WHICH WOLF WILL YOU FEED TODAY?

Plenty Coups, Chief of the Crows
Photographed in 1907-08 by Norman A. Forsyth

A TEACHING WITH TIMELESS MEANING

A fairly long time ago, we posted this story. Today, after a morning filled with the unpleasant, stress-inducing white noise of media negativity, we stumbled upon the message of Plenty Coups in the file. Allow it to drown out all the pessimistic, nonconstructive, even painful ‘hits’ that bombard you today. Consciously, this can be a real challenge…a REAL challenge.

Monday Mornings can be brutal. For that matter, any morning can start with a hellish dose of sensationalistic, panic-inducing TV, howling radio commentators with voices worse than fingernails on a chalkboard or newspaper headlines held captive by the living-dead edited by grim reapers on Quaaludes. Well, it’s enough to send any semblance of a happy mood or positive attitude swirling down into the negative toilets of the mind.

TAKE CONTROL.

Call upon your inner, positive warrior-spirit. I, for one, will have to make a concerted effort today to discover and focus on the beauty, kindness, compassion, generosity, and hope that exists in our world. As I write this, I feel a sense of deep embarrassment rising from my core consciousness. How spoiled am I? Sitting here at a computer, with every imaginable technological convenience within reach. A fresh cuppa’ delicious coffee sends soft tendrils of steam into the fragrant air. A magnificent view of swaying palm trees and thunder clouds sweep past the second-floor window. The world IS filled with magic.

OH, POISONED MIND: DRINK THY HEALING POTION!
FEEL thy Magic. HEAR thy Song! SMELL thy Wonder!
SEE thy Beauty! TASTE thy elixir of Life!

Thank you Plenty Coups. Because of your message, my angry wolf has fallen into a gentle sleep, his head on my bare feet. The day is before us – all things are possible.

WHICH WOLF WILL YOU FEED TODAY?

Plenty Coups, Chief of the Crows, looked into the expectant faces of the children; their cheeks flushed from the warmth of the sacred fire that crackled and sparked throwing great shafts of amber light into the night. Plenty Coups looked deeply into the golden crystal flames as he spoke from his Heart Power:

“Yesterday, I saw a wolf watching us intently from the cover the great forest. Did you know he was there?”

The children silently answered with positive nods of their heads. The wise Chief continued,

“A fight goes on inside me. It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One is evil. He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self pity, guilt, racism, sexism, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

The other wolf is good. He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and belief.

The same fight is going on inside of you as well as inside of the white man and every other person you will meet in your lifetime.”

The children thought about this for a moment and then the smallest child, granddaughter of the great chief, respectfully asked,

“Which wolf will win, Grandfather?”

Plenty Coups simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Postscript: Plenty Coups was called “Chief of Chiefs” by his people, The Crow Nation. He was one of the last traditional chiefs and their first modern leader. A Montana state park is named in his honour.