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Catch more of Phil and Bear in Green Shaman
Troy Hitch
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Some of us have a long commute to work, but imagine having to travel through space and time every time your boss calls. That's the noble but challenging work of a nature spirit, and for Bear, a three-time winner of the Four Winds Spirit of the Year award, it's a passion.
Summoned unwittingly by Phil, a human in desperate need of some eco-common sense, Bear appears to deliver his very own brand of wit and wisdom to serve his Shaman master.
Now, serving as Executive Artistic Director of the Singing Spirits of Nature, Bear manages over 1,100 over nature's most talented spirits in an ongoing effort to bring a message of sustainability and responsibility to humankind.
Who first brought your spirit to the human world?
I was accidentally summoned by about fifteen sixth-grade girls at a slumber party; they'd gotten a little loopy with a Ouija Board. I showed up?scared the braces off of them?and discovered that they'd been blowing through tons of energy with curling irons, straightening irons, crimping irons?I mean, if it heated up, they had it switched on. We had a little talk, and I set them on the right path.
Do they still summon you?
Between the manic giggling/crying and the obsession with lip gloss, I realized it wasn't my vibe. They're all still on my opt-in apparition list though.
How did you meet your current Shaman, Phil?
It was sort of like a DefCon Orange alert in the Spirit World. I got the call when someone at his green night club broke open an "organic" glo-stick (I don't even want to tell you what was really inside that thing.) Phil's got great intentions, but his energy was being misguided.
Have you been able to set him straight now?
We have our moments. We're sort of like the original Odd Couple. He's Oscar and I'm the one whose migratory family has been terrorized by reduced hunting time due to severe climate change. Felix.
What's one of your most memorable moments with your Shaman?
He tried to attend a wedding in some experimental clothes that he'd made out of recycled paper. Let's just say that the reception was outside and he didn't have a weather contingency plan.
Do you miss your arctic home?
I miss what my arctic home once was, before the early sea ice breakup made things considerably less "fun". Plus, I just can't find a really good seal burger around here. But, I'm glad that I get to do what other nature spirits only dream of: travel to the human world and really make a difference.
Speaking of the other nature spirits, where does all of the musical talent come from?
There's an intense audition process to become a singing Spirit of Nature. Connecting with humans through music is very effective, but not every nature spirit has a Susan Boyle hidden inside of them. Well, Spirit Lion did, but we made him spit her out.
What does the future hold for Spirit bear?
I'm on full-time Phil duty until otherwise instructed, but in my free-time I'm writing a screenplay.
Change Makers is series of interviews with people famous and obscure who are creating a more sustainable world through their work. Meet more Change Makers here.
WATCH: Green Shaman Video
