WOLF THE TEACHER
Feared and hated by men the world over, the mighty wolf has been
plagued by all forms of evil stories, myths and legends. Hunted, trapped and killed to the point of extinction, many of these majestic animals are gone forever; their breeds and blood lines never to be seen again.
In spite of the many horror stories of wolves hunting, tracking and
killing humans, no such event has ever been
confirmed. Their eerie and lonely howl, which can make the blood run
cold, is merely their form of communication.
Each howl, with its tone, depth, length and frequency carries a
different message to the pack, or to the partner who is
out of sight. They're merely "talking". If you carry wolf medicine,
here are some characteristics that sound familiar to
you: You are fiercely loyal &emdash; to friends, family, ideals and
principles. There is no compromise for you.
You are very territorial. You protect all that is yours and your
family's at any expense. You are fearless in your
protection, but not reckless. You plan your strategy carefully, and
wait for the opportune moment for most powerful
effect. You have a strong family structure. There is no doubt who the
elders, patriarchs and parents are, or about their
roles in the family structure. Disobedience, selfishness and unruly
behavior is not tolerated as there are strong
boundaries for the young. They are taught well and carefully so that
they may assume leadership roles in their own
family structures.
You have an unrelenting sense of adventure. You love to explore new
things, to stretch out for new horizons. You
have a thirst for knowledge and for learning new things. You are eager
to share these things, which makes you a
natural teacher. Your adventures may take you away from home and
family, but it is important that you have this base
of security to return to.
You have an unrelenting need to be alone. You are so busy being the
protector, the provider, the teacher, and the
trailblazer, that it's very easy for you to become exhausted and
burned out. In order to re-charge your spirit, and keep
your balance, it is critical that you have time to be alone with your
thoughts and your own sense of self. This is one
side of your nature that must not be overlooked. Even if you lock
yourself in the bathroom for 15 minutes a day, the
time alone must be honored if you are to have value to those you care
for.
Wolves are the epitome of the wild spirit, and yet in many ways, they
are as ritualistic by nature as are humans. They,
too, live by very defined rules and hold their specific territories as
sacred. They live within a hierarchical social
structure with both an alpha male and an alpha female.
Each wolf has a position and function in this society, and knows their
relation to every other member of the pack.
While wolf packs are not entirely autocratic under the rule of the
alpha male, neither are they democratic. They practice
a successful balance between authority and democracy. With wolf, you
can learn to use ritual to establish harmony and
order in your life. Wolf helps one to understand that true freedom
requires discipline.
Wolves have a complex communication system, utilizing body language,
posture, eye contact, and tail positions. Pups
learn to recognize and respond to the unique visual communication
system of their pack. Those with wolf in their totem
are generally very expressive with their hands and posture. Through
meditation and study of the wolf, you can learn to
empower your verbal communications through effective body language.
They also have a complex vocal communication system: howling,
whimpers, whines, growling, and even barking,
each with a variety of meaning behind it. Howls can signal danger, or
serve as a call to locate other members of their
pack. They can be used to greet one another and to define or mark out
their territories to a newcomer. They even howl
just for the fun of it!
Contrary to popular beliefs, wolves do not fight unnecessarily. Even
though they are extremely strong and powerful,
they often will go out of their way to avoid fighting, and
disagreements rarely end in serious fights. Often a simple
glance or low growl is all that is needed to avoid a conflict. The
wolf teaches us to know who we are and how to
develop strength, surety and confidence within ourselves so that we do
not have to feel the need to demonstrate or
prove ourselves to others.
The alpha male and female often mate for life, and usually breed
during the late winter with the female giving birth
approximately two months later. Pups are protected by all the members
of the pack and are treated with tolerance and
affection. If for whatever reason the pups' parents are unable to care
for it, another member of the pack will adopt
them. They even provide baby-sitting services for one another when the
need arises. Wolf medicine teaches respect and
honor for family and children.
Wolves are great predators, yet generally limit their prey to the
sick, the young, or the ill. They can travel great
distances at speeds of up to 24-28 miles per hour. While it does not
maintain this speed for great distances, it can travel
almost indefinitely at a steady pace of 5 miles per hour. Once they
have captured their prey, they usually consume it all,
gorging themselves. Those with wolf in their totem may need to learn
to make the most of all that is available to them.
Sometimes in as much as wolf is a reminder to keep our spirits alive,
he serves to remind us not to waste.
Wolves have keen senses of smell and hearing. It is said that a wolf's
smell is 100 times greater than that of a human,
and it's this sense of smell that provides great discrimination. The
sense of smell has been associated with spiritual
idealism in metaphysical circles. The wolf relies upon its strong
sense of smell and hearing for hunting, which
transposes into a reminder for those with wolf as their totem to
listen to their inner thoughts and words. Your intuition
will be strong. The thick coat of fur that a wolf possesses further
emphasizes this. Hair has long been associated with
psychic abilities, and the wolf has both an inner and outer coat,
giving it the ability to reflect the archetypal forces
associated with psychic insight.
The wolf has the ability to make firm and lasting attachments. Wolf
medicine will help you learn to trust your own
insights and to secure your attachments accordingly. Wolf can help you
listen to your inner voice and help protect you
from making inappropriate actions. Wolf will guard you as it teaches
you--sometimes gently, oftentimes firmly--but
always with love. If you see wolf in your life, it is time to reach
out and take control of your life. Breathe new life into
your rituals! Find a new path, take a new journey…you are the master
of your life. You create it and direct it. With
wolf, you can learn to do so with harmony and discipline, and learn
the true spirit of freedom.