enfinblue's Bluey (credit to Fifi for the nickname!) Diaryland Diary

"I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart." -Vinc3nt V@n Gogh

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Today is all about spirit.

If you want to know your past - look into your present conditions. If you want to know your future - look into your present actions.
Chin3se proverb.

I don't have much time, but a quick note! How I wish I could stay at home today!

I'm going very retro today. I have a blouse gathered at the neck, and a black wraparound skirt to the knees, with very delicate pleats at the opening edge. I feel kind of 1950s.

But today is all about the spirit!

Last night, at souper C's, whilst slurping my C chicken soup (he was out at his Ultim@te game), I started reading an interesting book about policy issues facing F!rst Nations people. Good book.

But since we all know that I flip to the pictures nearly right away (really, I do - I love books with pictures :)), I'll tell you about the first page and picture to which I flipped.

I didn't identify it at first, but the pic was of a spirit b3ar. I have a spirit b3ar necklace, that I bought on a reservation years ago! Or rather, C. bought it for me as we traveled through the reservation. I loved it right away:

OK. That's my lap, and the pic is fuzzy, but you can see my pleats.

Anyhow, so the spirit be@r design is an important one in the Tsimsh!an nation of coastal BC. This particular spirit b3ar design (the one in the book, anyhow), had the following caption:

Spirit b3ar traditional design.
This painting represents a stylistically more traditional design depicting the mooksgm'0l (spirit b3ar). Tsimsh!an people have a special respect for the spirit b3ar because of its great rarity.

A further picture in the book says,

"Spirit be@r (Mooksgm'0l)
The spirit b3ar is a sub-species of black kernode bear, not an albino. It is consdered a rare protected species found in the ancestral Tsimsh!an territory or Pricess Royal Isl@nd. The bears' habitat is now jeopardized by aggressive logging practises. Many salmon streams have been logged to the point at which salmon, a primary food source for the bears, no longer return. This painting shows the spirit b3ar waiting for the salmon to return. Real conservation measures have to be taken to protect the species now.

And finally, next to another image (wish I had it!), of totems in a village at night:

On the N@ass River, in a northern west coast Indian village, a magical light show illuminates the evening sky and silhouettes six very ancient totem poles. Within the cascades of colours tossed towards the earth by the Cre@tor, a story unfolds of the great white raven and the spirit b3ar (both very rare in Nature). These mythological spiris, along with those of the animal totems atop the poles, are the sentinels that keep watch over the sleeping village below.

So I declare this the day and the week of the spirit bear. C. bought mine as protection. May you all be protected and at peace in your lives!

OK. So I have a lot more to write about tonight. I had an interesting chat last night with my anxiety counsellor. (Long story.)

Time for work!

8:46 a.m. - 2008-09-11

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