WOLF TOTEM

[SunKat]

Medicine: Guardianship; Strength; Protection; Balance; Loyalty; Intuition; Communication and Guidance Cycle of Power: Year Round; Full Moon; Twilight

WOLF IS THE PATHFINDER AND GUIDE. IN THE PRESENCE OF WOLF, TEACHING IS TAKING PLACE. WHEN THE RAVEN IS PRESENT, THE TEACHINGS ARE OF THE UNSEEN WORLD.


The Wolf is a powerful, swift, and cunning brother of the woods. The Wolf is said to have a special relationship with his two-legged brothers and sisters. Stories abound about young two-legged being raised in the forests by Wolves. Wolves are said to possess many human qualities such as love, loyalty, and friendship. They also make for powerful enemies of those who would tip the fragile balance of nature.

Despite myths and misinformation of their fierceness and blood-thirst, Wolves are friendly, social and highly intelligent. Their sense of family is strong and loyal, and they live by carefully defined roles and rituals. Wolves are the epitome of the Wild Spirit of Pristine Nature. The Arctic or White Wolf is probably the purest breed, surviving in an isolated area around the Arctic Circle. The great symbolism of the White Wolf suggests it is Sacred, Holy and Pure. The White Wolf as your Totem indicates that you have a loyal and powerful Guardian and Protector around you at all times.

Wolves are very ritualistic in as many ways as humans. They live by carefully defined rules. There are specific territories and boundaries that are sacred, and their social behavior is based on a hierarchical structure with Alpha Male or Female leading and directing the Pack. Every member of the pack learns its role from birth. Every member of the pack knows its position in relation to its other members. This ritualistic behavior that ranks the Wolves are part of Wolf Magic and Medicine. The Alpha Male does not rule supreme; nor is the Pack a democracy. Wolf teaches the balance between authority and democracy; how to use ritual to establish order and harmony within your life and family; and to understand that true freedom requires discipline and following Natural Law.

The Alpha Male and Female often mate for life; and all members of the Pack show care and affection for the pups. If you were to keep company with Wolves, you would find an enormous sense of family within the Pack, as well as a strong individualistic urge. If the mother and father are unable to care for their young, another member will adopt them. Some wolves even serve as baby sitters for the pups. Wolf Medicine teaches this strong family loyalty and support system; respect and honor for the family, both the elders and the children.

Wolves do not fight (or attack) unnecessarily; in fact, they often go out of their way to avoid any trouble. Wolf uses Raven as aerial spotters for possible food sources and to alert them of any danger that may be ahead. In return for this service, Raven shares in the feast Wolf provides by the Prey. Raven is the Holy Messenger, Magic and Shape Shifter that is closely associated with Wolf and may be considered part of Wolf Medicine as well.

Wolves do indeed have the capability of being fierce of going “tooth, fang and claw”; but they don’t have to demonstrate it. They are extremely strong and powerful; however, often only a glance, posture or growl is all that is necessary to determine dominance and/or keep the peace. Part of Wolf Medicine is to learn who you are and to develop strength and confidence; but to know that you do not have to physically demonstrate and prove yourself to others.

Wolves are predators by nature; however, they prey most often on the sick, the young and the old, or disabled. Deer is the most common prey animal (and may also be part of your totem). Wolves travel great distances in their hunting (up to 15-25 kilometers in one night), and they possess the stamina and strength that enables them to cover these distances and for extended periods. While they can maintain speeds up to 28 MPH for short distances, they seem to be able to trot at about 5 MPH indefinitely.

Wolf Medicine tells you that slow and steady gets the prize; but you have the capability of speeding things along should it become necessary. The predatory nature of the Pack when it hunts emphasizes the importance of teamwork and cooperation within the family or group. There really is no such thing as a “lone Wolf.” Wolf will travel great distances in search of Truth and Knowledge and return to the Pack to teach and share their Medicine. Wolves usually consume all they capture, to the point of gorging themselves. The Arctic or White Wolf has an expanding stomach that allows for even more food storage because the scarcity of prey in their environment. This can indicate a need to make use of all that is available to you to make the most out of what you have. Wolf reminds you not to waste as much as to remind you to keep your spirit alive and nourished.

Wolves have a complex communications system using body language. The movement of the head and even the tail, direct eye contact and facial expressions all have great meaning; and each Wolf learns from the time they are pups how to read and respond. Those with Wolf Totems are usually expressive with hands, posture, face or some other manner. Wolf teaches you to empower your verbal communications with appropriate body language.

Wolves also have a complex system of vocal communications the howl; whine; growl whimper and even the bark. The howls they are famous for have a variety of meaning: a signal to others or to locate the other members of the Pack; to warn; to mourn; to greet; to make territory; and sometime to just howl for sheer joy of howling. The mournful cry of the Wolf is the sound that links this World with the one beyond.... Wolf is the pathfinder.

Wolves have extremely keen senses, particularly that of smell which is said to be 100 times greater than humans. This sense of smell endows Wolf with great Discernment, and the sense of smell has often been associates with Spiritual Idealism in metaphysical circles.

The Wolf has excellent hearing sensitivity, and is a reminder that you should listen to others, especially those closest to you; but also to yourself your most inner thoughts and words. This will strengthen and enhance your own intuition and discernment. This idea is even further emphasized by the thick coat of fur the Wolf has. Fur and hair have long been symbols of psychic abilities. The Wolf has both an inner and an outer coat, giving it the ability to reflect the archetypal forces associated with psychic insight. The White Wolf has an extremely dense hide and coat that can enable it to survive sub-zero temperatures in the Arctic. Each spring he must then shed this thick outer coat perhaps symbolic that you should also shed the outer layer of your Self to reveal what is truly underneath; and to also indicate that after each “winter season” there is a rebirth of spiritual growth.

Wolf brings with him a strong sense of faithfulness, inner strength and intuition. But the Wolf also brings learning. Sometimes one needs to cross barriers, take risks, go beyond the limited compass of 'normal' behavior in order to learn and grow, although crossing these boundaries may seem repugnant, even painful. But fear not the inner power and strength you feel when you spend time alone. Instead come to know your deepest self and even in the darkest places, with Wolf as ally, you will find closeness and spiritual companionship. You are never alone. Above all, Wolf will teach you, through your experience, to trust yourself and not to fear or reject those parts of you that you don't yet understand or know. Wolf will guard you as it teaches, sometime gently and sometimes strongly if not harshly but always with love.

"May Wolf ever walk beside you and grant you rest in his shadow,
May his paws ever guide your path and your howls be heard by all..."

[Tuffy]

Nice Sunny K  Ty

[Victoria Page]

I love this post.  I have a gorgeous shamanic friend who was named White Wolf and reading this I can see why I see such a depth, richness and spirituality to him.  :)

[2mj4o0me7ynpe]

Great post, thank you.  I have a wolf totem, but it's a grey one. :3 What you have written about wolf is all very true.

The point about them preying on the weak and the disabled is because, symbolically and spiritually they also correlate with the element of fire and the concept of transformation.  So when they attack the diseased or ailing it is because that person's energy is ripe for transmutation and the individual needs to be lead onto the next stage of their lives, which may be death, actually or symbolically, and fear is the trigger that instigates that often aggressive process, which I know some people will find distasteful.

I underwent a classic shamanic death when I was ill some years back, while I lay gravely ill and at one point actually close to death.  I was afraid, because I was still relatively young at 'only' 43, and didn't want to physically die yet, but felt that I had gone beyond recovery at that point,  so I was hovering between both worlds, in fear and despair.  Then, my wolf, followed by other animals, began attacking and tearing at my body in the otherworld, because the old me needed to die, and it was wolf that initiated it as my main and beloved guide.  I feel this aspect of wolf as the transformer and transmuter of energies, together with the negative emotions of fear and aggression, is often overlooked because the more predatory aspect of the animal doesn't sit well with the more comfortable qualities we prefer to see instead, such as loyalty, love, and intelligence.  It's true that wolf will lead you onto the path you need to go, but if you don't go on it as guided, because you ignored your intuition, wolf will still be there for when you finally do understand it's value.

Wolf has also taught me the true value of treading my own individual path as an eclectic and explorer, rather than trying to adapt too much to the status quo in any way or respect, whether it's people, situations, or ideas. Trying to fit in with conventional people or situations has never brought me happiness, personally speaking.   I know there is no such thing as a truly 'lone wolf', because they all have and need that ultimate sense of belonging to the pack or family, but there is an aspect which is always 'alone', also, which is a kind of individualism.  I feel wolf medicine is also about finding one's own authentic and original path in life, which can only be found through being fully oneself. Hence, the establishment will never satisfy either her curiosity or need for freedom and independence.   Wolf must always be free to travel, explore and form her own ideas, often well off the beaten track, and then offer these back to her family or community.

[SunKat]

A friend of mine just posted about shamanic death and now someone who has experienced it is sharing the experience ~ thank you!  I'm glad you could share just what the wolf has meant to you.  I post a lot about wolves and I'm an animal advocate yet I don't feel I've yet learned for myself just what wolf means in relation to my life and path but I'm enjoying the journey all the same.  Thanks again for sharing.

[2mj4o0me7ynpe]

My pleasure, SunKat :3.  I actually go into more detail of that experience here for anyone that's interested.  Namaste.

[1vudcjd97f956]

Thank you so very much, something has been reawakened deep down within me by reading your post on the Wolf, it also taught me much that i never knew. Thank you again, your passion for the wolf is amazing and also contagious!

[SunKat]

You're welcome Kenneth!  Thank you for reading and commenting.

[Rebecca Hessey]

What exactly is a totem, and how do I know which is mine? Is there only one, or can a person have more than one?

[SunKat]

A totem is any natural or mythical animal to whom you feel a close connection during your life or some particular period of your life. The energy of the totem animal speaks to you in some way that is relevant to your own personality or circumstance in life.

Do We have more than One Animal Totem?

Because our personalities, just like Mother Earth, just like Creator, have many facets, we usually experience more than one totem animal in our lives. Various traditions have differing teachings on whether there is a specific number of totems we experience.

The totem is connected to your spirit.

Native peoples of many countries have animal spirits that play a very important part in their lives. In Chinese astrology all the signs are animals and in western astrology most of the signs are animals.

By getting to know your animal totem, you can gain insight and understanding of your own life circumstances more clearly, and share in the totem power or 'medicine'. Animal totems manifest a specific kind of energy that will align to forces of the spiritual realm that are influencing your life.

How to find your personal totem

There are several ways to know what your animal totem is.

• You may feel so attracted to a certain animal that you have collected many drawings, carvings or other types of images of this animal. The likeness of the animal brings the animal and its powers closer to you.
• There may be an animal that frightens you. This could be your animal totem if there are lessons you should learn that you are strongly resisting.
• You may dream about the same animal over and over.
• The animal may come to you in deep meditation.
• You may feel strongly about one of your zodiac animals, birth zodiac, Chinese zodiac or Native American zodiac.
• Someone who is attuned to the invisible world may see your animal totem and tell you about it.

[Rebecca Hessey]

Some of the characteristics of the wolf you have mentioned resonate some with me. I feel some sort of connection, though I haven't collected any thing to do with wolves. I have had a couple dreams with a wolf though. My zodiac is Taurus.

[2mj4o0me7ynpe]

Hi Rebecca.  I don't think star signs make any difference as to what our totems are, but a dream could be a strong indication.  You know I meet so many women who have wolf totems, these days.  I wonder what is going on, spiritually, there?  Do you think we could all be Alpha females? :) I know a lot of them are creative and/or healers, too, though I guess those are just shamanic occupations, anyway....

Perhaps some of us are of the same pack, who knows?!  There used to be a clan called the Sisterhood of the Wolf in America that I heard about some 15 years ago, now.  As far as I know, they had some kind of spiritual, shamanic community going based around having the same wolf totem, or were setting one up.  That would have been so beautiful if it happened.  I don't know what happened to them or if they're still going, but it would be interesting to find out if anyone knows anything. :3  Namaste.

[Rebecca Hessey]

"I know a lot of them are creative and/or healers, too, though I guess those are just shamanic occupations, anyway...." 

Why would this only pertain to shamans? Do we not have the same abilities, but perhaps just haven't tapped into them?