She comes to me in my sleep to warn me. I call her Ancatha (thorns)
She knows when I am vulnerable.
Anxious.
I have had recurring nightmares about bears since I was 4 yrs old. They are never pleasant or benign. These dreams keep me awake and alert me to my subconscious rising anxiety. I have come to understand they signal a need for self-care and reflection. Keeping a watchful eye out for all of life’s road signs. I have had more than a few close encounters with black bears. Just recently I met a big, beautiful black bear in my garden. It was so afraid of me it false charged three times. I was frozen in fear. When I finally had the courage to look up again it was gone. That encounter kicked off a new round of deep paranoia that has kept me from weeding outside the fenced perimeter of

Acrylic paint, chalk, charcoal, watercolor pencil on hardboard