Wolf Totem

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Wildish Nature

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"Fairy tales, myths, and stories provide understandings which sharpen our sight so we can pick out and pick up the path left by the wildish nature. The instruction found in stories reassures us that the path has not run out, but still leads women deeper, and more deeply still, into their own knowing. The tracks which we are following are those of the Wild Woman archetype, the innate instinctual self....
"To adjoin the instinctual nature does not mean to come undone, change everything from right to left, from black to white, to move from east to west, to act crazy or out of control. It does not mean to lose one's primary socializations, or to become less human. It means quite the opposite. The wildish nature has vast integrity to it. It means to establish territory, to find one's pack, to be in one's body with certainty and pride regardless of the body's gifts and limitations, to speak and act in one's behalf, to be aware, alert, to draw on the powers of intuition and sensing, to come into one's cycles, to find out what one belongs to, to rise with dignity, to retain as much consciousness as we can."
"It's not by accident that the pristine wilderness of our planet disappears as the understanding of our own inner wild nature fades," Estés adds. "It is not so difficult to comprehend why old forests and old women are viewed as not very important resources. It is not such a mystery. It is not so coincidental that wolves and coyotes, bears and wildish women have similar reputations. They all share related instinctual archetypes, and as such, both are erroneously reputed to be ingracious, wholly and innately dangerous, and ravenous."

 "We are all filled with longing for the wild. There are few culturally sanctioned antidotes for this yearning. We were taught to feel shame for such a desire. We grew our hair long and used it to hide our feelings. But the shadow of the Wild Woman still lurks behind us during our days and in our nights. No matter where we are, the shadow that trots behind us is definitely four-footed."


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The Wolf and the Moon

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Last night there was a beautiful serenity and deep energy in The Path Within Tarot class. I have been feeling the energy of the Wolf around lately and she is urging us to go deeper, to be wilder, to step into the unknown and out of our comfort zone. I even recall that one of my students Bec was wearing a t-shirt with a wolf howling at the Moon. In the Tarot card The Moon we see a Dog (our tame and civilised self) and a Wolf (our wild, instinctual self) howling at the moon as a path sits between them. This path leads through a gateway to initiation, to the unknown...is it time to be courageous and take the 'path less travelled'? In this week of the Waning Moon it is a beautiful time for reflection and stepping into the mystery. Perhaps for some, the Full Moon last week has already given you insights into a new pathway opening for you now and you are getting ready to sow the seeds of this new dream.

I love this video for Pearl's Dream by Bat for Lashes. Here is a wonderful depiction of the battle between our wild, mystical nature and our tame side that sometimes can become the cynical 'shadow' or inner critic due to the pain it feels from having to always play it safe and watch from the sidelines. Only letting yourself do 'what you should' or living only by other's expectations can create more pain and fear that actually taking that step onto the path that leads into the unknown. We all experience The Moon card of the Tarot differently and your Wolf nature may simply be urging you to look at the Moon and Stars outside tonight, or it might be urging you to really step outside of your comfort zone and plan a couple of days away just by yourself. Today my Wolf wants me to turn off the phone and computer and go 'beachcombing' just to see what I might find there today. Take a deep breath and listen...is there a Wolf howling in your chest? Listen closely, there is great wisdom in the call of this beautiful animal totem so linked to mystery, natural instincts and freedom.

Might watch this today too!