Mother Bear Sanctuary and Retreat Center

06/12/2026

"Wildness is not a state of disorder, but a condition whose order is not imposed from the outside."
—Chris Robinson

Take that statement in for a moment.

Much of what I've taught for the last 30 years is how to reclaim an authentic yes and an authentic no. How to trust that the things that bring you joy are safe, meaningful, and worthy of your attention. The things that bring you joy are not frivolous, selfish, or something to squeeze in after everything else is done. They are often the path of your soul and the calling of your evolution.

Likewise, when something doesn't feel right, it often isn't right. Your sacred no is every bit as important as your sacred yes.

So much of human life is lived through fawning and people-pleasing. This isn't a personal failure. It is often how we learned to survive. We sacrifice authenticity to belong.
We sacrifice safety for purpose.
We abandon our own knowing in order to stay connected.

Yet I have witnessed thousands of times what happens when people begin to remember their intrinsic worth and reclaim the connection that was never truly lost. As they reconnect with themselves, they naturally reconnect with others, the Earth, and life itself.

The paradox is that this reclaiming is rarely aggressive. It does not come through force, achievement, or becoming someone new. It comes through a softening. A melting. Like an ice cube in the hot sun. It is an opening to the life that has always been waiting beneath the armor.

This meme is funny, but there is also a deeper truth hidden within it.

The animals at Mother Bear Sanctuary practice their authentic no every day. They don't attack, shame, criticize, or hold grudges. A horse may offer a gentle nibble. A dog may give a small growl. A chicken may walk away. Their boundaries are clear, direct, and honest.

We often underestimate animals, but I sometimes wonder what our world would look like if humans practiced boundaries the way animals do
clear, compassionate, and without apology.

Perhaps then we would have less need for criticism, resentment, blame, and attack.
Wildness is not chaos.
Wildness is the courage to move from center, and trust your fundamental goodness.

Please DM me if you would like to be on the Mother Bear Sanctuary email list.

July 5th interdependence Day Community Eco/Grief Ritual -- 1:00 to 4:30 here at Mother Bear.
2nd and 4th Thursdays meditation inspiration. 6-730 on zoom

More info here
https://www.facebook.com/share/1B516kywEu/

06/11/2026

06/10/2026

"May you appreciate the little things today and Nibble Nibble" 🤣
Love Ronin (Row Row)

06/07/2026

Today VegFest, my heart was full. After decades of encouraging people to care for themselves, each other, the Earth, and animals, it was deeply moving to be surrounded by so many people who genuinely care. There is something profoundly nourishing about being with others who share a vision of a kinder, more compassionate world.

The greatest joy for me was the children. Watching them create drawings about loving one another, caring for animals, and living sustainably filled me with hope. Their wisdom was simple and pure. No cynicism. No separation. Just love, connection, and care.

Some days it can feel like change happens slowly. Then a day like this comes along and reminds me that countless people are quietly tending a different future.

Today I feel grateful. Filled up. Encouraged. And more committed than ever to the work of helping people reconnect with themselves, each other, the Earth, and all beings.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by, shared a story, offered a smile, or let their children create with us. My heart is overflowing. ❤️🌎🐄🌱✨

Mother Bear Sanctuary and Retreat Center
Dave Tuscany
Barbra White Crow

06/07/2026

Come join us Eastern Market Detroit today 10-5pm ♥️🐻

06/05/2026

One of the things living with animals has taught me is to stop seeing them as projections of ourselves and start respecting them as beings with their own personalities, preferences, relationships, and sovereignty.

Ferdinand, our little black rooster, has a ritual. When he finds something he thinks Miley will enjoy, he starts making this soft cooing-clucking sound and does a little dance in one spot. He gets genuinely excited and calls her over to share his discovery.

Nicodemus other rooster has his own rituals. He will hop up on the roost and gently tap his beak against the board until I pick him up. Every morning. Without fail.

And both hens Izzy and Sophia after they eat will wipe each side of their beak on the grass , carefully cleaning up after a meal

If we slow down enough, animals tell us who they are. And by paying attention we discover a broader understanding of Life and ourselves

05/28/2026

In a culture increasingly shaped by outrage, division, and the diminishing of empathy, it takes profound inner work, courage, and vision to remain hopeful. To stay open-hearted instead of hardened. To believe that our presence, our healing, and our actions still matter. Real empowerment is not becoming numb to the suffering of the world; it is learning how to remain connected to humanity while still choosing to contribute love, wisdom, and conscious action.
Patriarchal assumptions killed the inner sacred union of heart and mind that has been honored across cultures for thousands of years.
Shiva and Shakti in the Hindu tradition.
The Taoist dance of yin and yang.
The alchemical marriage of sun and moon.
The Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine in mystical Christianity.
Indigenous traditions that honor the balance between Earth and sky.
In Jewish mysticism, the union of Shekhinah and Tiferet symbolizing the sacred reunion of the feminine and masculine energies within the soul and the wold
Again and again, humanity has tried to remember that wholeness is born through this holy marriage within
Yet in much of modern Western culture, we are given very few living models of this sacred integration.
We polarize and reduce ourselves.
We construct ourselves into narrow identities and rigid roles. We are taught to amputate parts of our humanity in order to belong.
Sacrifice our authenticity for temporary safety

What has moved me so deeply in the retreats Dave Tuscany and I facilitate is witnessing people rediscover the vastness of who they are. Not only the hurting parts. Not only the defended parts. But the genius, creative, joyful, courageous, and deeply loving parts as well.
A human being is not a fixed identity. We are more like a great living tree, many branches, many seasons,
many forms of intelligence held within one living whole.

When men, women and they are invited to reclaim a broader definition of self, profound change begins to happen.
People begin listening to Nature, to intuition, to each other, and to their own inner knowing with greater reverence.
The violence of the world requires us to go deeper, get resources and cultivate vision

DM me tonight for UBUNTU radical self-loveCommunity. 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. online. Or join us here at Mother Bear Sanctuary and Retreat Center for rattle workshop 12-3pm with Asia Sikkila