An old Cherokee Indian was speaking to his grandson:“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil—he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good—he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a long minute, and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one I feed.”
Another election season is underway in the U.S., and things are getting kind of ugly out there. It seems impossible for candidates to compete honestly or share differing opinions without coarse insults, even with those in their own party. And some political rallies have taken on a particularly hateful tone this season. At this Aries New Moon, it would appear that the angry, wounded wolf is temporarily winning the battle for the supper dish.
I monitor the extraordinary pageant of current events from my laptop computer, marveling at vicious comments left on blogs, websites, and social media, and it’s beginning to affect the way I perceive my everyday world. I worry that those violent voices reflect a wider trend. In shops, on the freeway, simply walking down the street, I’m suddenly wary. The guy bagging my groceries smiles, but if he knew and disagreed with my political views, would he throw something heavy onto my carton of eggs? I survey the views expressed on the bumpers of my fellow motorists’ cars, and I wonder whether, if I displayed a bumper sticker in support of some candidate or cause, I would be harassed by motorists who disagreed with my preference.
Yet this morning, I took a walk around my neighborhood and everything seemed pretty normal. There were no anguished casualties of the declining middle class hurling themselves from the roofs of their houses, no disgruntled voters wielding pitchforks and lighted torches. Birds sang, motorists waved at me, and neighbors smiled and bid me good morning as they walked their dogs.
So which is reality… the angry media voices shouting for blood? Or the smiling faces of my neighbors? Well, both. But by choosing our response to this reality, choosing what we will focus upon – we decide which wolf gets fed.
When I overfeed my vicious, wounded Aries wolf by gorging on incendiary blog posts and reader comments, I’m nurturing a reality of vengeance and violence. This morning, as I enjoyed the world’s abundant blessings and shared friendly interactions with others, I was feeding, grooming, and loving the wolf of joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
But although the story of the wolves is a good metaphor, I prefer to think that the “evil” wolf—a symbol of Aries/Mars energy that has become corrupt and twisted—can be rehabilitated. Perhaps the wolf is behaving badly simply because it’s wounded or sick. I like to think that if we could heal that wolf and assure him that he still has a place in the pack, then he can become what he was meant to be: an effective, energetic, and beautiful alpha wolf, the leader and protector of his pack.
The wolves in the old Cherokee’s story evoke the archetype of Aries at its worst (the “bad” wolf) and its opposite sign, Libra, at its best (the “good” wolf). The Libran wolf in the story represents the need for harmony and teamwork within the pack; the Aries wolf represents the competition for scarce resources. Each needs the other for survival, but as with all opposing signs, it’s important to get the balance right. For too long, the wolf of violence, greed, and arrogance has been overfed and has become domineering. The longer resources seem scarce, the more the dominant wolf, fearing for his survival, begins to snarl and bite.
Make no mistake: This wolf is inside all of us. It knows no political party, no religion, no gender; it’s part of our common evolutionary urge to survive and to dominate. The impulse toward competition and self-preservation is not inherently evil. But when society loses its balance and this wolf becomes dangerous, it must be confronted before it can be rehabilitated. This takes action and courage; and fortunately, the positive side of Aries is the ability to bravely confront whatever threatens the well-being of the pack.
Whatever your beliefs, striking balance during the Aries New Moon offers some vital challenges. Instead of exciting your lower instincts with messages of anger, attacks, and retaliation, feed your positive Aries warrior wolf by taking positive action to support your beliefs. Volunteer time or money to causes that inspire you and elevate others. Refuse to denigrate other points of view. Be guided by fairness and compassion, and prepare to stand firm against intolerance and violence.
There is a fight going on inside you, and me, and every other person, too. Which wolf will win? The one we feed.
© 2008, 2016 April Elliott Kent
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