Healing Brown Bear

01/15/2025

Welcome Wood Ear 🍄‍🟫✨🍄

This was a really neat exercise in drawing something entirely new - the biggest challenge was expressing the dewy appearance of this mushroom friend. If you ask Col I probably spent a good 72 hours playing around with just that aspect alone. But as I delved further & further into the creases & folds, the shadows & highlights, I gained a whole new appreciation for mycelia & their unique beauty. ✨

Wood Ear is one of those plants that makes me wonder what ancient humans thought when they first happened upon this strange ear-like mushroom. 👂 it’s no surprise to me that this specific mycelium is prized across many cultures for both its medicinal properties as well as its spiritual properties. 🍄

01/13/2025

Ohhh we coming straight at ya with a little something different this week… after lots & lots of requests I am beyond thrilled to unveil that this week instead of a native flower species we’re talking about…

🍄✨🍄‍🟫 A MUSHROOM SPECIES 🍄✨🍄‍🟫

& as if mushrooms weren’t magical enough with their deep-rooted connection to community, theres an extra bonus element of community here this week 🫶 with the help of this week’s mushroom species was specially selected ✨ when I knew it was time to do a mushroom in the Oracle Flock I knew without hesitation who I was going to ask to help me decide - of course it’s going to be my resident Mycelium Fae Queen 🍄

01/11/2025

✨💜🌱 Elderberry 🌱💜✨

Wow - we really are so fortunate to share this planet with some incredible species & I have to say Elderberry may just be a new fave of mine. 🫶

Not only is this native shrub/tree an incredibly important medicinal plant thanks to its antioxidant rich composition but it also plays an important role in the lore of Fae Folk 🧚‍♀️

A protective plant, Elder is also said to ward off any would-be attackers when worn ✨

01/08/2025

Welcome Canada Elder 🌿🌳🌱

So I have to ask - did everyone else take tests when they were younger to determine what their learning styles are? Was that just me? Bueller? Bueller? 🙋🏻‍♀️

I ask because learning how I learn best had a significant impact on me, especially considering I’m here, writing about it now. I learn best with the presence of music - whether that’s making my own jingles to retain info or having music playing while reading, researching, or working.

But I also learn best kinaesthetically - which means I learn best with hands on experience. That can mean you showing me how to do something, and then letting me do said thing in your presence but that also works with repetitive typing or writing things down - don’t even ask me how many of the bath-bomb SKUs I still have stuck in my head from working at Lush for 7 years.

All this to say - a big reason why I enjoy creating this sort of content to share with y’all is because I’m learning too. I haven’t gone to school for ecology or botany - though it does run in my blood (shout out Grandpa Dave OG groundskeeper of Canatara 🙌). Compiling notes to share with you all, then creating graphics with the notes I have scoured the internet & my personal library to source cements the knowledge in my brain, helping me get better at real-life identification! ✨

So that’s what I mean when I say I’m learning alongside with y’all & that’s also why I’m so deeply grateful for how many of you take the time to let me know how much you look forward to learning with me 🥹 because of y’all I’m learning & growing too and that’s really heck’n neat to me 🐻🫶

01/06/2025

& here we are - the first Monday of 2025 ✨ you know what that means! It’s time for your first set of hints for this brand new year 🤫

For those of you playing along at home let’s remind you of what exactly I’m talking about 🫶

Every month we’re talking about 3 new native Ontario species - we talk about:
🌳 a native tree or shrub the first week
🌼 a native flower the second week
🪶 a native bird the third week

🖼️ the final week of every month reveals the addition featuring all 3 🖼️

On Wednesday we learn all about the incredible native species & on Monday’s and Tuesday’s you 🫵 get a chance to guess what native species is joining us based on two hints released every Monday ✨ there may even be extra special bonus entries if you a close eye to stories 🤫 all you have to do is leave your best guess down below and you could win…

🚨 a print of your choice 🚨

So happy guessing & Happy New Year with today’s first set of guesses for 2025 - think you know what native tree/shrub is joining us this week? ✨ your extra hint is that this species can be both a tree & a shrub depending on how it’s cultivated 🤓

01/04/2025

Oh hey 2025 - nice to meet you 🐻✨ I can’t wait to share with you all the big, big things in the works for this year 🫶

#2025

12/31/2024

I’ve sat down so many times to try and write this. This year Healing Brown Bear grew and grew fast, far faster than I could have ever imagined. 2023 started with my first market season, 2024 ended with running my own vendor market with the talented AND my first brick & mortar location at the mall I grew up being a mall rat in. The mall looks a lot different now… but so do I.

In 2024 more than anything - I felt seen, and as someone who struggles deeply with that let me tell you, that was a tangled ass web to unweave. In the midst of chaotic moves, agonizing doctors appointments, being laid off - again 🙄, and falling through the freaking deck while looking for the Crows that brought their baby to see me - there was always a common, underlying thread that brought me so much joy… and that was meeting & interacting with all of you. Every single one of y’all reading this, whether you sent me a meme or incredible bird art, took the time to stop & talk all about your fave native species with me, or shared your heart & soul during an Oracle Reading - I hope you know I carry you in my heart.

Funnily enough - I actually just met someone yesterday who was so surprised at how well I remembered the details of our last interaction at a market they visited me at. But how could I not? In this crazy ass world, during this crazy ass time, in this crazy ass economy - you spent your hard earned money getting my art in one way or another, it your lives & the lives of those you love. I could never forget that because the feeling of deep, deep gratitude & honour could never let me.

So here’s to 2024 - yes, you, 2024 - you chaotic ass year of life. You broke me in ways I didn’t know I could break, and from the pieces you reassembled a Kyraith that I really like knowing.

Because sometimes things need to fall apart for the right pieces to fall together.

12/30/2024

& with that the 2024 season comes to a close 🫶✨ see you next year with a whole brand new year of HBB native species goodness 🌲 🌱 🌼 🪶

#2024

12/28/2024

Coming in hot with a brand new as we talk about a brief recap of the three incredible native species we talked about this past month ✨ I hope you enjoyed learning about these incredible cuties & that you’ll enjoy a little reminder of the messages the earth surrounds you with when you find these babies in the great outdoors. 🐻

🌲 Canada Yew & its long-standing association with rebirth & pressing forward.

🌼 Canada Goldenrod & its representation of abundance & unexpected good fortune.

🪶 White-breasted Nuthatch & its association with fearlessness & risk taking in pursuit of your goals.

May these blessings carry forth into a magical New Year for you & yours 🫶✨

12/25/2024

12/24/2024

A little early Christmas present & a big thank you to all of you 🫶

“You owe yourself the courage to see this rebirth through.”

It was an unusually busy morning. I had thought it was smart to schedule an interview right before heading to Bluewater Centre for Raptor Rehab, knowing full well that a list the length of my arm was needing to be accomplished before setting off to see my dear, dear friend Siu for her hand-fasting ceremony that I would be conducting. I had rushed through finishing the mouse house as fast as possible, and as I felt the stress washing over me from both the aforementioned arm-length list I also felt the stress of an even bigger decision looming over me.

Frank Ocean once said “it feels like I’ve got the lives of everyone I love balanced on my head like steak knives.” Knowing full well I had my family relying on me to pay bills & put food on the table I had a crushing decision facing me - do I take the comfort & stability of a frequent and regular pay check or do I dive head first into self-employment with the amazing opportunity presented to me at Lambton Mall this past season.

Knowing full well this was going to be the last moment of silence for quite some time I took a moment on the steel steps of the mouse house & closed my eyes. “It’s been so long since I created. I feel so stuck. Nothing is calling to me.” I said to myself, softly & aloud, “if I open my eyes and a bird should appear before me, this will be the bird I draw next, and she will give me clarity on my direction in this storm.”

Three big deeps breaths & I opened my eyes. Who should appear but the friendliest little White-breasted Nuthatch, upside down, curiously tilting its head, wondering if I would fill the feeder for her before leaving. It wasn’t but a moment later that Col made their way up from the woods, and the Nuthatch made her way to hiding in the deciduous trees she so often frequents. “Oh - that couldn’t have been any clearer.” I said to a very confused Col.

So here’s to the season of Solstice & rebirth ✨ May the light begin weaving its way back into your life with each day, once again, growing brighter & brighter 🌞

12/23/2024

We’ve talked lots about this theme during the month of December, so much so I’m almost certain you won’t be surprised to learn the meaning this special little bird holds for me 🫶 think you can guess what the focus of this weeks Oracle Card addition will be?! 👀

12/21/2024

Another addition to coming in hot for a landing on your feed this fine Saturday morning ✨ I knew that the White-breasted Nuthatch was going to hold a special place in the my heart when I first laid eyes on her all the way back this past October. Since then the Nuthatch has come to represent a certain fearlessly, and a willingness to take risks in the pursuit of goals. 🙌

I cannot wait to share all the details of how this special bird came to be for the HBB Oracle Deck next week - so make sure you keep your eyes peeled here for a special Christmas surprise 🎄🎁 the release of the newest HBB Oracle Deck Card 🐻🫶

12/18/2024

Oh White-breasted Nuthatch you silly, wonderful feathery friend, you. 🪶 I have had so much fun getting back into the swing of sharing both art & education with you fine folks and I cannot wait to reveal the final Healing Brown Bear Oracle Card addition next week featuring Canada Yew, Canada Goldenrod, & my newest fave pal the White-breasted Nuthatch ✨

Thank you for learning with me & giving me the perfect reason to create beautiful art featuring some of our most amazing native species 🫶

12/16/2024

Think you can guess what native bird species is joining us this week?! ✨ you may already know this feathery friend of you joined me in playing HBB’s own version of Birdle at the end of November 🫶

You could win a print of your choice from HBB - every correct guess in a month is an entry to our monthly giveaway! All you have to do is show what you know in comments below 🐻

12/14/2024

Welcome back to another addition of where we talk about what Goldenrod may be trying to tell you when you encounter this beautiful native Ontario flower in the wild 🫶✨ not only is yellow the colour often associated with riches & gold but it is also thought to be the colour of friendship. To me this has always symbolized the importance & value that we assign to the material word versus our spiritual world. Yes - we need money to pay the bills, but what if that wasn’t the case? Who would you be freed from the confines of a deeply materialistic world? Goldenrod seems to reach out to passerby’s asking “how can you better adjust your view of the world around you, in an effort to balance your connection with the beings you share this planet with?” 🐻🌼✨

12/11/2024

Goldenrod 🌼✨💛⭐️ because all that glitters is gold 💖 such a magical flower & easily one of my fave things to spot on fall walks. September always feels extra magical to me - and not just because I’m a Virgo. ♍️ the golden hour Asters & Goldenrods as the pollinators collect the last of their seasons haul. I loved learning about this amazing native flower species while creating the next oracle card in the HBB Oracle Deck 🐻🫶

12/09/2024

It’s Monday & we are back at it again with another chance to win a free print of your choice ✨ this week we’re talking about a beloved native flower species that I’m sure you’ve seen before as this incredible friend is a voracious grower 💛⭐️🌼

Take a chance down below with your best guess & you may be lucky enough to win a print of your choice 🙌