Wolfish Adjective

Resembling or likened to a wolf, especially in being rapacious, voracious, or lascivious.

Wolfish Redefined

Resembling or likened to a wolf, especially in being courageous, intuitive, or untamed.

Throughout our human history wolves have been something to both fear and admire. The wolf is a wild animal, a skilled hunter, ferocious in the defence of its pack and displays intelligence and cunning, as well as possessing high organisation skills and a nurturing, affectionate nature.

Yet no other large predator in Europe has been so misunderstood or persecuted. Often when the word wolf is used the image that first comes to mind is the big bad wolf of nursey rhymes or the monster of folktales. I think most people will have encountered in their childhood the deadly wolf of Red Riding Hood or the greedy wolf in the Three Little Pigs. In a lot of European folklore, the Wolf is a predator to be feared, the bad guy that serves as a warning, or the fate for those that rebel or don’t do as they are told. Wolf is also sometimes the nemesis of those who go outside of the safety of the community or the personification of sin or evil. To some extent these ideas were championed because of the need to warn of approaching wild animals that may harm if provoked or threatened. However, the idea that wolves are always highly dangerous, relentlessly vicious or deadly and out to get you, is both scientifically and energetically untrue.

Yet the fear and hatred of wolves is so ingrained in the European psyche and elsewhere in the world, that most humans still have some residue of association of wolf with ‘killer’, ‘death’ or ‘dangerous’ in their unconscious mind, even when they have come to know and love wolves. In some way this is, of course, an instinctual reaction to a predator, much as with lions or tigers. Yet with wolves this unprovoked fear and hatred which we are conditioned in has sadly led to the near extinction of their species. It will stop many from giving wolves a chance, to both live and thrive, and to be accepted as a co-existing species that offer us both physical and spiritual support and companionship.

For those of you, like me, who just know the wolf to really be the good guy or just wanted them to be the hero in the story for once, then this book is for you and is a celebration of the wolf as support, guide, protector, hero and muse. It aims to open up to you the true potentiality of wolves and their wisdom, so we can see beyond what has been previously decided or concluded about this multifaceted being.

I am sure I am not alone in being the young girl growing up that admired the wolf of legend and knew that there was something deeper or hidden behind the limited perspective we were offered. Perhaps also like me you wanted to run away with the wolves of myth and even had much sympathy for them! The more you come to learn about wolves, the more that you will understand that in reality the wolf you meet in the wild will be wary of you. You may hear them but not see them because they hide from humans. It is us who are actually the most frightening and deadly destroyers on this planet. It is often therefore actually our own fears and destructive nature that we meet in the darkness of the forest, rather than the wolf.

When we come to work with wolves energetically and with the intention of collaboration and communion, we also find that it is the misunderstood ‘dangerous’ or mysterious qualities of wolf that can be wolf’s greatest contribution. It is in many ways their embodiment of that which leads us to deem then unsavoury that makes them invaluable allies for both healing and shadow work. As we will explore in this book, the wolf, undoubtedly, does have an association with the darkness, the night time, the unknown, the underworld and the otherworld. Yet it is important to remember, that these associations in themselves do not make the wolf intrinsically wrong or bad.

The dark is part of the paradox of life, one vital half of a reality where dark and light simultaneously exist and ultimately are of the same source. The dark is part of a reality that is so simply complex and imperceptibly obvious that nothing is as it seems and yet everything is as it seems. In order to try and make sense of or understand this reality, however, we condition ourselves to believe that something is always solely one way or another, either good or bad, light or dark, easy or hard. We simplify in an attempt to grasp at something that may always remain outside of our understanding. As students of this reality, however, we will be reminded again and again that all that we make opposing or different is actually one and of the same and that all aspects of life and existence, whether we label them bad or good have value, meaning and contribution. Even the difficult, dark or frightening parts are important, necessary and are irreplaceably powerful!

In hindsight, how often have the darkest times of your life actually been the most insightful or pivotal? Have you ever said ‘I just want it to be easy’, hoping to skip through the painful parts, to the light and love we believe must be the alternative or other side, only to find that the dark is actually the necessary place where the growth, and insight happens? Have you ever been frightened or even terrified of something, that when you chose it or did it anyway, it became your most pleasurable or perfect way of being or doing? Perhaps you have decided someone was a certain way and then they surprised you by being or acting different to how you expected? How often have you been shown that black and white is more often one hundred shades of grey?

Our ancestors, who lived closer to, as and in nature, I believe knew paradox the way we are only just remembering or accepting. In nature we witness it every second from the necessity of day and night, to the budding of flowers and the falling of leaves. However, in the modern world we are told paradox does not exist, it is always one way or the other. Either you are in, or you are out, either you are good, or bad, you comply or you are punished, you conform or you fail, you are physical or spiritual, but never both or neither. From fear and discrimination of that which is opposite to what we deem right, light or good, we then destroy or reject all that makes us feel unsafe, challenges our perspective or that which is different. We do this from making wrong those of another gender, religion or race, to labelling wolves as dangerous, to even distrusting and shaming our very own uniqueness. In doing so we reject wholeness, completeness and cap allowance in order to validate and retain limitations, conditions and judgement.

Wolf is an exemplary affirmation of the paradox of life; predator yet shy, fierce yet playful, strong yet tender, potential killer yet nurturing, loving pack member. This can pose a challenge to us humans that want a simple answer to, is it good or bad? We know on a physical level that a wild wolf in the forest could kill us just because they are bigger and stronger, yet also instinctively we are drawn to them because on a soul level we know their example and spirit can bring healing, wisdom and divine messages. They could harm us due to their mere physicality but also offer us insight and revelation if we look beyond just their strong legs and sharp teeth. They can additionally offer us powerful lessons about our own paradox’s. They show us that by rejecting or condemning wolf, the darkness, the unknown or frightening, we deny the reality of the multifaceted and diverse nature of life, and of the contribution and necessity of life and death, shadow and light. Whenever we feel we must destroy something merely because it frightens us or is different, Wolf offers us an invitation to see that something as a mirror that is reflecting that we fear or reject within our own self. Wolf asks us not to take action that results in separating ourselves from the whole truth. Wolf can destroy and create and so can you. This reminder of our paradoxical nature is reminder of our potentiality and it is also a call to take self-responsibility and to seek self-awareness.

Wolf will remind us through working with them that all aspects of life and experience has power, value and meaning. This is perhaps why Wolf will often arise in our lives and offer collaboration when the shadow or the dark comes up within us, to remind us of the value and gifts there. They also show their presence when we are going through times of change and transition so that we can open our eyes and ears to the full spectrum of possibility. As you will discover in this book, Wolves are the great guardians of growth, protection and threshold. Their ability to be and see, above and below, within and without, what was, is and what can be, is an invaluable gift.

They will teach you that fear and love, light and dark, can exist in you harmoniously. You have been taught to run away from paradox but what if you ran with the wolves towards it? What could you learn from your own fears and wounds? Who would you be if you fully accepted and loved all parts of yourself?

Life is a constant engagement with your personal shadow and empowerment comes from a willingness to stand up to the challenge of accepting and integrating it. True living requires you to be willing to be vulnerable, honest and be able to look in the mirror, see the wolf there; all its ferocity, power, and mighty teeth and to not shrink back but to get curious.

What would happen if we always chose to see the whole picture, rather than what we wanted to see, or were told to see? What if we opened our wolf eyes and looked in the darkness of the forest, rather than closing our eyes tight?

As you go through any challenges in life, the dark and the shadow will come up because they need to be worked with and they want to be understood so you can consolidate self. They are a part of you, one half that makes you whole and holy, and, are seeking your acceptance and compassion. There are lessons for you in the feared depths of your own inner realms that are ready to be explored and wolves are a powerful ally to stretch your perception of realities to include all possibility. With wolf by your side, you need not fear, fear itself. With wolf by your side, you will strengthen your in-sight and heighten your perception of your own potentiality. They will support you in finding courage.

Wolf’s confident guardianship of the dark and unseen realms helps you to navigate those times, places or parts of self that seem tough, uncertain or frightening. They act as a reminder that you can be both gentle and strong, loving and fierce, powerful and compassionate.

Due to these mighty offerings of healing and wisdom, Wolf can be a very fierce energy to work with and so we must approach it with both respect, honour and devotion. Wolf asks that you show up and stand up with courage and determination, and in exchange for their powerful healing and guidance, gratitude and dedication to your purposeful path must be offered. Just as it utilises the diversity of roles and members in the pack, Wolf sees your unique value and contribution and it requires you to recognise it and truly employ it also. Wolf sees and accepts all aspects of you and will not let you waste yourself or your gifts. There is no hiding from any part of yourself or your essentiality when you begin to follow the wolf path.

You will learn to live your life as an essential part of the pack of humanity, no longer lost, searching or frightened but willing and able to contribute your unique essence for the highest good of all.

You are powerful, you are courageous and you are wolf. Welcome home. Welcome to wholeness.”