Dreams, fairy tales, Mothering, Self-care

Inner Bear

aleksandrastaneva

As I continue to work on my own with the concept of Hibernation, I engage with my inner BEAR. 🐻 🐻 🐻

Bears are amongst the most powerful symbols I find inside my own internal forest.

Once I see it, it’s impossible to unsee.

Bears are carriers of maternal archetypal force, fierceness, independence and protection of the young ones.

Bears are sharp and courageous but also raging and destructive.

Above all, Bears follow and represent the cycle of LIFE-Death-LIFE with their natural cycle of hibernation, rest, deep solitude,silence and stillness inside the cave; and then the awakening during spring when she comes out and she is hungry!

Hungry for nutrition (honey is another ancient symbol I have been working with). I see myself a lot in this powerful image.

As I am deep inside both my own moment of hibernation, also deep into my moon time, day 3 of bleed 🩸, when the veil is very thin and one can have deep insight into the nature of life…but also – the collective moment of PAUSE, I had the urge to draw and play with the Bear image.

It has been so therapeutic to recognize my Bear energy, my Rage, my Power, my need to go inwards, and with the cycle of rest (and stop resisting it).

When I am trying so hard to deny these parts of myself all sorts of troubles and imbalance turns up. So I am here, Bear!

Here, cuddled inside my BEAR FAMILY as three of us rest into each other.

Bear hugs to you all!

Aleks

#HOROCounselling #fairytales #archetypes #archetypalpsychology #depthpsychology #clarissapinkolaestes

Published by aleksandrastaneva

I am a Mother, an academic, and a psychotherapist. My work centers around women's health and women's studies and mental health, particularly maternal perinatal mental health, pregnancy, birth, trauma and postnatal depression; I also work in youth wellbeing and cancer projects; I write books (for children and story-tales for grown ups) because I fully believe that stories carry an enormous transformative power! "Stories are medicine" (C P Estes). I explore human connection, maternal mental issues (ante- and post-natal depression), feminism for boys and girls, fatherhood, gender diverse families and alternative approaches to health and healing. I lead women's groups that explore various concepts around human connection, what it means to be a 21 century woman, and a mother through art, fairy-tales and archetypal work. I am a level 2 Internal Family Systems trained practitioner. I offer Individual and Couples therapy both in person and online, as well as IFS Group therapy healing circles. Both my work and life are grounded in feminism and social activism to progress environmental, anti-stigma and awareness-raising causes. Welcome!

1 thought on “Inner Bear”

  1. This is so intelligently and creatively presented! It is always with a great interest and pleasure that I engage in all your writings.
    You are not only very knowledgeable and talented, you are truly gifted! I feel privileged to know you and to have access to your materials!

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