Behind the Name

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Libation is a sacred drink or offering poured on the ground. We have always blessed the earth and our ancestors in this way. Life is a celebration and a blessing. As I transitioned from a career of nursing and environmental education,  noble careers, I started my journey as a sommelier. Spirits in all forms have always been a part of my family. I struggled with the idea that wine was beautiful, but was it noble? My conclusion is that it absolutely is. You can trace the human condition through the history of wine. Studying wine is climatology, ecology, enology, geology, history, politics, technology, and art! It is the elixir of the gods/goddesses and sacred in many religions. Bearing and Sharing this information truly is a noble pursuit and it is my calling.

 

Libation Bearers, Greek Choēphoroi, play by Aeschylus,  second in the trilogy known as the Oresteia. The Greeks loved their wine and a good story too. This Greek tragedy has all the messy, beautiful facets of the struggle for life and death. In the end, equanimity and justice prevail.

 

A bearer is a person who carries or delivers something. Bear also means to hold something which could be physical, metaphysical, or spiritual. It can be a burden and a gift.

 

A bear is a beautiful and brave mammal that raises her cubs on her own and they are fierce mothers. Bear skins are worn in many ceremonies to invoke bravery and courage. Many clans are named after the bear.

 

Bear is the surname I was given at birth. After two marriages and three different names, the last of which I kept for the sake of my children, it was time to reclaim my name. I am too southern to take a name without family ties. In the end, I decided to return to Bear, not as a surname but in the spirit of a family name. Some cultures have family totems as well as family crests. Bear was the right name as I transitioned into a phase of life beyond motherhood and returning to myself.

 

I hope that you join me in my mission to bear and share the world of libations! There is a story of beauty, love struggle, and strife in every glass of wine.

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