As I explain in my book Slava! Slavic Paganism and Dual-Faith Folk Ways, a fundamental concept of holism exists in the Slavic mythic consciousness. This worldview is essentially animistic and shamanistic in nature, regarding as it does the intrinsic at-one-ness of humanity with a spirit-saturated natural world, as well as with the deities and other sacred beings that populate every level of the tripartite mythic construct of Ultimate Reality. This Reality is envisioned as a sacred oak tree (Drvo Svijeta in Croatian) at the center of the Universe. The Tree's middle realm is the domain of living people and the creatures with which we share this earth.¹

One of the most revered creatures among Slavs past and present is the bear. It's such a sacred animal that euphemisms have to be used when referring to it, downplaying the animal's formidable supernatural connotations. For example, in my native language of Serbian, the word for "bear" is medved, which literally means "the one who knows honey." Among the East Slavs, the diminutive of Mishka is often applied to bears. In my culture, we use the affectionate feminine diminutive of Tetka, which means "Auntie." It is a very telling marker of kinship, reinforcing centuries-old motifs in Serbian and Bosnian folk songs and tales that celebrate the evolution of people from bears (or vice-versa!). And it has very ancient echoes, dating back all the way to pre-history and the Neolithic cave bear cults that permeated the region of "Old Europe," the Slavs' geographic point of origin.²

As a helping spirit, "Auntie" Bear brings us the blessings of healing, renewal, and fertility from the Underworld/Otherworld. In wedding ceremonies of some parts of Russia, both the bride and groom are still referred to as "bears." In Belarus, an act of apotropaic magic to protect one's house against fire involves leading a (presumably tame) bear around the house clockwise three times. Bear droppings found in the barn are viewed as a sign of good fortune, and bears' heads used to be buried in fields and pastures to assist with the growth of crops and the protection of the herds, respectively.³

Not surprisingly, bear claws, whole paws, hide, and teeth are highly desired amulets by Slavic magical practitioners. I prefer the cruelty-free devotional necklaces I design and bead with semiprecious gemstones (see image below), such as my ritual necklace that pays homage to both the Slavic Mother goddess Mokoša and Tetka Bear.

Guided Meditation: A Visit to Tetka's Lair
Ideally, find a place outdoors where you can be peacefully solitary. If you're surrounded by trees, especially any variety of evergreens or birch trees, all the better. If you're performing this indoors, get into a position that is comfortable to you but which will hopefully not result in you falling fast asleep, which is why I'd recommend sitting upright, even in a chair with your bare feet planted firmly on the floor, as opposed to lying on your back. If you can tolerate strong scents, pine, patchouli, or amber incenses all make lovely choices for an olfactory sensory accompaniment to this meditation.

Consider recording the meditation that follows into a voice-recording app on your phone and playing it back on headphones. If you're outdoors on public land such as a park or nature preserve, please exercise situational awareness and keep your safety top of mind. If someone or something feels off to you, by all means leave.

When you are ready, close your eyes. Feel the light of the life-giving Sun bathe you in a protective sphere of shimmering golden energy. This sphere is going to function as a spiritual form of transport that will safely convey you down into the soft earth and through the Otherworldly portal at the root of the World Tree to the entrance of Tetka's cave.

Breathe in slowly through your nose to a count of six, hold your breath for two counts, and then exhale slowly through your mouth, lips slightly parted. Allow your tongue to relax as you gently issue a hissing sound with the exhalation. It can be as loud or as soft a hiss as you like. Repeat this breathwork three more times. With the conclusion of each hiss, feel the golden sphere surrounding you to brighten in intensity and solidify; you are fully cocooned in it, but your limbs are completely mobile.

A gentle breeze at the nape of your neck alerts you to the fact that your sphere-self has begun to glide across the ground. You are enveloped by a sense of ease and peace. Soon the green grass and earth gets replaced by more of a marshy landscape with tall grasses, reeds, and uniquely colored flowers of a beauty that is peerless to you. Curious otters and the occasional sunbathing turtle eye you as you glide past their watery domain. You recognize them as your kin and feel exuberantly alive.

Rising out of the center of the marsh, you see a wide mound crowned by an immense, majestic oak tree. This is the Slavic World Tree, Whose levels encompass All That Is. From the top-most branches, a large golden eagle descends and swoops past you, energizing you with the sight and sound of its beating wings.

"Slava, Perunu!" ("Glory to Perun!") you cry triumphantly, for truly, that was the god Perun in eagle form careening past you, welcoming you and blessing you with joy and a receptive heart.

Catching your attention now is a massive, ram-horned black serpent, at least thirty feet long, coiled at the base of the Tree, its shimmering jet-black scales spanning the entire expanse of the mound. The serpent cocks its head with a knowing smile and lifts its left eyelid.

"Slava, Velesu! ("Glory to Veles!") you cry ecstatically, for indeed, Veles is before you in snake form.

"My child," he addresses you, "are you ready to make your descent to your loving Tetka? She is most eager to see you." He shifts his body, loosening his grip at the base of the World Tree. You see the gnarled, wise, undulating roots becoming exposed as Veles clears a path for you.

"Yes, I very much wish to see Tetka, my Auntie," you reply with a beaming smile. "My heart is light, my vision is keen, and I seek her wisdom from betwixt and between."

"Wisdom! Let us attend," declares Veles. "Renewal awaits you, now and ever."

You bow before Veles and feel your sphere-self joyfully dive into the trunk of the World Tree a few feet above the mound. A kaleidoscopic tunnel swirls around you, and within its gyrating confines the sounds of peals of laughter of women and children and exuberant concertina music reverberate from all sides. You find the steady beat and begin gently slapping the tops of both thighs in concert with it.

Just as suddenly as it appeared, the tunnel of light vanishes. You find yourself standing at the mouth of a perfectly circular cave. You notice, etched into the stone, curious pictographs or markings that have been daubed over with red ochre. This cave is very, very ancient, you realize with awe, as is the Being who pokes her head out— "Auntie!" you cheer. "Zdravo, Tetka!"

"Dobro nam došli—welcome to our home!" she cries. And here Auntie lifts herself up from her haunches to stand as a biped. She bows and gestures for you to enter. You bow in reply and stride in. Her cave is adorned like a beautiful Slavic house with lovely pine wood floors, cheerful herbs and flowers in pots, embroidered tea towels on the kitchen table and draped near the pe?ina, or wood-burning stove, and shelves laden with canned goods. Everything exudes warmth and cheer.

"Please, sit," she guides you to her comfortably upholstered sofa and you sit down.

Suddenly appearing amidst Tetka's massive claws is a beautifully lacquered tray on which she has arrayed the traditional foods of welcome: a small round loaf of rye bread, a wee dish of salt, and a tall glass of crystal-clear water, into which she's stirred a couple of generous dollops of her own homemade blackberry preserves. You know there are no negative repercussions of "detainment" in the Otherworld if you eat her food and drink the glass with slatko, so you thank Tetka and break off a generous piece of the bread, sprinkle three pinches of salt onto it, and eat it. If love can be a thing you’ve ingested, you've just ingested it, and you know and Tetka know it. You then take three hearty draughts of the slatko from the crystal glass. It's immensely refreshing.

"Hvala puno, Tetka," ("Thank you very much, Auntie") you say, satisfied. "Sweetness deserves sweetness, so I brought you a gift as well," and here you produce a beautiful jar of raw, organic, unfiltered honey produced by bees that fed on wild flowers. The jar contains honeycombs, those emblems of perfect geometry, the sacred labor of the bees. You present the jar to Tetka and you delight in seeing her pupils dilate as her amber-colored eyes light up with joy.

"Oh, this is a marvelous gift, indeed," she says, and she accepts the jar and gives it a place of honor at the center of the kitchen table. "Thank you, my child! Here: come join me at my table," she says, as she gestures to one of the seats in the kitchen. "I am so very glad to have you here in my home so we can deepen our relationship. Come tell your Tetka all about the kind of blessing that you seek, and you can be certain by all that's holy and good, by the power of a mother's love, that I will let blessing be."

Before sitting down, you lovingly throw your arms around Tetka's strong neck and bury your nose into her velvety brown fur. You are fully enveloped in her powerful love and you know without any doubt that no evil, no sickness, no lack, no enmity can ever be made manifest in the presence of this amazingly loving, fiercely protective, immensely wise, and wholly nurturing Tetka of yours. Take a few moments to bask in sheer gratitude for the soul-nourishing love you and Tetka have for each other before you whisper into her rounded ears what it is you seek.

As you make your wishes known, she clasps you tighter still. You radiate absolute bliss. This is the best feeling you’ve ever known. Savor it.

Feel the life-affirming energies of this healing hug. What is it restoring within you? What balances do you think it will redress when you return to the world of ordinary consciousness?

"One more gift born of love," Tetka announces, and she raises her right forepaw and arcs a claw tip to gently press upon your third eye.

Waves of indescribable energy ripple through you. You thank Tetka for this gift.

As you and Tetka simultaneously detach from the hug, you feel the coating of your sphere-self accrue on every surface area of your body. "I must return," you announce, and Tetka nods before saying, "Go in peace."

Without turning your back to her, you begin gliding back out the mouth of the cave. The accordion music begins to waft itself around you and the eruption of a gentle wave of children’s laughter informs you that the twirling kaleidoscopic tunnel of fantastic colors has drawn you back into it. As before, even though you may not know the words of the celebratory song the women and children are singing, you intuitively know, as you glide headlong into the passageway of Being and Nonbeing, that the song's message is that of Bear Spirit Wisdom. As before, you once again clap your thighs in tune to the rhythm of the song. You feel elated; indeed, your elation could be the very force that buoys you along!

You feel strong rays of sunlight cascade on your shoulders and when you open your eyes, you see yourself paused before the trunk of the World Tree again. Veles is no longer coiled around the roots but you know he is beneath the waves of the marshy waters. You wave farewell to him, wherever he swims. You tilt your head back and are greeted by the screeching sound of an eagle. Though you don't see him, you know it is Perun, and in your own words you thank him and wave farewell. You dive away from the Tree, aloft in currents of the aether, and your golden sphere-self conveys you back across the marsh landscape… back across vibrant landscapes of green grass and colorful wildflowers… returning to exactly where you happen to be seated or lying in meditation in the world of consensus reality or ordinary consciousness.

The golden sphere begins to dissolve around you, leaving pleasurable little shivers that race up and down your spinal column and throughout your central nervous system. "Slava Rodu! Glory to the Kin!" you cheer. You feel your consciousness rise steadily through your sacral chakra, then your loins, your solar plexus, your heart and lungs, your throat, your third eye, and the very top of your head. Commence the series of deep breathing exercises of inhales to a count of six, pauses for a count of two, and exhalations accompanied by hissing to a count of eight. Perform this three times.

When you are ready, open your eyes. Welcome back!

To ensure that you have fully returned from the Otherworld, I recommend immediately spritzing the nape of your neck, your temples, and the palms of your hands with a spiritual cleansing spray (chapter 12 of Slava! gives my recipe for making such a spray). After that, it's wise to ground your energies by eating nourishing foods that contain a balance of both protein and carbs, so as a vegetarian I like to fix myself a multigrain English muffin or piece of pita bread onto which I can smear hummus or eat a piece of salty cheese, like the Bulgarian feta I love to get by the pound at a local deli. Hydrate yourself with electrolyte-enhanced water. Skip caffeine and alcoholic beverages for the rest of the day or evening.

It's also good self-care and a healthy witchcraft habit to write about your Otherworld journeys in a magical journal. I love perusing older entries I've written that detail Otherworld visits. Even though they may have happened years ago, the incredibly vivid details and overall staying power of those experiences ensure that they've been indelibly etched in my consciousness, serving as key milestones in my spiritual odysseys.

May the spirit of Auntie Bear watch over and protect, strengthen, and comfort you in the waning days of winter. Slava Rodu! Glory to the Kin!

Works Cited
1. Ivakhiv, Adrian. "The Revival of Ukranian Native Faith." Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives, ed. Michael Strimska. ABC-CLIO Religion in Contemporary Cultures Series. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2005.
2. Gilchrist, Cherry. Russian Magic: Living Folk Traditions of an Enchanted Landscape. Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 2009.
3. Ryan, W.F. The Bathhouse at Midnight: An Historical Survey of Magic and Divination in Russia. Stroud, Gloucestershire (UK): Sutton Publishing, 1999.