Spirit guides/totems: Why wolves?

[Lai]

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about the abundance of "popular" spirit guides: wolves, eagles, hawks, coyotes, etc etc. You have my former apologies if this perspective to it has already been brought up and discussed.

Unless you live in a box, you should know about how humans have had a habit of killing off some of the mentioned animals. Wolves were seen as a threat to livestock and the population almost wiped out from North America, raptors have had similar battles with humans, and in general quite a few of the more popular spirit guides are also ones that have had survival problems.

To me a spirit guide is an entity that, well, guides you. Teaches you lessons, helps you improve your quality of life, make the right choices. Using wolves as an example: Humans tend to fear what they don't understand, and destroy what they fear. Wolves are a well-known victim of this. Perhaps there are so many wolf spirit guides simply because they are one of the creatures that humans need to learn from the most? I can't help but see a connection between the amount of current/past killing and the number of that species of spirit guide.

[Ivy Artemisia]

Here's another theory: I think that instead of searching for their power animal within meditation, or other traditional ways of 'finding' your animal, some people choose their animal. And possibly wolves, etc. are popular because people view them as "traditional," and want their animal to be traditional. You rarely hear of someone saying their power/totem/spirit animal is a duck. I think that maybe people want their animals to be strong, because thats what they need in their life.

Just another theory.

[CaitrionaMorgaine]

I would have to agree with Meli on this one, at least to a certain extent. It's very common for many of us who work with totems or spirit animals to start out with the more "traditional" ones such as wolves. There is more information available on them, I have noticed. It's similar to the way that many beginners feel the need to embellish their experience until they realize that it's not all that important since the path is about personal discovery. However, that should not discredit those who feel a bond with that animal as a totem.

I have three totems: the horse, the hummingbird and the red squirrel. I was a bit surprised by the last one, but upon some research and meditation, all three really are perfect for me.

Avalon's Blessings, ~Rhiannon

[AterCorax]

I say: why not?

I think mine is a raven, but I'm not 100% sure.

-Ater

[DebLipp]

Well, humans respect that which they combat. Wolves are sometimes an honored enemy. Wolves live in communities and interact in some very human ways. Dogs evolved from wolves, and humans have a long, deep connection with canines. When moonlight calls to human wildness, humans often connect to their wolf-selves.

The wolf isn't my totem, but I totally 'get' it.

[Lai]

Here's another theory: I think that instead of searching for their power animal within meditation, or other traditional ways of 'finding' your animal, some people choose their animal. And possibly wolves, etc. are popular because people view them as "traditional," and want their animal to be traditional. You rarely hear of someone saying their power/totem/spirit animal is a duck. I think that maybe people want their animals to be strong, because thats what they need in their life.

Just another theory.

That theory has also been discussed to death already. I was trying to introduce a different perspective to it. :)

[-Sky-]

I agree with both theories.They both have a point."Humans tend to fear what they don't understand, and destroy what they fear."I second that,it's so true!But I also agree that newbies search for strong and typical guides to rely on.
For me,wolf was both a personal choice and an inevitable thing.A wolf came in my dream and now I know and believe that wolves are like my brothers and sisters.Wolves are my guides to ultimate wisdom.They appeal to me for many things.I admire their self-pride,their beauty.I also admire the fact that they are both independent and close to their family at the same time.I guess the wolf is a role model for many pagans...

~Anna

[KaliGiri5]

lol
yeah why wolves and not snails or ladybugs or even a cricket.

[Ivy Artemisia]

That theory has also been discussed to death already. I was trying to introduce a different perspective to it. :)

Sorry 'bout that, I'm pretty new here, and I was just trying to contribute. :)

~Ivy

[WickedBttrfly]

Hmmm... I've always felt a connection to wolves, but I dont think they're a totem animal. I think my totem animals is the hawk, and that's because I had a dream about it. I had never even really thought about hawks before that. But yeah, I think people tend to start off with animals they're more familiar with, or feel connected to, and a lot of people feel connected to wolves.

[StarCraftLia]

Perhaps there are so many wolf spirit guides simply because they are one of the creatures that humans need to learn from the most? I can't help but see a connection between the amount of current/past killing and the number of that species of spirit guide.

That's such an interesting way of putting it, I don't think I've ever heard it like that before. ^^ I think that could very well be one of the reasons. Another thing is that wolves are pack oriented, loyal and more than half the time they mate once and for life. It could be a way of showing humans that we need more real emotions, and that nothing really matters once we have found what we really need (aside from what we're looking for.)

I think another reason eagles and wolves are popular is because they look cool. Lol. More people feel closer to them because they are so cliche` (not saying anything against the people who feel close to the animals). Alot of people have dogs and such as pets, which would mean wolves and coyotes are easier to relate to the family dog.

[_Mystik_]

Perhaps you are right.

I believe my Spirit guide is the wolf though :)

[AlAskendir]

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about the abundance of "popular" spirit guides: wolves, eagles, hawks, coyotes, etc etc. You have my former apologies if this perspective to it has already been brought up and discussed.

Unless you live in a box, you should know about how humans have had a habit of killing off some of the mentioned animals. Wolves were seen as a threat to livestock and the population almost wiped out from North America, raptors have had similar battles with humans, and in general quite a few of the more popular spirit guides are also ones that have had survival problems.

To me a spirit guide is an entity that, well, guides you. Teaches you lessons, helps you improve your quality of life, make the right choices. Using wolves as an example: Humans tend to fear what they don't understand, and destroy what they fear. Wolves are a well-known victim of this. Perhaps there are so many wolf spirit guides simply because they are one of the creatures that humans need to learn from the most? I can't help but see a connection between the amount of current/past killing and the number of that species of spirit guide.

That one possibility.

Another is that the Wolf is seen as the most similar to Human ( I know, boars are actually more similar, but almost no-one wants to look at that) - - semi-gregarious carnivorous land mammals (yes, I know we are omnivores, but other than boars, the only omnivorous land mammals are bears, and they aren't gregarious). They are the ones whose minds are best understood by modern science (and by nature shows) that are similar enough to us for the 'lessons' to be easily understood.

Another possibility comes from my personal gnosis and might not apply to your universe at all, but here goes: After Shekinah had yelled for help and Jahv came to help her, transplanting an innocent mortal man (Adam) and an innocent mortal woman (Lilith) from the mythic layer of Tiamaat to the mythic layer of the largest chunk of Tiamaat that 'surived', Gaia,, time passed and a bunch of things happened (not germane to this thread), but in particular a wild dog became the first Wolf, and he and Lilith made an agreement that neither would hunt nor enslave the other, between Wolfkind and Humankind there would be no attacks, no bindings, no walls, no fences. This agreement is what angered Adam so, so much that he 'divorced' and banished Lilith, and raped their daughter Eve.

The Wolves are still keeping the agreement, which is why even a pack of them will not attack a lone human, regardless of how hungry they are, or how helpless the human is. Adam's inheritors, the Patriarchy, would prefer it if Wolves were extinct.