photo credits: Vital Ground

Doug and Lynne Seus, Jennifer Aniston
Tank, Bart and Honey-Bump

This article features Part 2 of Growing Up Grizzly, a beautiful TV series on The Animal Planet.

This program highlights the strengths of SoulTypes 8, 6, and 2.

Doug Seus, a SoulType 8, and his wife, Lynne Seus, a SoulType 2, are raising three grizzly bears as members of their family: Tank, Bart and Honey-Bump. Tank, Bart and Honey-Bump can sometimes be seen in Hollywood films.

To Doug, “These bears are people.” Doug's daughter said, “My father forms the relationships with these bears as not animals, but as his counterparts--as not pets, but part of our family.”

When SoulType 8s are in their strength they relate to animals as equals. Doug Seus shows us what happens when 8s interact physically with their environment, and how accomplished they become in harmoniously living with it.

The Seus' and their grizzly children protect the grizzly and the planet through their work.

Their organization is called Vital Ground.

Jennifer Aniston, a SoulType 6, visits the Seus family where Doug begins to train her to work with the bears. Doug says:

“Bart had a confidence in her. On a very basic level Jennifer was doing something she did not even know she was doing. She was taking the pressure off the bear in a way that comes natural to her. She'd chuckle, and right away the load would lighten emotionally on the bear.” He also said, “Jennifer is spontaneous, and animals react positively to spontaneity.”

One strength of SoulType 6 is finding what is alive and positive and showing it to others (including bears!) so they can also experience it and go where the energy is uplifting.

Lynne Seus describes what it was like to have Jennifer with them:

“There was a great, palatable emotion--an electric current running around this little place--and I think it came from the Great Bear Spirit and it came right from Jen’s heart.”

The heart is the energy center for SoulType 6--and, at the SoulType 6 workshop in August, 2003, several participants experienced sensations of electricity.

This film captures a truly priceless "6 moment in time". Jennifer goes into the Soultype 6 posture of strength after she feels with her hands the magnificence of Bart’s foot. She throws out her chest and punches the air with her fists as she walks away--then she turns to the camera and through tears she says, “I will never wash my hands again. I'm shaking. That was amazing.”

Lynne is not featured as much in the film, but she is no less important. She shows great joy at supporting relationship and seeing the beauty of connection. Her face shows pure when she watches Jennifer playing with the bears. Her presence weaves a connecting, enlivening thread. This is the gift of SoulType 2.

It is rare to see a documentary that focuses on the deep impact that knowing animals has on people, animals, and the planet. We hope you have the opportunity to see this film!

Growing Up Grizzly Part 1 features Brad Pitt, a SoulType 3.

#7 - 01/19/04