May 16, 2008
Polar Bears: Threatened Spirits
Jane Kay, Environment Writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, reported yesterday : U.S. to list polar bears as threatened species.
We've all known for some time that each year increasing numbers of polar bears drown because there is not enough ice for them to travel from place to place as they used to. What is significant about this addition to the Endangered Species list is that it is the first time global warming has been the cause. Ironically, while environmental groups hoped that this would spur the U.S. government to pass restrictions on emissions that are having the harshest effects on climate change, the Bush administration is actually passing a special rule that allows petroleum exploration and extraction to continue - in some cases in prime polar bear habitat - and that the Interior Department has announced plans to limit protections against oil and gas activities.
While some applaud this long-awaited addition of the polar bear to the Endangered Species list, it seems that opposition makes it unlikely that any real relief will come.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, called the listing "long overdue" and said it "underscores how important it is for the Senate to pass national legislation to cut global warming pollution and avert the dangerous effects of climate change." Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., chairman of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, called the rule allowing oil development to continue as "a gift to Big Oil."In Alaska, a state that had opposed the listing, Republican Rep. Don Young called the decision "an assault on sound science and common sense." He praised [Interior Secretary Dirk] Kempthorne for allowing exploration and drilling to continue but feared that the listing would open the door to "frivolous lawsuits" by environmental groups.
As someone who has been trained to view animals as spirit guides and sources of shamanic energy and medicine, I can't help but wonder what sort of magick animals that become extinct take with them when they vanish from our planet. In the case of the polar bear, we would lose a truly majestic and powerful helper whose wisdom, strength and fearlessness are particularly revered by the shaman.
Bears in general are believed to have strong medicine magick and, of all animals, are most often spirit guides and helpers to humans. They signify leadership, family values and lunar magick. Polar bears, because of their white fur, are said to represent purity of spirit. A creature of dreams, shamans, mystics and visionaries, the polar bear can help to communicate with the spirit realm and the transformative process of death and rebirth. The polar bear is an excellent guide, helping us swim through emotional waters and finding our way back from the brink. He gives us strength in adversity and the ability to find sustenance in barren landscapes. The polar bear can help in overcoming problems with flexibility, change and stubbornness. He knows when to use his energy and when to save it, and can teach this ability to us.
All of this beautiful magick will be lost if we allow the polar bear to perish.
It is, of course, the way of nature for some animals to die out and others to take prominence in the web of life, but we humans - in our greed and carelessness - have caused the premature and unnatural extinction of so many species and irrevocable change to our environment, the effects of which we are only beginning to see. While we in the U.S. are not the only culprits, our government has been particularly pernicious in its denial of this truth and in its refusal to take any real steps to effect lasting change. What can we do to change this? Will it be in time to save the polar bear?
Some groups that are working to save the polar bear:
Posted by Angela-Eloise at 8:48 AM | Comments (0)



