Thanks for joining me around this fire where we can talk and share ideas.
Get yourself comfortable,
Take a slow breath and let yourself settle.
This story comes from the Cherokee tradition of North America,
A teaching that has been passed down through generations and one I think earns its longevity.
It's very short,
It might be the shortest story I tell at this fire,
But I don't think I've ever come across one that cuts more directly to something true.
So if you're ready,
Let's begin.
An old grandfather was talking with his grandson one evening.
There is a fight going on inside me,
The grandfather said.
It is a terrible fight between two wolves.
One wolf is fear,
Anger,
Self-doubt,
Resentment and despair.
The other is courage,
Calm,
Curiosity,
Kindness and hope.
The same fight is going on inside everyone.
The grandson was quiet for a moment,
Then he asked,
Which wolf wins?
The grandfather looked at him.
The one you feed.
Two wolves,
That's all,
And yet I think most of us,
If we're honest,
Know exactly which one we've been feeding lately.
We feed the wolves with attention,
With the stories we tell ourselves on repeat,
With what we choose to dwell on when we lie awake,
With the way we speak to ourselves when we make a mistake.
And here's the thing that I think gets missed in the retelling of this story.
Feeding the good wolf doesn't mean pretending the bad one isn't there.
The grandfather doesn't say ignore the dark wolf,
Starve it,
Destroy it.
He knows both wolves are real,
Both a part of us.
What he's pointing at is something more subtle,
A practice of choosing again and again imperfectly without always getting it right.
To give our energy to what builds us rather than what diminishes us.
To curiosity over catastrophe,
To kindness over contempt,
To what is possible over what is broken.
Meditation at its most basic is this.
Every time you notice your mind has wandered into the dark and you gently bring it back,
You are feeding the right wolf.
Not perfectly,
Not permanently,
But again and again and again.
That is the whole practice really.
If you want a simple daily structure for feeding the better wolf,
My course The House Within,
Seven Days to Presence and Calm,
Is designed around exactly this.
Building small steady habits of attention that shift over time what lives in you.
And for anyone who needs help with the thoughts that spiral at night,
My track Unhooking from Repetitive Thoughts might be just what you need.
Both are here on Insight Timer.
In any case,
I'll just keep this fire burning until next time.
Take care of yourself and I'll see you soon.
