Brother Bear

Disney's Brother Bear

This afternoon, after what turned out to be a pretty crazy and hectic weekend (including my hubby getting in a small fender-bender (everyone's alright, though) and totalling the car), we all came home and sorta collapsed onto chairs in the livingroom.  For some reason, I felt like popping the Disney movie Brother Bear into the VCR and I'm glad I did! 

I haven't seen this movie in quite some time, and found the movie perfect for everything going on in our family right now.  If you haven't seen the movie, it's a sort of fable about a native American tribe.  The boys are about to get their animal totems told to them by the tribe's Wise Woman/Shaman.  Once she gives them their totems, they then must figure out what the totems mean to them personally before they are allowed to be considered a full adult.  Once they are an adult, they can then put their handprint on the big stone wall, just as their ancestors before did.

One particular boy gets the totem "Bear of Love" and has to figure out how living life with love will help him to grow up.  Through a series of tragic events, he ends up getting transformed into a bear so that he can see life through the eyes of a bear.

I love the symbology of the movie, and the little lines here and there that really speak to me about the important things in our lives.  The Wise Woman instructs the children in the importance of seasons, harvest, and lessons needed for life.  She urges a reverence for nature and the cycle of all things.  In the end, naturally the boy learns the lessons of his totem and finds peace, happiness and love - that pure, brotherly love and love of all things in nature.

We really enjoyed watching the movie with the kids and reminding ourselves that each moment can have a lesson in it for us.  We remembered that all of nature has a purpose, even seemingly "dangerous" things.  I think this is a lesson we can even put to work in the more mundane and/or less-nature-centered activities.  For example, I know there is a lesson in my husband's car accident.  Each person who was touched by the accident will hopefully discover what that lesson is and grow from it.

As for seasons and cycles:  We've definately noticed that temperatures are starting to cool a little. We've even noticed some of the leaves changing.  School is starting tomorrow for my oldest (who is in public school), and I am starting with preschool activities for the little people (my own, plus the ones who come to my house). I am making September "Apple Month", but of course we'll also talk about the harvest in general.  I'll bring the kids outside to pick something from my tiny garden for us to then eat with our lunch.

It's time to start getting into the autumn mindset. I'm starting to make plans and gather things for Mabon. I think we will go for a nature walk soon and get a few items for our altar.  I think I might include a small bear, in honor of Brother Bear, as well.