The Wind Is My Mother: The Life and Teachings of a Native American Shaman

I'm a big fan of Pema Chodron, and I read all of her books. I first read this book about 13 years ago, when my mind was in a bad state. it was evidenced by my general disregard for my appearance: slightly overweight, drinking a little too much, messy room, messy car, etc. i have adhd, and finding books that i'll read all the way through is hard for me because when i'm "off," i'm just not diligent about anything. then i read the wind is my mother, by bear heart. to say that the book changed my life would be an overstatement, but it was so kind in its message. he was an extremely disciplined individual and what was so cool about it was that he didn't psychoanalyze a bunch of reasons why he did what he did. it's almost as simple as the tao of pooh. it definitely helped me to remove my emotions from every single decision i made, helped me to be kinder to myself in regards to my self-discipline, and most of all, helped me to forgive myself for the way i had been living, because to forgive means to move on, and i was ready to move on, but for some reason, i was always feeling guilty about one thing or another, thus preventing me from moving on. when i began reading this book, i hadn't dreamed in months, or rather, hadn't remembered my dreams. then after i read on the first night, i dreamed i was running around the UNC track, which is blue in real life, and i was running and the track turned into a big ocean and there were live shrimp in there with me and we were all just swimming around. to say that it is cool to me that i remember a dream from 13 years ago is pretty bada$$. :) the message of this book is kindness. maybe i should say messages. kindness, honesty, and compassion. and in my opinion, if i am able to create these messages from within, towards myself, i'll be a lot easier on those around me. it's sort of a circle. a friend once told me, "you gotta give to get." and i really think that is true, but i learned through this book, that i need to start with myself. i need to give myself the compassion and honesty and then i can be true to life around me. also, from a non-self help standpoint, i loved the stories of bear heart's youth, and his stories of learning to be a medicine man. his manner of storytelling via text is very similar to a speech, and there are lots of playful, non-formal moments in the book that i cherish. i hope you'll consider reading this. i re-purchased it again just recently for my iPad and even though i remembered almost all of it, it was a joy to read over and over again. <3

I am not really sure whom or what a Kirkus might be but the review does not do this book justice! At first I was going to bypass loading this on my kindle believing that the review might be accurate. Through an interesting chain of events I obtained the hard copy of the book. For those of you on a spiritual and philosophical path you will find this little book of great interest and beauty. Obviously the reviewer has no philosophical background and perhaps enjoys his knowledge being injected directly into his consciousness. I would not generally be so harsh but this type of review does not do justice to the beauty, truth, light, love, heart and soul that this book contains. It is being shared by an individual who walks his talk and gives beautiful, true life experiences, to share a point. It is not preaching, lecturing, or a dogmatic approach but rather a demonstration of cause and effect. Don't make the mistake of not giving this book a chance.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first opened this book. I quickly discovered a beautiful tribute to ancient ways. Bear Heart's retelling of Native American history, traditions, and beliefs left me wishing everyone would read this and take it to heart. The respect that was given to old ones and young ones, nature, animals and plants, is something we all would be wise to follow. And the lessons and experiences he shared were remarkable. I thank Bear Heart in spirit for sharing these great teachings. Clearly he was a gifted man and story teller. And I thank Molly Larkin for compiling these memories into a warm, compelling story of a great being. The lessons filled every page, leaving me with gratitude and hope.

This book is fantastic. Written by a genuine Native American shaman. I was thrilled to find it.

Bearheart speaks of overcoming life’s difficulties with resilience. I liked his bear story when he was hit twice by a bear during a vision quest and calmly told the bear that the bear was his father’s symbol and he should speak to the bear as if it were kin then the bear departed. Bearheart was resilient as he stood back up and confronted the bear gently. In another instance, he told his student about the symbolism of a grass blade, that it would delicately maneuver and bounce back from an arrow, resiliency. He encourages the reader to question one’s character by asking who are you? What is your purpose? Further, he pushes the reader to consider, what have you become along your journey? I learned from Bearheart the importance of deriving deep spiritual meaning, what he calls wisdom over knowledge, from one’s otherwise chaotic existence, to exist with gratitude and generosity with reverence for all life.

I'm only half way though this book and truly resonate with Bear Heart's teachings and medicine. As a counselor, I also have a passion for helping people heal in both traditional and nontraditional methods. Bear's shared stories about healing were very close to my heart and own practice. I only wish he was still alive today, so that I could meet and learn from him. I was touched by the epilogue and how Molly said, he continues to walk, or walks again, and I agree. Bear continues to walk in all of us that read, listen and understand his teachings. Thank you Molly and Bear Heart. Love this book!

Found a copy at a thrift store and purchased this copy for my mom as a gift and well liked by the both of us. Very insightful in that it discusses things you may know instinctively but never realized others knew or were aware of.

Nach Empfehlung meines Chefs habe ich dieses Buch bereits im Deutschen freudig gelesen und mich nun an die Orginalversion herangetraut. Sehr empfehlenswert.

A simple, beautiful vision of our lost connection to Nature and the wild essence of all life. Humble and written in a matter-of-fact tone, this book explains that there is much wisdom in Nature and how our Indigenous ancestors related to Her. Every leader should read it and let it inspire new approaches to world-impacting decisions.

I love this book. Coming from a completely different cultural background, I was amazed to find so many similarities with things I had been told when I was a kid by the older people I knew (e.g. how to behave with older people, how to "keep your spine straight with dignity", to be respectful towards people and the environment, etc.), and the way they did it (by speaking to each other while we children were around, listening to them talking and pretending to play at the same time)... so many memories brought back by Bear Heart's wise words, so many things to think about... It's an inspiring book, one way or the other, it leaves its mark on the reader.

This book will take you to another level. A must read for those who wish to delve into the life and working of a native shaman. Another valuable lesson brought out is that all life on Earth is interconnected. Lifeforms can communicate. We only have to learn to communicate.

So glad I bought this. I savoured each chapter, filled it with highlighting and side notes, and wrote quotes from it in my journal. There are so many life lessons to take from the author - and illustrated eloquently and uniquely.