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In my last blog I wrote about painting a deer for my granddaughter. This painting I'm now working on is for my grandson, whose birth totem is the bear. According to my reading, those born under this sign are usually slow and cautious, quiet and careful individuals. Bear people are generally no-nonsense types who do not tolerate deceit and insecurity in others. 

I hope in giving the gift of art to my grandchildren that they will always seek out and appreciate art in their lives. I also hope that in introducing them to the concept of having an animal guide that stays with you throughout your life and teaches you things about your nature, that they will be open to other animal guides who will help them along their path in life. That they will see their place in nature not as something apart, but as joined in the sacred web of life.

Both grandchildren are nature lovers. They think nothing of picking up bugs and love collecting - and caring for - the wild salamanders, toads, snakes and turtles that they find as they explore the fields and ponds. They've learned that some can adapt to captivity, but most need to be set free. I tell them that is a metaphor for their own lives - that as they grow older they can choose the safe path which has as its price the glass walls of the tank of our own creation. Or they can choose a life of freedom, of following their bliss - a life that runs the risk of failure but promises the reward of true success.