Vigilant giants
When you do a search on the meaning of the creatures behind the 7 Indigenous Sacred Teachings, the traditional oral stories change slightly from one culture to the next. However, the character associated with the bear remains pretty constant: leadership, protection, courage...
It is said that those Indigenous leaders that find themselves in the spirit of the bear will stand up for those they are charged with.
"The image of the bear is one of inner strength"
In a chapter in history when leadership figures the world over have made us wonder where true headship rests these days, this symbol of the bear stands out as rare and unusual. Lack of skill and character drive many humans to gain favour not by offering what they can do but by putting others down and humiliating their efforts. Unlike the colonial royal symbols found in the lion and the rooster – that demand attention; even worship – the image of the bear is one of inner strength. Pondering on the dichotomy between these two concepts creates a long list of antonyms in my mind: loud versus vigilant, cocky versus humble, empty versus solid, egotistical versus sacrificial. And the list goes on.
Those of us who have the pleasure of living close to the Rockies have witnessed it many times: every protective sow demands the sort of respect that makes you fear her and want to follow her at the same time. Her cubs know this and don’t question their instinct. I dream of such leadership... don't you?
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3 年Beautifully written. This has been on my mind a lot lately as I've been exploring the shift from reliance on external authority and leadership figures to a more internal guidance by intuition. The image of a rock on the middle of a river that is unmoved by the waters around it comes to mind frequently. From that place leadership to me means connecting people with resources and each other to feel safe to try things they might not otherwise have tried, regardless of whether I personally benefit from it. Those connections that bring us back to ourselves, into our bodies and demonstrate a different way of being than Western North America has known.
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3 年Awesome, thank you for sharing.
Land Representative, Projects
3 年Great read, as always Jorge O. Avilés!