Reiki Master, this may mean something slightly different than to the average individual. However you are not average, because you are reading this, and that has made all the difference in the World. To me at least… and hopefully to you.

There is a point in the training process when a student passes from a novice to a master. This does not necessarily mean a Reiki Master is more skilled than say, a Second Level Practitioner– rather they vibrate at a different “frequency”. There is much debate in the Reiki community about discussing the attunement process and even the presentation of one’s Reiki Spiritual Guides. I believe while sacred and reverent, there is a point to sharing it as well. While I do not believe an attunement should be passed to someone simply for the sake of passing it, I do believe it can be discussed for the beauty and wonder it can provide. Attunements can only be passed by a Third or Fourth Level Master– it is, in a way, a form of “Confirmation”. It is a sacred rite of passage that brings a student into the fold of the magical spiritual realm. Once attuned, you are attuned for life and the energy remains within and of you. You vibrate at a very different level than those around you. It is like putting an antennae or set of rabbit ears on top of an old TV. It is the difference between UHF and HD cable. It is at one point during this process when your Reiki Guides “present” themselves or make themselves known. This can also happen throughout a lifetime and guides may “step in” when one is simply ready for them. It is as different and unique to each as a fingerprint.

For me, it was not merely a joyous discovery, but entirely expected when all turned out to be Animalia in spirit. I did not find a connection to a little old Japanese man or woman, not that it can’t happen at some point…simply that mine were all creatures because that has always been my connection point within this World. I find kinship and communication simple and refreshing in the animal world… not so easily in the human component in which I must reside. Often guidance is received or “interpreted” intuitively from a guide during a Reiki session with a patient. I am intuitively guided to an area or a chakra (energy center) which is blocked or in trouble which in turn can lead to communication as to a specific physical or emotional issue or block which is hindering the patient from moving forward. Each Guide brings different knowledge, expertise, and lessons to me at precisely the moments they are needed. Not every Guide is present in every session– because not every individual needs exactly the same thing. The deeper the session, the deeper the healing. The deeper the need for healing, the deeper my Guides pull and push. I am not mystical, I am just me. But that me is a conduit to channel and focus healing energy, and for this knowledge I am forever in wonder and awe.

So you ask… Where is the damn polar bear? I’m getting to that…

One of my primary Reiki Guides is, in fact, a Polar Bear. During my attunement process I had, in essence, a Shamanic journey. I was in Arctic tundra which was ice and snow as far as the eye could see. I was alone and unprotected and fear began to overtake me. Behind me in the distance I could see an encroaching “blackness”. It was like a black smoke thick as syrup which brought fear and despair. In front of this “ooze” ran a polar bear, never looking back and moving with such speed and grace I wondered if I would be pounded into the ice. As the bear gained speed and distance I lost all sense of fear and turned to face him. Without a missed foothold or drop in speed he scooped me up with one paw and tossed me over his shoulder blades onto his back. Never stopping, never turning, never slowing. The gait was so graceful I could not feel anything but the thickness of his fur and the wind passing over us. As we came to a halt my bear laid down allowing me to awkwardly slide down to the frozen ground. Placing me behind him, he stood on his two back legs, reared up and emitted the most deafening and horrifying sound which can only be described as a “roar”. He raced headlong at the blackness and with one paw swiped it backward. The black entity simply shattered and dissipated like a broken mirror shattered into billions of fragments. We walked side by side for a slight distance and I knew a sense of peace and protection such as I have never experienced. I knew he was a part of me, waiting for this very specific moment in which to show himself to me.

There is much lore and teachings of the Polar Bear in the Eskimo and Inuit tribes. In these teachings, the Polar Bear represents supernatural power in both physical and spiritual realms. He is a Shaman, a liaison with the spirit world. In its natural habitat, the white bear has no fear and no enemies or predator other than humans. It is more powerful, more dangerous, and in many ways more gentle than any other bear. The Polar Bear will confront and kill anything threatening it’s life though it does this with remarkable speed, grace and stealth. One blow and the threat is dead– not toying with or tearing it apart, the white bear is fierce yet reverent in its mission. Polar Bears move equally well on land and in water. They can run up to 20 miles per hour on ice and as fast as 40 miles per hour on land. They can cover 100 miles in a stretch nonstop in water. They move between land and water with ease, and thus they are teachers of how to move from one realm to the next and back again with great ease and power.

When the Polar Bear appears as a totem or guide, a tremendous period of learning and power is being born. The teaching and learning may take 2-5 years to manifest (the period of time the newly born cubs remain with their mother learning what it means to be a polar bear) but in the process one learns how to move between realms, manifest great strength, and pursue what you need deliberately and powerfully. The Polar Bear teaches us to face any obstacle or threat with fierceness and gentleness, yet with great power and deliberateness. With this on our side, we cannot fail. Only once has my Bear shown himself during a Reiki session, yet it was with fierceness and reverence. For this person it is the message to face the threats within their life with fierceness yet gentleness and with a sense of urgency or the loss of one’s needs and self will be overtaken causing great harm. The time was right to face the choices presented. Not that those choices are every easy, they are almost always life-changing. But my Bear remains with me regardless– fighting ferociously when called upon. I wish you dreams of bears and wild things and that you awaken with a new sense of self and wonderment.

Namaste Wildlings!