Episode 5: How a Bear Changed the World

This story follows the life of one bear and his impact upon the world around him. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:35

Welcome to Spirit Stories, a spirit-driven podcast where the poems, teachings, songs, and stories of compassionate helping spirits are shared with the world. Thank you for opening your hearts to hear what spirits have to say. I am your host, Diana. Spirits would like to begin this episode with a song.

SPEAKER_02 1:08

Wind blows, wind blows, night comes, night goes, the sky stays the same. The sky stays the same. Wind blows, wind blows, day comes, day goes. The sky stays the same. The sky stays the same. Wind blows, wind blows, rain comes, rain goes. The sky stays the same. The sky stays the same. Wind blows, wind blows. Sun comes, sun goes, the sky stays the same. The sky stays the same. Wind blows wind blows. Sorrow comes. Sorrow goes. The sky stays the same. The sky stays the same. Wind blows wind blows. Peace comes. Peace goes. The sky stays the same. The sky stays the same. Wind blows wind blows. War comes. War goes. The sky stays the same. The sky stays the same. Wind blows wind blows. Change comes change goes. The sky stays the same. The sky stays the same. The earth stays the same.

SPEAKER_03 3:39

The story for this episode is about a bear. It begins when the bear was young. Only a cub. This young bear lived in a world where when the sun went down it was completely dark. There were no stars in the sky at this time. Just darkness. And this little bear would regularly be frightened as the sun went down. For all the trees and branches and limbs would reach out. And the little bear cub thought they must be talons out to reach and get him. And it was very, very frightening. He was convinced that there were monsters that wanted to harm him. In his imagination, these monsters had long talons and spikes and fingers reaching out to grab him every night. So the little bear cub would cry himself to sleep. Some nights he would be awake until the sun rose the next morning. He was watched by little wind people. They watched him with concern and they waited. And one night they decided, as they watched him cry himself to sleep, that they would collect all the tears that he had shed. They grabbed those tears and held them close, and because they loved those tears and found them precious, they solidified and became jewels, beautiful white sparkling jewels. So the wind people flew up, up, up to the sky while the sun was still shining brightly. And they tossed those tears into the sky to hang there and shine. But when the sun was in the sky, you cannot see those beautiful jewels hanging there. And while those tears hung there, they absorbed the sunlight, grew full and content. So when the sun went down that night, and the little bear cub looked up into the sky, a wondrous sight was there. This black sky was suddenly filled with pinpoints of brilliant white light shining down upon him. It was beautiful. It was stunning. And the little bear cub in those moments knew that he was no longer alone. The little lights shined down upon the earth, and he could see that surrounding him were not monsters at all. They were branches and sprigs and leaves and the plant people, and no one was there going to harm him. He was truly safe. So he went to sleep for the first time, feeling safe and content. And when the sun rose, he greeted the sun quite happily and shared the news of these beautiful sparkling lights in the sky at night. And when the sun went down that evening, he was not afraid, for he knew the beautiful jewels that were there. The stars would be his friend and shine brightly for him. This little bear cub was wise for his age. He understood that these stars and their light shining down upon him provided him with a different perspective. A perspective that allowed him to see bushes instead of monsters. This little bear club was brimming with gratitude. He sang to the stars. He thanked them regularly. And they loved his songs. So through the year they would arrange themselves in particular ways in the sky, sending him messages, and changing those messages with the season. That is the reason why the constellations change position with the seasons. Now this young bear cub grew, and his love for the stars grew with it. So much so that majority of his songs were filled with the desire to join the stars. He craved being with those beautiful bright lights each and every night, up in the sky with them is what he greatly desired. So much that he kept asking the flying people if they could take him up to the stars. Some would come back and tell him that he was too big for them to carry. Other flying people would laugh at him because they did not understand. And so the young bear would climb the tallest trees to get to the very, very top night after night, and he would sing to the stars and ask them how he could join them. But the stars did not have a clear answer, and the flying people would not help. So each morning he would climb down the tree and sit at its base, pondering how he could join the stars. While news of a bear who wanted to go to the stars to live had reached all corners of the world. News spreads very quickly for the flying people. After all, it does spread on the winds. And news got to one particular flying person. A wise eagle, magnificent in his own way. The wise eagle decided he would like to meet this bear. So he flew great distances in search for the highest tree he could find. It took a while, days in fact, and he found the tallest tree in the distance. And he knew that had to be the tree that the bear had been climbing to get to the stars. So he flew towards the tree and landed on the lowest branch. And beneath him was a young bear sitting in contemplation, staring at the sky, and wondering out loud how he was going to become one with the stars. The eagle listened quietly for a few moments before he spoke. The bear jerked in surprise, not expecting a voice from behind him or even above. He looked up to see this magnificent eagle, large, and he understood right away that this one was wise. The eagle explained that one day the young bear would leave this world. And when that happened, his spirit would join the smoke and travel up to be with his friends in the stars. The eagle explained that traveling the smoke would happen after he lived a full life. The bear accepted these words sitting with them. It took a while for him to really appreciate the meaning. And he was thankful for them. They were a comfort to know that one day he could be with his friends. And he reflected on what a deep teaching that this eagle brought to him. So the bear decided to do something kind in return for this eagle. He collected a pile of sticks, as many as he could find, strong ones, and he presented the pile to the wise eagle. Not only is the eagle wise, but the eagle truly appreciated the gesture. He saw that the sticks could become so much more than just pieces of wood lying there. What one flying person would view as a pile of twigs, he saw as the potential for a home for his family. So he took the sticks with him and he flew back to his homelands, far, far away, where he arranged the sticks just so into a round circular home, perfect for a family. And that spring he did in fact have a family, and the eggs were safe and secure in that round stick formation that he had made. So the next year the eagle had come to visit this young bear and thank him for the gift and share with him how he used it. And the bear was delighted, and he saw that there was left over fur bits that he had when he shed his winter coat. So he gave the eagle more sticks and a little fur to help warm that home of his. The eagle, truly grateful and wise, took the sticks and the fur and the twigs and built another home. But it does not stop there. For the eagle realized how precious this gift truly was. And he showed his home to other flying people who were excited, who saw the home, and decided to create one for themselves. So it was the great wise eagle who taught the other flying people how to build nests for themselves, how to care for their family and for each successive generation. Years passed and the bear grew stronger still. At this point, he was magnificent. He was older and wiser. He was in his prime. He regularly thanked the sun, for there were no monsters during the day. He regularly thanked the stars. He enjoyed watching the flying beings who sang to him now in gratitude for learning how to build homes out of twigs. And he thought to himself that it was a fulfilling life. And he thought that the sun had been there the entire time. And so he decided he wanted to give the sun a gift. So with his large paws, he began to dig and dig. He dug a deep cavern. But it wasn't far enough. He had to keep digging. Until finally a portion of the land broke away and started to float into the sea. But it wasn't going anywhere because it was so large. It was just hanging there. And yet the old bear wanted to deliver this to the sun, and how could that be possible if he could not get it there? So he went to the river and he spoke to the fish. And the fish these were very special fish. They stayed in the freshwater river and they would give birth. And after they would give birth, a few of them, all of them, really, passed away. But their children would be born and they would grow. And the children would go out to see. So the adult fish explained to the bear to tell the children, to teach them the story about the bear and the land and the gift that would go for the sun, to seek out strong swimmers who could help him. And so he did when the little fish were born. He would care for them and make sure that they grew strong and healthy. And he would tell them stories about their parents, about the ocean. And when they were the right age, they would swim against the stream just as their parents had. And they would go out into the ocean and they'd swim among the big fish and animals. And some of them remembered the story of the bear. They remembered how he cared for them when they were little. And so they would seek out some of the largest, strongest swimmers. And they found them. They found the whales. Big swimmers, capable of moving a giant piece of land. Yes. And they told the whales about the bear. But the whales did not seem too interested. So the fish explained that the bear had these massive paws and could take off all those barnacles and things that are stuck to their skin that they can't, you know, scritch and scratch off. So the fish were able to convince the whales to come with them when they returned to the river. The bear waited on the coast of the sea, looking out into the ocean, and there they were, massive, strong swimmers who had come. And the fish that he had raised just as they promised they would had returned. He was so joyful to see them. And the whales asked him if he could remove all of those barnacles and scratch the places that they just could not reach. So the bear obliged happily removing barnacles or seaweed or things that just did not belong. And he would scritch and scratch the skin in just the right spots. And in gratitude, the whales decided that they would in fact deliver the land as a gift to the sun. How will they know that they reached the right place? The whales would ask. And the bear would respond by saying, swim out all the way until the sun touches the ocean, and you know that you are there. So the whales agreed, and they got behind the piece of land and pushed it forward with their nose. It was such a sight to see. Or who would expect a group of whales using their nose to push a large piece of land across the ocean? The flying people found this an entertaining sight, and they decided to watch. Some of them grew tired as they followed the land. Some of them were wise and had brought sticks of their own to make a resting spot on the land itself. Some of them were even wiser still. They had brought seeds and various leaves that fell to the ground as they passed by, only to be rained on, and the sun shining on it, creating growth and new shrubbery. There were trees, there were bushes, and with the seeds there was now food growing. Some of the flying people would stay for a short time period and then leave again. Some of the flying people decided to make their homes there. And when the land had reached the place where the sun touched the ocean, the whale stopped. For the land was exactly where it should be. They explained to the sun that this was a gift from the bear. And the sun was greatly pleased. And the sun spoke to the clouds and the stars, who were also proud, pleased, and grateful. So the clouds decided to bring regular nourishing rain, and the stars decided that they would shine through the night. And it created a lush atmosphere full of growth that brought even more flying people to the island. And they called it Bear Island, for it was a bear who dug so deep with great paws that a portion of the land broke away and was gifted to the sun. After this gift was received by the sun and cherished by the clouds and stars as well, it was not many years before the bear would make his transition from this world and would rise up on the smoke to live with his beloved star friends. This story is a story about one bear and the gifts that that bear gave. Gifts that became treasures for the world. The gift he gave as a child were his tears that became the stars. The gift he gave as a young adult were sticks that became a way for an entire people to build homes. The gift he gave to the whales was freedom from barnacles and seaweed. The gift he gave to the sun was an entire island that became lush. If one bear could create this much good for the world, these treasures, what could one person give to the world? Imagine what you could do with your gifts.

SPEAKER_01 29:27

If you are driving or working heavy machinery, please stop the recording now. Otherwise, I invite you to sit with what the song and story have brought to you as the drumming plays.