Aug 27, 2025:
I’ve been reading a book called Where the Spirits Ride the Wind: Trance Journeys and Other Ecstatic Experiences by Felicitas D. Goodman. The author and her group explored trance through postures. I’ve been experimenting with ecstatic postures since 2020, I think? I believe during that year, a local group starting having online sessions on Facebook Live—I think they were called the Mud Lotus Project? Although I could have that confused with my favorite Thich Nhat Hanh book No Mud, No Lotus (before 2020 I also had a wordpress called From the Mud—between the similarities and a bad memory, I can’t remember).
Anyway, not the point! In that group, a elderly woman would talk about a pose and deity, teach us how to do it, and then start a simple ritual and rattle us into our trances. After reading this book, I wonder if the lady from that group has read it, or perhaps even worked with Goodman? Goodman lived in Columbus, Ohio (the group was also in Columbus).
In the chapter that I’m on, Goodman is talking about Bear Posture and the healing benefits experienced from taking this pose with rattle and trancing. I haven’t tried Bear Pose yet, but I may, as I’ve been experimenting with Ecstatic Posture and seiðr. According to the Norse Sorceress by Leszek Gardeła (editor), a lot of Völur burials were found with seat charms, representing the high seat that seiðworkers sit in for their work or possibly Óðinn. I’ve been looking at depictions and statues of how Óðinn sits and trancing. I’ve also been looking at depictions of Freyja, since seiðr is one of Her magikal methods.
Back to the Bear. Ursadeity isn’t an official term, just one that I’ve been using since 2014-15 to group all of the different Bear Entities that I’ve worked with, particularly around 2014-15, such as Polar Bear, Kodiak Bear, Artio, Veles, and Artemis (I associate Her more with Stags than I do Bears, but during that time, the Antlered Artemis was accompanied by a large brown bear, too). I honestly haven’t worked with Bear too much over the last few years, but I do keep a figurine on my healing altar.
Anyway while reading this chapter and the healing nature of Bear, it sparked a memory of mine from 2015. All 2014, I was struggling with suicidal thoughts and even had a plan and an agreement with myself. In those early months of 2015, Bear Spirit came to me and led me to the reason why my depression and ideation was worse than usual. A birth control medicine that I was on for nearly a year—the Depo shot. One of the side effects was suicidal thoughts. I thought it odd that my OBGYN would’ve prescribed me that knowing that I was suicidal after a miscarriage in 2011. I was never warned of that side effect. Needless to say, it would’ve done its job! I wouldn’t’ve gotten pregnant because I’d be dead!
I immediately stopped taking the shot and decided to stop taking any birth control meds at all (hubs eventually got a vasectomy after our third child)—if that stuff could affect my mind so much it just wasn’t worth the risk. I didn’t want to be pregnant, but I also didn’t want to commit suicide.
If it wasn’t for Bear, I probably wouldn’t be here. Bear saved my life in 2015, and so I continue to honor these Great Healers.
On August 27, 2025, I channeled the Antlered Artemis and Grandmother Bear:
Ah, for once an omen that's not full of Doom, Anger, and Hope, or with entities just shouting the need for Community. Tonight Ursadeity (my term for all Bear Spirits and Deities) was welcomed.
For the message, the Antlered Artemis picked the Liminal Spirits deck by Laura Tempest Zakroff and Grandmother Bear picked the Shamanic Healing Oracle by Michelle A. Motuzas.
Copy/Paste from Willow, who typed what I said:
Artemis with the liminal spirits deck, the antlered goddess, brings blessings, healing, a great fire for warmth healing peace of mind community. Not greater community buy smaller community. Communities can be smaller, chosen family, neighbors, strangers, cooking over a fire, drumming, small community, blood or spirit, human animal or plant, a great tree looking up at it, roots all touching all in communication. Fungus, communities all connected, roots touching. Hand in hand, the fire, warmth, that which scares away the predators of the darkness.
From the Antlered Artemis: Clay. foundation, heart. a community of joy, the joy can help build a foundation and keep it firm. Joy! Do not conflate the ability to withstand fire with not being able to be broken. Community, things can be easily broken, our expectations for people high expectations, how this year has been an emotional upheaval and been humbled because of our expectations of people.
Sometimes it turns out that they have a darkness in them that they may be proud of and don't consider it a problem. A crumbling plate, rolled back into clay and can be reformed. The Tower card, gathering bits to rebuild into a better tower, something more suitable. If it cracks, what can you improve on the next build - that all applies to community as well. One leader, or multiple leaders, what's important to you for a community, what can make it healthy. Rules, boundaries being communicated from all parties. The flat plate crumbled, remake it into a new thicker shape such as a square, boxes can be stable but don't get trapped inside.
Bear—a white Kodiak, called a spirit bear. All different bears, all the bears, an old female who has had cubs, kind eyes that are wary, weary from age. Grandmother bear. Lotus flower, healing, spirituality, Kwan Yin (please forgive spelling), a healing book by a monk, "No Mud No Lotus" by Thich Nhat Hanh.
A tundra, it melts and floods the world, the world catches fire, our Earth turns into a rock floating in space. A meteor, hundreds thousands hit the plant, bringing life a spark, before humans and dinosaurs, like it was before. Everything is cycles, spirals. Forgiveness card. Self forgiveness! Self forgiveness for trusting the wrong people, when you get along with people and find out that they aren't great, and you kick yourself because you ignored the red flags or they are family or someone important to you. A conflict of not living up to your morals, learning how to let go of your expectations. Forgive yourself for trusting others and getting hurt. Forgive yourself for being human, we're learning our own boundaries, our strengths and weakness. You have to figure it out as you go, there is no manual for life.
The card from Grandmother Bear: Forgiveness. Self forgiveness! Self forgiveness for trusting the wrong people, when you get along with people and find out that they aren't great, and you kick yourself because you ignored the red flags or they are family or someone important to you. A conflict of not living up to your morals, learning how to let go of your expectations. Forgive yourself for trusting others and getting hurt.
Forgive yourself for being human, we're learning our own boundaries, our strengths and weakness. You have to figure it out as you go, there is no manual for life.
Tonight was a call for community and joy, but instead of just shouting it, Grandmother Bear and Artemis gave more information about community structure and rebuilding.
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Trust in Sunna. Trust in Joy. Follow the Bees…
~ Priestess Foxlyn
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