"The Two Wolves" - Exemplifying Shame/Blame or Let it Go

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Mardy Ross's picture
Mardy Ross
Title: LumiGRATE Poster - Top of the Totem Pole
Joined: Feb 16 2009
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Wolves, and a wise old Indian.  This was am email forward that I embellished with the photo as it really underscores the concept I'd presented in the Shame/Blame, let it go piece, and may be the best (and SHORT) explanation of this concept!

The Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.  He said, 'My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all..

One is Evil.
It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret , greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego..

The other is Good.
It is joy, peace , love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.

The grandson thought about it for a minute....  And then asked his grandfather:  'Which wolf wins?'

The old Cherokee simply replied, '
The one you feed .'

Photo found and attributed (as requested by the website operator) at http://www.all-about-wolves.com/wolf_photo_download.aspx?image=4


Here is the link to the piece in this same Forum that I wrote previously, in the fall of 2009, based on Cheryl Young, LMFT an amazing teacher to other therapists and students at the college here (Mesa State College), as well as the families and people she works with as a therapist.  I had her input and approval on this piece, as I thought is was a very good start for people who might be realizing the mind/body/spirit connection that 'integrative medicine' embraces, and wanted to have something in time for the first holiday season of Lumigrate.com.  This year, 2010, her husband and business partner and LONG TIME contributor to Lumigrate in videos, Dr Chris Young, hopped in with others who have been commenting and a really NICE discussion with many readers has evolved.  I encourage people to read.  Here's the link: 

www.lumigrate.com/forum/let-go-shameblame-game-better-health-cheryl-young-lmft



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Mardy Ross, OTR Founder, Lumigrate "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate facebook: My personal page: Mardy Ross Fan Pages: Lumigrate, Lumigrate: Fibromyalgia, Lumigrate: Fibromyalgia Health Education and Counseling (Lumigrate Webucation is a 'personal page' replaced by fan pages but used for 'fun' still).

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Alice
Title: LumiGRATE Poster - Major
Joined: Aug 23 2009
Posts: 42
User offline. Last seen 2 weeks 1 day ago.
Re: "The Two Wolves" - Exemplifying Shame/Blame or Let it ...

I love that two wolves tale.    It reminds me of one I heard as a child.  It was given as a Creek Indian explanation of the conscience.

A conscience is like a square block of wood next to your heart.  When you do something you know is wrong the block of wood starts  to spin.  The sharp corners hit the heart and hurt.  When you stop doing wrong it stops turning and the pain goes away. You become a better person because you do not like the pain in your heart. 

If you choose evil over good, and continue to do wrong the block of wood spins and spins.  The more wrong you do the more it spins.  Soon that the corners wear away, it does not hurt anymore and you have no conscience left.

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Alice Franklin was raised on a sandy beach in Point Clear, AL and lived along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Alabama in her youth, graduating from Fairhope High School on Mobile Bay. Prior to becoming disabled due to severe spine problems, she worked her way into management and purchasing positions in industrial manufacturing and art industries. She worked her way into Lumigrate unknowingly by impressively writing at Lent 2010 about utilizing her religious and spiritual beliefs with chronic pain/disease management (she has had fibromyalgia and chronic myofascial pain for decades); it turns out she holds the priesthood office of elder in her church and became active again in this office in May 2010 and has been pastor or copastor in previous churches. We are so very proud to have her words and thoughts gracing our 'pages' of this website and look forward to what the future holds for her.

Mardy Ross's picture
Mardy Ross
Title: LumiGRATE Poster - Top of the Totem Pole
Joined: Feb 16 2009
Posts: 1109
User offline. Last seen 10 hours 32 sec ago.
Lovely Alice...

Simply put -- Lovely, and thank you for sharing that.  ~~ Mardy

I encourage people to follow the link at the bottom of the Two Wolves piece, above, as it has had a LOT of GRATE additional comments from Psychologists, social worker, MD... etc.  Much to learn.  I added in a piece about forgiveness from a book that I read that I thought was the best I'd read about the topic.  

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Mardy Ross, OTR Founder, Lumigrate "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate facebook: My personal page: Mardy Ross Fan Pages: Lumigrate, Lumigrate: Fibromyalgia, Lumigrate: Fibromyalgia Health Education and Counseling (Lumigrate Webucation is a 'personal page' replaced by fan pages but used for 'fun' still).

This forum is provided to allow members of Lumigrate to share information and ideas. Any recommendations made by forum members regarding medical treatments, medications, or procedures are not endorsed by Lumigrate or practitioners who serve as Lumigrate's medical experts.

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