The Two Wolves
There are some ancient traditions and indigenous cultures who believe that family members often meet up and play different roles in different incarnations over the course of several lifetimes. They help each other to evolve and progress as a group. In the Earth School, if we made wrong decisions we have to experience the consequences because it’s the only way we learn not to repeat the same mistakes.
The ultimate objective is the evolution of our souls to a higher dimension.
It is only through experience that we gain more understanding about the purpose of life.
It is only through surrendering the Ego to the Higher Self that we humans ever truly find sustainable peace and joy.
Every human’s Ego “narrative” defaults to fear, self-judgment, self-criticism, and negative bias. The only way to hush the Ego is by consciously choosing the voice of the Higher Self.
Just like the Native American story about the “Two Wolves”, we each have a “good wolf” (the Higher Self) and a “bad wolf” (the Ego).
Which wolf wins?
The wolf we feed!
The Ego is not always inherently “bad”. The “good” Ego serves as our protector, the source of our self-preservation instinct, it gives us the strength to stand up for ourselves against bullies, and supports our ability to establish and maintain healthy boundaries.
The “bad” Ego dwells in the land of subconscious 24-hour surveillance of all threats, foreign and domestic. Since the Ego’s mission is to serve as our internal warning system and is capable of keeping us in 24/7 hyper vigilant survival mode, unfortunately, the Ego often perceives threats to our survival even when there are none. When this is the case, the Bad Ego oversteps its bounds and becomes a terrible Master instead of a good servant. The “bad ego/wolf”rules the roost of our lives, so to speak, and we become its dutiful slave.
Our bad Ego/Wolf demands its own way. It can become so negative, insensitive, arrogant, malevolent, aggressive, impatient, controlling, petulant, and so easily offended by any threat or insult—real or imagined—that this “big bad wolf” is capable of blocking—or hijacking—the very agency of our Higher Self—IF we allow it.
The Bad Wolf is so terrified of Ego-death and so easily threatened, it would rather see us enslaved than give in an inch in surrender to the Good Wolf. The Ego’s main objective/defense mechanism is to control the narrative in such a way as to keep us in conformity and enslavement to its limiting Belief System (“BS”). The Bad Wolf/Ego wins by telling us we are a helpless, powerless, victim and that it is simply not possible for us to make positive changes in our lives.
Our first task is learning how to truly hear and attend to the voice of the Higher Self. Next, we must learn to distinguish between the voice of the soul or Higher Self and the voice of the Ego.
The Good Wolf (or Higher Self) is the voice of unlimited love, compassion, kindness, gentleness, forgiveness, and joy. By making time to take time for introspection, for daily practice in patience, to be still and practice relaxation and meditation, focus on the breath, go within, and truly listen to the sacred voice of our soul, we learn how to master our own Ego. Once that big bad wolf surrenders to the inner light of our being, the Ego will become a faithful servant—instead of a cruel master!
This is the moment when our free will joins our intention and allows us to make the conscious decision to choose which wolf we want to prioritize—and that is the wolf we feed.