Which wolf are you feeding?

Last week I had the priveledge of attending a Power Chicks event to hear a dear friend and colleague, Beth Buelow, of Intentional Talk, speak about "What's Love Got to Do With It?".

In honor of my rule of threes (hear something once, let it pass; hear something twice, take note; hear something three times, take action) it felt important to pass along a teaching I heard from her for the third time.

I cannot tell where I heard it first - it seemed to jump out of my bones when I heard a similar version from a powerful healer and gifted teacher, Jeni Dahn. It is a story that has been passed to her many times. Beth sited her source as Harold Kushner’s ‘Living a Life That Matters’. While the stories vary slightly, the essence remains the same.

The lesson comes from a Native American elder who talked about having two wolves inside him at all times - one white and one black. One wolf was "good", and the other, "mean". He described the mean one as fighting the good one all the time. When asked which wolf wins, he reflected and then replied, "The one I feed the most."

That story speaks to me on so many levels, and is such a powerful illustration of the profound impact stories offer as learning, or "medicine".

As focused and clear as I feel in any moment, not far away are the voices of doubt, fear, and lack. It seems so simple - which one do I feed? Which plant in my garden gets the most energy from compost in the soil, the sun in the sky, and the rain in its' roots? That plant will grow faster, stronger, and bare more fruit.

And, I know my life to be a vivid reflection of the fact that what I feed with my attention, my energy, and my time grows stronger. What I love about his beautiful short story, is that is also underscores the fact that we are at full choice as to what we feed, therefore, what we recieve. It is a piece of our limitless co-creation with the creative forces around us.

It also struck me that this is another way to view the previous story of the client feeding her "wanting" by looking off to the horses who had chosen not to join us in the arena. In so doing, she was also choosing not to feed her peace by engaging with the horses already in the arena, laying down around her.

I offer to you, which wolf are you feeding? What voices are you spending time indulging? What are you focused on? And, how's it working? Are you getting what you want?

For this moment, I choose deep gratitude for vibrant health, loving support, and joyful collaboration.

To the Creator in each of you,
Rachel