Put a mirror in the forest
A bear is startled by her own reflection
I check on mine every day to make sure she’s still there
What freedom would I feel if I wasn’t tethered to the woman staring back at me?
If I didn’t obsessively compare her to the girl I once was and the crone I will become.
What if I too only knew the back of my hands,
The beat of my heart
The sound of my breath
The cycles that make me sleep and eat.
Does the bear think of herself at all?
The Braided Way is a framework to see every faith tradition as a strand, braided into a larger whole of spiritual awareness. In the Braided Way, combining spiritual practice from various faiths allow us to explore sacred experience and wonder in forms that resonate with our personal spiritual needs and sacred intuitions. In today’s culture, many people shun religious dogma, but yearn for spiritual connection. The Braided Way allows the ceremonies and practices of multiple faiths to be available without the confinements of cultural dogma.
Your bio is as good as if not better than the poem, and the poem is very, very good. I think it was Rilke who reflected on the dog in the mirror being just another dog to the dog looking at the mirror. Thank you so much for Bear Self.
I thank you for your appreciation and time!!