Kit was excited to be reunited with Bear.

“It is good to see you Kit,” said Bear. “Tell me about your journey to the South. What did you learn about the 7 Fears and the 7 Gifts?”

“I thought it would be easier,” said Kit. “I never found the Spirit-Keeper of the South! But… I did find other allies who helped me – especially Coyote.”

“Coyote is a great teacher,” said Bear. “But Coyote’s love of tricks can make my head hurt. What teachings did Coyote share with you?”

“Ha! I heard the same thing about Coyote from some of the other animals!” said Kit. “I wasn’t sure if I could believe Coyote, but I really thought about it and it seems like truth to me.

“Fear-of-The-Cold, the fear that the world is too challenging a place, is balanced by the Gift of Respect. If others respect you, they will look out for you in situations where you need assistance. Fear-of-The-Cold inspires a person to respect the real dangers in the world and motivates people to grow in skill. Thinking out how to get your needs met will also counter Fear-of-The-Cold.”

“I believe that is true,” said Bear. “I would add that people must go beyond thinking and also take actions that will calm their Fear-of-The-Cold. People must take actions to always learn new skills. What about the next of the 7 Fears?”

“Fear-of-Being-Alone, the fear that without others you will fail, is balanced by the Gift of Love. When you experience and express love you create a sense of belonging with others. You carry a piece of others with you. When others have love for you they will always want to help you.”

“Did you learn about any of the other Fears and Gifts?” asked Bear.

“I think so,” said Kit. “When a person gets to the age where the need to explore pulls at you, it’s natural to feel Fear-of-The-Woods, the fear of becoming lost. The woods are a big place and it is easy to lose your eagle-vision, you’re sense of the shape of your surroundings. It’s easy to think you’re moving on a straight path, but most paths don’t run straight. It’s easy to lose your path. You can counter that fear with the Gift of Truth.

“Coyote told me about something called Scout-Awareness. It’s a way of training yourself to always be aware of what is happening in your own body, in your immediate surroundings, and in the larger surroundings. By practicing the 3 Zones of Awareness you look for Truth instead of feeling lost. By seeking Truth you’ll find your path.

“There’s also another way of getting lost,” said Kit. “Fear-of-The-Dark is the fear of getting lost inside yourself. Sometimes all people think negatively. People think themselves into feeling confused or weak or just no good. The Gift of Honesty inspires people to be aware of their own dark thoughts. With Honesty a person can be aware of their own weaknesses without giving up.”

“That was well said, Kit. It is also important to give the Gift of Honesty to others. In that way you turn people into friends and allies,” said Bear.

“Coyote talked about that,” said Kit. “There’s a technique called Coyote-Thinking that can help you be successful on any journey.”

“Knowing Coyote, I’m a little nervous to hear this teaching,” said Bear. “Coyote can be such a trickster, that you always have to think hard about Coyote’s teachings.”

“Coyote taught me that Coyote-Thinking takes any problems you have and challenges you to think about the bigger issue those problems represent. That helps you form a Clear Vision of the journey you’re on. You have to be able to picture WHAT your bigger journey is all about. Next you try to figure out WHY you’re inspired to undertake the journey. That gives you a Clear Heart.

“To get a Clear Mind, you think about WHERE, WHEN, and HOW your needs will get met on your journey. You think about WHO can be an ally and train yourself to always look, as you travel, for OPPORTUNITIES and THREATS. You also have to take an honest look at your own STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES and always be learning new skills.

“You try to have Clear Actions throughout your day. Each evening, you REVIEW your actions and the outcomes of those actions. You organize in your mind what happened that day into a Scout REPORT. Then, you REVISE your plans for the next day based on the outcomes of today’s actions.”

“I can see where that would be a very strategic way to think,” said Bear. “No wonder coyotes thrive in so many different environments! Did you learn anything about fear?”

“Well… to be honest,” said Kit, “there were a few times when fear got the best of me.”

“Remember, Kit,” said Bear, “all people experience the 7 Fears. That just makes you a person. Sometimes bad experiences are a way to make some lesson really stick in your heart and in your mind. Other times, bad experiences are too overwhelming and get stuck in a person’s body, in their muscles and nerves. Tell me what happened.”

“The worst was definitely this time I got surrounded by wolves. I know that Wolf promised to help me, but I think I will always be terrified of wolves.”

“Fear-of-Animals, the fear of being attacked, is one of the 7 Fears,” said Bear. “Like all fears, sometimes it is small and barely influences our actions. Other times it is so large a feeling that it stops all thought. Then, the only actions that remain are freezing, fleeing, or fighting.

“Fear-of-The-Cold and Fear-of-Being-Alone are teachings from the East. The spirit of the East is largely about experiencing and expressing emotions. The spirit of the East is about what inspires and motivates us. The spirit of the East is also about gaining perspective and being able to see the bigger picture.

“Long ago, I learned from Eagle, the Spirit-Keeper of the East, that Fear-of-The-Cold and Fear-of-Being-Alone can cause emotions to freeze, flee, or fight. To others, people with frozen emotions seem sad or bored or without any energy. When a person’s emotions are frozen they tend to get stuck in certain negative feelings.

“People whose emotions are in flight seem to avoid emotional situations. When a person’s emotions are in flight they tend to quickly switch emotions and their moods change with the wind.

“People whose fears make them want to fight seem angry all the time. When a person’s emotions are in fight mode they push others away.

“A similar thing happens with Fear-of-The-Woods and Fear-of-The-Dark. These are teachings from the South. The spirit of the South is about how a person thinks. The spirit of the South makes us curious to explore the world, to learn new skills, and to gain life experience. People with frozen thoughts get stuck in a rut, trying the same unsuccessfully things over and over. To others, people with frozen thoughts seem confused and have difficulty understanding their immediate surroundings.

“People whose thoughts are in flight become powerless victims of whatever the world throws at them. When a person’s thoughts are in flight they can’t focus on the tasks at hand.

“People whose thoughts are ready to fight close themselves off to new experiences, push others away, and always expect the worst. When a person’s thoughts are in fight mode they see the world through the red haze of anger.”

“I never thought before about feelings and thoughts being able to freeze, flee, or fight,” said Kit. “That’s kind of a strange idea….”

“That may be a new way of thinking for you, but it is the same way with Fear-of-Animals. The spirit of the West is about actions. The spirit of the West is about how a person impacts the rest of the world through that person’s behaviors and words. People with frozen actions don’t move at all. Sometimes that can save a person’s life. But some people are so frozen by their fears that they always chose no action or to hide. They make a choice by not choosing.

“People who flee will sometimes be able to out-run danger and other troubles. But some people are so used to running from their fears that they lose all sense of belonging.

“People who fight will sometimes win and sometimes lose. People who are always fighting may become very skilled fighters, but without mastering their fears, they will never be true warriors. The true warrior does not seek to fight. The true warrior takes actions in order to most benefit the tribe.”

“Coyote told me there’s a Way-of-The-Artist, a Way-of-The-Scout, and a Way-of-The-Warrior,” said Kit.

“All three of those paths are on the Way-of-The-Chief,” said Bear. “All people are born artists. We instinctively know The-Way-of-The-Artist. Look at the very young and you will see The Artist in everything they do. The Artist is concerned with the expression and experience of emotions. Talk to Eagle is you’d like to learn more about The-Way-of-The-Artist.

“The-Way-of-The-Scout begins with learning Scout Awareness. There are numerous Scout skills that will move you along this path – how to make maps, how to meet your needs for shelter, water, and food, how to report back on what you’ve discovered, and many other teachings you can learn.

“The-Way-of-The-Warrior begins with learning muscle relaxation. The ultimate warrior skill is being able to take action while remaining completely relaxed. Fear-of-Animals, the fear of being attacked, can become stuck in a person’s muscles and nerves. When that happens a person’s emotions and thoughts are also affected. If you wish to walk The-Way-of-The-Warrior you would do well to learn Cougar Muscle Relaxation.”

“Will that take away my fear of wolves?” asked Kit.

“You may always have some of that fear. That depends on your future experiences with wolves. However, if you master Cougar Muscle Relaxation your fear will no longer control your actions. You’ll be able to do more than only freeze, flee, or fight. That leads to the next Gift of the Elders – Bravery. To truly act in a brave manner you must act while feeling some amount of fear. Otherwise, what might seem like bravery is really just foolishness or recklessness.”

“I’d like to learn Cougar Muscle Relaxation,” said Kit. “I think Cougar tried to teach me that when I first came to live with the animals. I just didn’t understand at the time.”

“Cougar doesn’t use a lot of words,” said Bear. “Cougar prefers to teach by example. Long ago Cougar let me study Cougar Muscle Relaxation. When I wanted to become a Chief among the animals, Muscle Relaxation was a key skill for making me more thoughtful and less angry. I can teach you this powerful technique, but it will be up to you to practice it. Only with practice will it move you down the warrior’s path.”

“Is another of the 7 Fears part of the spirit of the West?” asked Kit.

“That’s right,” said Bear. “It’s easy to see how Fear-of-Animals becomes stuck in a person’s body, affecting the person’s actions. Fear-of-Water is, at first, harder to understand but it too gets stuck in a person’s muscles and nerves, directly affecting their actions.”

“Fear-of-Water?” said Kit. “Coyote told me a story that mentioned Fear-of-Water. Most of the time in the South it was fear of not having enough water that I felt!”

“Water is very powerful,” said Bear. “Water is something that all the animal people and all the plant people need to survive. Without enough water a person’s muscles, thoughts, and emotions all slowly shut down. Anxiety is the name of all the small fears that slowly shut down a person’s muscles, thoughts, and feelings.

“But too much water may be even more frightening. Fear-of-Water is the fear of being overwhelmed by powers that won’t even notice you as you are swept away. No animal is more powerful than a flood.”

“I’ll tell you two stories that I hope will help you. First, I’ll tell you a story from long ago, before I became the Spirit-Keeper of the West, before I learned how to be a Chief. This is the story of Monster Bear and the Flood of Humans. That experience changed the Bear Spirit and is part of why I set out to become a Chief and went to Cougar to learn Cougar Muscle Relaxation.”