Bear Totem Meaning, My Personal Account

As mentioned, a respected person told me long ago that the brown bear was my totem. I can only say that her statement was immediately shrugged off, not knowing what she meant (nor did she elaborate further). I felt certain that her exclamation was merely a response to my lifelong need of having the brown bear in my presence.

All my life I've been certain of two things: I've never felt I fit in these modern times and, in addition, I wanted nothing more than to place my feet in the footsteps of a grizzly bear (not TOO close, mind you!). So for someone to comment on this obvious "infatuation" wasn't odd or something to be studied further.

Though I have the freedom of living in an rv fulltime now, I grew up in the big city and constantly yearned to escape from the noise, distraction and chaos. I have always been introspective, unconventional - and this atmosphere did nothing but interfere with the quiet I needed to ponder my existence and find inner peace.

In my early thirties, I relocated 2000 miles to one of the last remaining habitats of the grizzly bear in the continental US, in gorgeous Glacier National Park, Montana. Though modern life still burdened me, keeping me tied to daily obligations, just knowing I was in grizzly bear habitat soothed my spirit.

The times I felt it most were when I could be off the beaten path, knowing I was now in her world - as small as it was becoming. Though bear encounters are rare, I could turn off the car with not a soul around for miles and miles, and picture her walking through the meadow. No longer was my need to be in her presence solely based on bear decorations, jewelry and posters - I was in her home now.

As I began to research in the present and got to know my bear totem more intimately, I was amazed at the descriptions I found. This woman who told me how significant bears were to me decades ago was right. Perhaps my desire to be in the brown bear's presence throughout my life was something more than just respecting them as beautiful creatures.

I started to draw similarities between my feelings about the world and the bear's own experience. I looked up bear totem definitions from long ago through modern times and could not find anything but parallels with my own personality and disposition. Like putting your glasses on after waking up in the morning, everything was coming into focus.

Here are just some of the qualities I share with the brown bear:

• Solitude and the needing of time alone to reflect - I've always distanced myself as far as possible from external distraction, desperately needing quiet and even moving to parts of the country where this could become reality.
• Find answers inside of yourself, then share knowledge with others - I crave quiet time alone but enjoy nothing more than having deeper discussions with others on topics I spend time pondering by myself.
• Teaching and healing - I've spent a large portion of my life studying and sharing my personal experiences and beliefs in holistic medicine, damage caused by processed modern foods and many pharmaceuticals, even when met with resistance.
• Can be fierce yet commonly portrays gentle nature - I am often quiet, introverted, reserved and can even appear to lack confidence in many instances, but I will always defend and protect myself and others from those who seek to do harm, directly or indirectly.
• Full of strength and courage, considered brave for surviving large challenges and obstacles throughout life- I've always felt my life was a journey I had to take, even when I couldn't understand the continual hardships, pain and obstacles I've faced throughout my life.

These are just some examples of similarities and explanations I've found comfort in. But regardless of definitions or theories, things I don't intend to try and prove or disprove with my energy while on this planet, one thing is for certain - I've always been connected to the great bear, even planning to have my ashes spread in ursa major's turf when my time on earth is over. The bond between the bear and me I will accept as a gift, and treasure it always............

Links monetized by VigLink