Happy New Year dear Reader! It is 2025 already. And as always, so much is happening, too much distraction, division, and uncertainty. As this new year begins, I feel The Tale of the Two Wolves is worth reviewing.
Two Wolves Fighting Inside You- by Katie Cullum
There’s a story about an old Cherokee teaching his grandson about life. He tells the boy that there are two wolves fighting inside him. One is evil and one is good.
One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, superiority, ego, and false pride.
The other wolf is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight goes on inside all of us.
The grandson asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
__________________________________________________
New Year’s energy generally brings up thoughts for self-improvement, weight loss, giving up bad habits and establishing new ones. Often our resolutions are too idealistic. Maybe we set the bar too high and then we get discouraged mid month. How about reflecting on those two wolves. Perhaps just by setting an intention to become more aware of which wolf we are feeding at different moments during the day. What are we paying attention to? Notice what media you are taking in? What thoughts keep distracting you? Can we bring the good wolf back into focus? Think of it as training your mind.
__________________________________________________
Another resolution idea…Today I began my 30 Day Drawing Challenge with Wendy. Lesson #1 was making a list of More and Less. The assignment was an easy one. Set a timer for 10 minutes. With pencil and paper handy, I was to draw, write… doodle -my lists of what I want more of in my life, and on the other side of the page- what I want less of. Can you see how this might parallel the wolf business above?
Wendy MacNaughton has a draw together online class. I signed up last month. Shoot, who can’t put the phone down for 10 minutes of doodling? https://club.drawtogether.studio?r=22a75
_____________________________________________________
Lastly, to reflect and ponder the year ahead, I’m sharing this 12 minute video featuring my favorite astrologer, Andre Kahr. Last Monday, there was a New Moon in Capricorn. In other words, both the sun and the moon were in Capricorn. Being 2 days away from New Year’s Day made that new moon extremely significant. Andre spoke specifically about resolutions for the New Year. He recommended starting small and building confidence by achieving practical goals. He suggested we focus on slow and steady progress. Andre is a calm and soothing presence. He models for us how to maintain composure whatever happens.
https://youtu.be/vuKpDpBx6BE?si=jVJNVtOrV2j3fnvl
___________________________________________________
So, dear Reader- I hope that you might find something useful in this smorgasbord of ideas. Remember those two wolves are within. It’s our challenge to sort out which one we want to take to the dog park! Wishing you an optimistic and hopeful year ahead. Best, Carol