What Is Wolf Medicine, According To Native Americans

The medicine of the wolf is medicine of the soul. It has nothing to do with alternative therapies or other derivatives. It has been so called traditionally because Native Americans believe that careful observation of wolves and their behavior helps to heal people internally.

Native Americans see in the wolf a sacred animal , a totem. Surely through the generations they were accumulating knowledge about their behavior and that led them to admire this creature. So much so that they came to the conclusion that imitating wolves is a way to grow, heal injuries and have the ability to move forward, despite adversity.

We know little in the West about wolf medicine. In fact, in our culture there has been unfair propaganda  against these animals. They are the antagonists in many children’s stories, in which they are portrayed as evil beings. There is also the myth of the “werewolf”, which is fierce and harmful. We will soon see that this is not the case and that, indeed, we could learn a lot from this species.

The wolf, a sacred animal for Native Americans

The wolf is an animal that has a very defined, or “ritualistic” behavior, in various aspects. The first of them is that of hierarchies. These are extremely rigid between them. The alpha male and alpha female are the undisputed leaders of the group. Unlike other species, such a leader is not the greatest, or the most combative, but the most intelligent and skilled.

The wolf is neither lonely nor wild, as perhaps we have been led to think. They are very sociable animals, who always walk in packs. If they do something alone, it is according to their group. They combine their individuality with the collective sense in a balanced way. They only resort to violence in extreme cases and prefer to avoid combat, or end it as soon as possible. Wolves don’t bite other wolves on the neck; in other words, they don’t kill their own kind.

Native Americans say that the three great powers of the wolf are stalking, invisibility, and family protection. These animals do not flaunt their fierceness or power. They observe, analyze, and go unnoticed while doing it. They measure the terrain, they calculate. Their enemies do not see them because they know how to “disappear”. They attack only when necessary and with a strategic plan, so to speak.

Wolf medicine

For Native Americans the wolf is a guide. We all carry something of the wolf within us and there are moments in life where that brave, shrewd and prudent spirit must awaken. That is what the wolf’s medicine consists of: in turning to that inner strength and that strategic capacity to face vital challenges.

The natives think that there are moments in life when the spirit of the wolf becomes a temporary ally. They are those circumstances in which the daring, loyal, generous and free facet that exists within us emerges. The spirit of the wolf is insubordinate and courageous. For this reason, it appears as an ally when we decide to do something that we have forbidden, or have forbidden, without a real underlying reason.

Wolf medicine is all about cultivating and allowing that untamed force to emerge. The natives think that wolves and witches always go hand in hand, and that they are more comfortable in the dark. It means that our most magical and libertarian side arises when we are not exposed to the eyes of others. Under these conditions, we find solutions to our problems and discover paths that we did not see before.

Wake up the wolf that we carry inside

According to traditions, the first way to awaken the wolf in us is to remain attentive to our dreams. The medicine of the wolf is above all a reunion with the force that is in our essence. The hidden area of ​​each person is expressed through dreams and that is why understanding that dream world is essential to get to know ourselves better and recover the value in the spirit.

Likewise, according to wolf medicine, it is essential that we spend some time observing ourselves. Try to see ourselves as spectators of our own actions. Observe ourselves, without judging ourselves, but trying to see what are those elements that are obstacles and that, when we return to our usual point of view, appear masked. What is it that binds our spirit? Fears? Mandates? Experiences from the past?

What follows is to act. If we want to do something, we don’t have to wait for circumstances to be right or for things to become easier for us. Today, right now, we can start working for what we want, and go after it with determination, generosity, and loyalty. According to wolf medicine, if we adopt this attitude, the spirit of the wolf will be present and guide us.