Wolves have been long considered by the people of the First Nations of Canada as the symbol of a mysterious spiritual teacher. They are powerful pathfinders who offer wisdomto those who may need guidance to find the way. They are firm in purpose, aggressive, fearless, and like to play with toys just like dogs do.
“A wolf is the pathfinder that guides you through the forest at the darkest hour when you need to make the most of"
The archetypal significance of wolves symbolizes the totality of all of your fears, everything of what you are afraid of in yourself: self-destructive behavior, violence, uncontrolled sex drive as well as positive and spiritual aspects. If in your associations you regard the wolf as a wild dog, then the wolf comesto represent a primitive aspect of your animal instinct. The wolf also serves as a clear example of the union of opposites.
Regarded as negative creatures, evil, and threatening ready to attack you at night, when you are most vulnerable, wolves are friendly, social, and highly intelligent creatures. There is barely a reasonable excuse for describing wolves as wicked. There are fairy tales, nursery rhymes and legends in which wolves are the symbol of death, taking the form of a devouring creature eating up everyone.
The stories of Mother Goose, possibly our first notion about wolves with “The Three Little Pigs” bringing to our conscious the childhood fears, and “Little Red Riding-hood” unwisely talking to a stranger (the wolf). They said the Little Red Riding-hood fairy tale is a bedtime parable to warn of the possible harm of having sex before marriage.
A fable from Aesop's anthology "The boy who cried wolf", about a boy who wanted to draw the attention of his family by calling out "wolf". In time, a wolf confronted him and nobody believed him when he cried for help and the wolf devoured the boy.
The union or marriage of the opposites in the imagery of the wolf we can find a striking demonstration of unlikeness between the masculine and feminine. Examples are the wolf nurturing the twin brothers Romulus and Remus symbolizing the feminine aspect. We can mention Mowgli the human baby lost in the Indian jungle at some point in a tiger attack; he was adopted and raised by a family of wolves. Wolfriders, a clan of ferocious hunter-warriors elves who allied with wolves serve as another example. In addition, we have the Irish legend of Cormac, King of Ireland nursed at the breast of wolves.
The Lord depicts the wolf and the lamb feeding together, (and a lion, like cattle, shall eat straw, and a serpent-dust shall be his food) in the earth to come. Together the wolf and the lamb are a lucid illustration of the coming Government of the Kingdom of God. Isaiah 65:25.
The Chinese traditions consider the wolf as a guardian of a heavenly palace. Likewise, the Japanese have a high regard for the wolf for its tenacity and fierceness. They accept as true that the wolf is from a heavenly realm.
For Clarissa Estes, the wolf is the untamed woman side of females. She implies that wolves and women possess endurance and strength, and are concerned about their children, their mate and their pack. Estes (1992) elucidated her concepts by telling the narrative of La loba, The wolf woman.
"It was women rather than men the ones who first established relationships with wolves" Newmann, 1955, p. 275
A lone wolf, a male in his natural environment symbolizes libertarian energy, and when a wolf is within his pack, it represents a sense of community. The lone wolf will wander hundreds of kilometers in search of his own territory and mate. He will leave the packto wander alone through the forest to mark his own territory, and his find a mate for life and initiate his own pack (family).
When wolves howl is to locate other members of their own clan and to encourage unity, or to celebrate a triumphant kill. The howl also tells other packs to stay away since they are within the limits of a territory that is not theirs.
Wolves do not fight needlessly and often go on their way to avoid an unnecessary fight. Only a grunt, body language, or a gesture is sufficient to express their message, and establish authority. It is very important for the Alpha male and Alpha female to keep the pack working as a team.
Even though the pack is lead by the Alpha male and its mate, each Omega of the pack is a team player assuming the leadership within their own families by training, and taking care of their cubs for the well-being of the pack since it will maintain their unity and survival. They are extremely loyalto their mates and their pack, and have strong bonds with their family, but never give their identity to the pack. They stand for both loyalty and tenacity.
With an extremely well organized society, wolves act in unity to kill a hunt and raise their cubs. They do not mate with their off spring inasmuch as incest is something not permitted, and it can leadto conflict of interest enough to divide the pack. If a wolf appears in your life, watch it, since it may be indicating you where is that you are standing (consciousness).
Characteristics of wolves related to organizational principles are teamwork, patience, unity through uniqueness, curiosity, attitude, failure, communication, perseverance, strategy, play, death and survival, loyalty and change. “The Wisdom of Wolves: Nature's Wayto Organizational Success”, Twyman Towery (1997).
The senses of the wolves are extremely developed. Their intelligence is marked with a high sagacity of smell, taste, and strong feelings. They are determined, clever, stubborn, and use that shrewdness for the benefit of the pack. The howl of the wolf is essential "as a cardinal rule" and penetrating.
Wolves teach those who hold this understanding who they are, and to develop strength and confidence in everything they do. The wolf teaches that we must learn how to trust our wisdom and understanding once we are able to distinguish our inner voice for us to discover our identity and calling.
“A wolf message may provide needed insight and wisdom”
Wolves as a symbol of a wise old man archetype representing inner spirit have the wisdom for the interpretation of symbols and figures of dreams. Wolves represent the boldnessto face situations with courage and dignity, the survival instinct intertwined with intelligence and shrewdness to be above their opponents. Wolves have the skills to exploit changes to their advantage, and go unnoticed in precarious situations where there lives are at jeopardy.
The union of the opposites symbolizes all of this by accepting our purpose or reason for which we exist in the earth.
PS. Watch it with the wolves in sheep's skin!!!!
Topic is being revised
According to the textbooks, a wolf is a hunter, an animal of prey. But the Inuit, the people of the North, take a different view of it. They have their own idea of why the wolf was created. 