Bear Moon & the Season of Turning Inward

There’s a shift in the woods come October.

Not dramatic at first. Just something quieter. Slower. Like the forest is gently exhaling.

The full moon this month is sometimes called the Bear Moon, particularly in Anishinaabe tradition. It marks the beginning of a visioning season—a time when bears prepare to hibernate, slowing down and going inward, deep into the earth, deep into themselves.

And I feel it too.

The pull to turn inwards. To take stock. To soften the noise and listen in the dark.

The Bear Moon speaks to a kind of wisdom that doesn’t perform. It doesn’t rush to be productive. It doesn’t make grand declarations. It turns down the lights, draws in breath, and waits. Not out of fear. But trust. Trust that what’s needed will come. Trust that winter has its own kind of clarity.

This is when the vision quest begins—not the Instagram kind, but the real one. The one that takes you inward. The one that asks more questions than it answers.

In Indigenous teachings, Bear Moon is a time to connect with guidance that comes through stillness. Through dreams. Through energy, not explanation. It’s the opposite of hustle. It’s what happens when you honour the part of you that needs quiet.

As therapists, we often hold this space for others. But this month, I’m letting the forest hold me too.

So I’ll be here—walking slower, writing less, resting more. And listening. For what’s moving underground.For what’s ready to be released.For what’s whispering through the bones of the trees.

Because not everything we need is found in the light.

This season, may you find the courage to slow down before you’re forced to. May you find comfort in your own cave. May you listen—not to fix, but to remember.

Let yourself turn in.

Sarah