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When a child tells his parents that he had a weird experience last night and he tells them all about it, what is the reaction of the parents? Disbelief, it must be a dream, a nightmare, or just plain fantasy. Most people are so disconnected from themselves and from any spirituality that they do not understand what their children are talking about when they have had experiences outside "the normal". It happens to many children. It happened to me.
My sleeping room was upstairs, at the end of the corridor. My mother had tucked me in, turned the light out and went downstairs. I was about three or four years old but I still remember it vividly. Lying in my bed I was facing the corridor. My mother always left the door open. One evening they came.
First I heard their rhythmic steps, then I saw them, the wolves. They came through the corridor towards my room. They walked in line, calmly, at a steady pace. Just in front of my bed they disappeared. I was afraid and screamed. My mother ran up the stairs and asked what was wrong. I explained what happened. Of course my mother told me that I had had a bad dream. No, I was wide awake, I had not fallen asleep yet. Nevertheless my mother insisted it had been a dream. The next morning when I was trying to convince her that the wolves where really there, she said that I could not possibly known what wolves were or how they looked. Nowadays children are inundated with information and television programs as soon as they are born. In my early years my parents had only a few books (no pictures of wolves in them), and I was not allowed to watch television until I was six or seven. The wolves visited me a couple of nights in a row. First I heard them, then they became visible and they walked towards me, and finally they disappeared in front of me. Although they were peaceful I was very frightened by it.
As a child I had not idea what this experience was about. Later, when studying esoteric teachings, I learned that my higher self had shown me what my power animal was. The concept of power animals is now widely accepted in new age circles. I mainly comes from the native American belief system, although the idea of power animals is present in every culture. Power animals often bring important messages from the higher self to our conscious awareness in order to guide us through life. They always have a healing effect when we are open to receive and understand their messages. But what are power animals actually? They are symbols of our lower or animal self, the primitive and instinctual natures of the self. Unfortunately children are constantly taught to suppress their instinctual urges, impulses and emotions. This creates frustrations and pain, and we still carry this around when we are adults. In symbolic terms, the power animal has been wounded and suppressed. Most people are not in contact with their power animal anymore, they are not even aware of it. This part of ourselves has to be brought to the surface, to the light, set free, healed and above all loved. It is an essential part of the human being. It is important to get in touch again with our instinctive and animal natures. Find out what your power animal is. Look at the animals are appearing in your dreams. What animal were you always fond of? Because everything in nature is interconnected, a real animal of the same kind as your power animal might enter your life and bring a message.
Wolves are friendly animals if approached with respect. A television documentary showed a teenage boy in Italy who regularly goes into the woods and visits a group of wolves. The camera man went with him. The boy explained that he always stayed at a safe distance, but was able to stay close to the group. The alpha male left the group and from a distance looked at the boy and the camera man. Animals can feel you out psychically to determine what your intentions are. So did this alpha male. After a couple of minutes he went back to the group. In Europe it is hard to understand that wolves are friendly animals. The present generation firmly believes that wolves are dangerous and attack humans. This belief stems from the middle ages. In the first millennium Europe was one vast forest with hunting cultures for which hunting was a primary means of existence. Here the wolf easily became the symbol of great hunting skill and was incorporated into religious tradition. When European society shifted away from hunting as a means of living, the wolf's reputation became that of a voracious killer. In the middle ages the aristocracy found that by clearing the woods the land could be cultivated. Agriculture was a profitable means of increasing their wealth and wolves were in the way. Wolves were also seen as competitors in the sport of hunting. They had to go. The aristocracy indoctrinated the local people with the belief that wolves are dangerous and must be killed. Hence the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood and the big bad wolf. It did not take long to hunt the wolves to extinction. When the first European settlers came to the east coast of America, they were amazed that the native Indians sometimes went up to a wolves’ nest and played with the cubs. This was witnessed by the settlers! However, the fear and hatred of wolves in European myths and religious thinking spawned over the centuries has resulted in the near extinction of the wolf upon the European continent and wherever European man has ventured. When Europeans settled on the American continent the killing spree continued.
The ancient European cultures saw the wolf as the guide of souls to the underworld or as guardian of the underworld. The classical Greek goddess of death, Hectate, had three heads, all wolves. The ferryman Charon in Greek myth that traversed the river Styx delivering souls to Hades wore the ears of a wolf. Wolf qualities were important in the spiritual transition of death. As psychopompos, the guide of souls, he helps with the soul’s transformation. The wolf, as symbol of death then becomes the giver of victory. In this function he becomes the animal of the Greek sun god Apollo, and the Egyptian god of the rising sun, Ra. Transformation has always been the essence of my life. Transformation is about purification. It is impurities that limit the soul’s growth. Purification transforms the soul into a glowing light body. This is my goal in life. My power animal the wolf helps me in my transformation.
Many of the Native American cultures revered the wolf for its great hunting prowess and would emulate this animal in ceremonies hoping to embodying these desirable characteristics. The Eskimos admired the great survival skills of the wolf. Native American shaman held the wolf to be the source of great spiritual power. In the pacific northwest Indians did wolf dances to heal sick members of their tribe. For many other Native American tribes wolves were thought to represent the corn god. It is also clear that the image of the wolf was often of a creature who could teach, or give man wisdom about the world. In line with the native American tradition the wolf helps me in my teaching work and my healing sessions with the Singing Bowls.
The awakening of the power animals is an essential part for the healing of not only our selves, but it brings us the necessary respect towards other living beings and our environment. Repressed instincts and emotions act destructively. We live in a society with heavily repressed instincts and emotions. The results are plainly visible. We abuse our fellow human beings, the environment, the planet with devastating results. Our power animals are crying and need healing.