The Wind is My Mother

The Wind is My Mother; The Life and Teachings of a Native American Shaman.
by Bear Heart with Molly Larkin.

“In 1987, I was ready to die. In a twelve-month period, I lost my business to an unscrupulous partner, filed for personal bankruptcy, my lover committed suicide and, after rebounding into a relationship with an old boyfriend, I was left for a nineteen-year old receptionist. My life was at its darkest point, and I had gone so far as to make a plan to end it. Then I met Bear Heart.

“His words gave me hope, and my work with him since then has dramatically changed my life. It seemed only natural that a book on his teachings could inspire countless others just as he has helped and inspired me.”

These are the opening paragraphs of my introduction to The Wind is My Mother. This beloved book had been in continuous print since 1996 and has been translated into twelve languages. The updated version and e-book includes an Epilogue that starts with Bear Heart’s funeral in August 2008 and includes additional stories of his life.

Not many books can lay claim to 18 years in print. Over the years, Bear Heart and I have received letters and e-mails from people all over the world expressing how much The Wind Is My Mother has helped them:

• Some said it gave them the sense of purpose, direction or inspiration they had been seeking for years.
• A trial lawyer said it made him rethink his career and how he conducted it.
• Many said it was their favorite book after the Bible.
• There are stories from Europe of people taking the book into the operating room when they had surgery so that its good energy would help their healing.
• A nurse said she keeps it by her bedside and when she has a question, opens it at random to find meaningful guidance.
• Attorneys, single mothers, cancer patients, spiritual seekers – this is just a small sampling of the readers whose lives this book has touched.

Bear Heart was, and I continue to be, very grateful that this book has been so meaningful to so many.