Every story has a beginning.
The triumph of your story is still being written.


In each of our lives, there are moments when we feel alone, hurt or lost. If the burdens and isolation of addiction meet you for your morning coffee, follow you throughout the day or tuck you in at night, now is the time to accept the gift of healing. Nothing feels better than finding your way to feeling better.

The amazing gifts associated with healing are personified through folklore. In Native American culture, the black bear is often regarded as a child of the Great Spirit. For thousands of years, the black bear served as the definitive spirit guide for the Cherokee Indians who lived in the mountains where Black Bear Lodge is nestled.

In the Cherokee tradition, a spirit guide is a guardian of transformation, a guiding light to the warrior within, an ally and sage for what any seeker might become. At Black Bear Lodge, your spirit guide waits and welcomes. Every story has a beginning. The triumph of your story is still being written.

At Black Bear Lodge, we welcome those individuals who hope to leave the darkness of addiction and come into their own light.

At Black Bear Lodge, we honor the truth that all self-transformation requires self-witnessing and self-understanding. In the spirit of the Cherokee shamans, we honor the inner concept that achieving recovery when you seek the truth and face it.

At Black Bear Lodge, we honor the timeless spirit that is in each of us, ignored by too many of us, and calls to all of us. We only hear these truths when we are calm, safe, and centered. Quiet yourself and you will hear.

There is a tradition among the Cherokee concerning a hidden lake that is high in the upper reaches of the mountains surrounding Black Bear Lodge. It is said that every creature living in these woods knows of these powerful healing waters where they can go to heal their wounds.

Stories told around campfires by the Cherokee and passed between generations tell us that when a black bear was wounded in life struggles, the bear would make its way to this hidden lake, enter the cooling waters, and swim to the opposite shore. When black bears came out from the water, they were healed of all their wounds.

The desire to feel better, to heal, and to move from dark memory to visions of light is a right in every life. Exercise your right to heal. At Black Bear Lodge, there is a spirit guide waiting.

At Black Bear Lodge, there are healing forces waiting to lend you the strength to be strong and the vision to find your healing so you may emerge into the light on the other side of darkness.

If you know someone suffering from addiction, let them know there is healing at Black Bear Lodge.

If you love someone suffering from addiction, assure them there is open-hearted power at Black Bear Lodge.

If you are suffering from addiction, you are not doomed. You are not forever lost. Find us at Black Bear Lodge, and you will find yourself in a better place.

Black Bear Lodge…learn about us, visit us.

Be a caring guide to your good spirit.

And you will find you are not alone.

Noah benShea
Copyright April 30, 2014

Articles posted here are primarily educational and may not directly reflect the offerings at Black Bear Lodge. For more specific information on programs at Black Bear Lodge, contact us today.