What we can learn from Wolves

the German version of this blog post can also be found on wildewurzeln.at

There are so many stories and myths around Wolves. Both depicting them as enemy or saviour. This is not one of those stories. It’s a story about letting go of our ideas about those animals, and connecting deeper with their essence.

I’m writing these words from an experience-point of view of a humble beginner of learning about those fascinating animals that we call Wolves. I’ve mostly been learning ABOUT them, and only in the last three or so years learning directly FROM them.

Here are some things I’ve learned so far…

We as humans have very much lost our abilities to truly tap into our potential and work together seamlessly. At least most of us. Observing Wolves, how they travel, how they hunt and how they communicate reminded me of what could so easily be possible for us as well. And that’s still a very mind-centered perspective, and not from the heart.

So let me share a story…

It was getting dark, and we (the trainees and the guides) were all getting in our sleeping bags after a long day of getting accustomed to the environment and the situation. We had only been out there for two or three days, but the first patterns, triggers and challenges had already come up for the small, newly formed pack of humans.
Doing their best to work together, our new trainees had managed to navigate to the area that should serve as our starting point for the deeper training. Both instinctual and trained roles had started to emerge and excitement was high.
This evening, when some of us had already fallen asleep, I was woken up by several Wolves howling. They had to be really close. Maybe just across the lake. And that sound, that chorous felt open, honest, vulnerable, strong and powerful all at the same time. And there was a confidence to it. A trusting in oneself and their role in the pack. And in the bigger web of life. To me, that howling concert felt like both a reminder of how far away from that open and strong being we’ve diverged, as well as the knowing that we can learn – or rather unlearn – to get back to that state.
A state where we truly feel connected and trusting all the members of our immediate small group of people. Where there is openness to all that comes their way, because there is a deep trust in the support of the pack. And this trust comes from each individual knowing their worth, their role, and being seen and appreciated for it, which in turn builds a strong sense of self-confidence.

Something deeper

Somehow, with that howling, I felt like I could get a small glimpse into their soul. Something that had eluded me all those times in the other experiences tracking those animals before. Even following the same Wolfpack for 2 weeks straight just the year before, l didn’t connect so deeply.
The howl of a Wolf is more than just checking in with others over a long distance. They are opening up their souls to each other, not hiding anything, and trusting fully that they all had the other’s best interest in mind. That even though they were all individuals with certain strengths and weaknesses, they knew that their pack is their lifeline.

No pack without Wolves. No Wolf without a pack.

At least not long-term.

For me, this experience showed me the vast difference between learning about something or someone, vs. learning from or through them. Truly immersing yourself into the essence of who we are, and who everyone else around us may be.

This is what the Becoming Wolf Guardian Training is all about. About tapping into something so primal, experiencing what it means to be a pack animal, instead of the skewed image of the lone Wolf.

Current Events

Want to learn more about the Guardian Way? Sign up to our list.

Email Address*

Name

I accept to receive this newsletter and agree to the data privacy statement