The wolf is probably one of the most feared and respected animals worldwide. Some parts of the world respect wolves more than they are feared. This is evident in North America, where the wolf is an icon of creation, rebirth, and death.
A wolf symbolizes family, friendship, loyalty, playfulness, and curiosity. Wolves have lived throughout the world, and it is only natural for them to be subjects of folklore and mythology in many cultures. Wolves have sometimes been attributed to witchcraft in Northern Europe and Native America.
In this post, you will learn about ancient Wolf mythology, Wolf symbolism, and the meaning of the sacred wolf totem.
What Is The Spiritual Meaning Of A Wolf?
The wolf is a sacred symbol to many people who bond to these mystical animals. The wolf symbolizes family and friendship, loyalty, teamwork, freedom, protection, endurance, curiosity, playfulness, and wildness. Let us explore a few of these traits of the wolf in a little more detail.
Family, Friendship, And Loyalty
Wolves enjoy being with each other, and they develop deep bonds with other members of their pack and depend on each other for survival. Wolves tend to put the packs’ needs over their own needs and interests.
Wolves want their pack to thrive above everything else. They also put their family first, so this trait reminds us that the greatest bonds in our lives are our relationships with the people we love.
This trait of the wolf asks us, “Are we putting our families and our children first?” The wolf always ensures that everyone in their pack is always taken care of and protected.
Teamwork As A Trait Of The Wolf
Wolves depend on each other for their survival, and it is very rare to see a wolf alone. It is more common to see wolves part of a pack or in a team.
If you feel a bond with wolves, you might be inspired to look at all the “packs” of people you socialize with, work with and interact with in your community. Do you have the right mix of people in your team?
Do they inspire you and support you to do and be your best? We all need to learn to be independent to some extent, but the wolf spirit animal reminds us to create our own “wolf pack” if we don’t have one already.
Protection As A Trait Of The Wolf
While wolves are friendly and playful by nature, they are also the personification of fierceness if they or their loved ones are threatened. They are fiercely protective over their pups, pack, and territory.
The “she-wolf” archetype is an essential model for many women to adopt. The “she-wolf” reminds women to protect those they love, and stand their ground and fiercely protect their boundaries, whether they are physical, emotional, financial, spiritual, or sexual.
The she-wolf is the opposite of being permissive, passive, and easy.
For men that might encounter a she-wolf, it’s not wise to try to dominate her. Instead, it should be an opportunity to give her the freedom and space that she requires to move freely about.
It might also mean that she needs to be protected to relax and not have her shields up in defense.
The alpha male is an essential archetype for men to follow, and it can be one of exerting their protectiveness over those they love and care about. An alpha male is an indication that you need to reclaim your power over yourself or your situation.
The alpha male is a symbol of ferocity and protection. The wolf animal is telling you to become your own pack leader and stop being the omega wolf.
Suppose you are in an environment or a personal or professional relationship that prevents you from being an alpha wolf. In that instance, it might be time for you to reclaim your territory or find new territory.
Endurance As A Trait Of The Wolf
Wolves have an excellent combination of endurance and strength. They are powerful and lean and can run at thirty-five miles per hour when hunting their prey. Wolves are ideally suited to their environment and live in harmony with nature and their surroundings.
If we can learn one thing from the wolf, we need to live in harmony with our environment and our surroundings. If you feel that you lack the strength, stamina, and even grace, then maybe it might be time to reassess your surroundings and your environment, and it is time to make some changes or even explore other environments.
If you feel any imbalances in your body, it might be worth exploring what is blocking your ability to thrive. Human beings are meant to be on the move, like wolves, and we function at our best when we are consistently on the move.
So, when you feel a loss in your power, maybe it is time to reassess your life again and make whatever changes are necessary for your progression.
How Do I Know If The Wolf Is My Spirit Animal?
According to Native American traditions, you don’t choose your spirit animal; instead, your spirit animal chooses you. This usually happens during meditation or from some life-changing experience or event.
You might already know that the wolf is your spirit animal when you feel a deep bond with them.
A wolf would have made itself known to you through the media, an artwork, or through some form in real life. When a wolf makes an appearance in your life, it means that you need to pay heed to the message these animals are conveying to you.
The wolf tells you to understand your true nature and not ignore the power and spiritual blessings that this animal brings into your life.
What Do Wolves Represent In Native American Culture?
In the Native American culture, animal totems hold protective powers for the animals they represent. Therefore, the wolf totem is symbolic for manifesting protection, stronger instincts, and better relationships in our lives.
The wolf totem, in addition, is a valuable symbol for breaking free from restrictions in our lives, whether they might be financial, creative, or physical. Several Native American tribes even credit the wolf as the creator of the earth.
Some tribes even attribute the wolf to being related to humans. The reasoning for this is that the wolf’s dedication to its pack is a common trait among many Native American tribes.
The Navajo tribe has been known for performing ceremonies where they call upon the wolf spirit to restore good health. Since wolves are admired for their excellent hunting skills, they offered prayers to the wolf spirit before going out on hunting expeditions.
Before going into battle, Apache’s would sing, pray, and dance to obtain the wolf spirit’s strength, bravery, and teamwork.
In the Cherokee tradition, there is a clan that they call the Wolf people. They never hunt or kill a wolf, believing that the spirit of the slain wolf would avenge its death.
The Cherokees also believe that if a hunter shows respect and prays before and after killing a deer, then a fox, wolf, or opossum would guard the hunters’ feet from frostbite.
What Do Wolves Represent In Christianity?
Wolves are referenced at least thirteen times in the Bible, usually metaphorically for destructiveness and greed. In the New Testament, Jesus is cited as warning his followers to be wary of false prophets, as they come in sheep’s clothing, but inside they are as ferocious as wolves.
The wolf is mentioned repeatedly in scriptures as an enemy to the flocks, a metaphor for evil men that lust for power and deceitful gains, and a metaphor for Satan preying on innocent Christians, contrasted by Jesus, the shepherd who protects his flock.
The Roman Catholic Church used negative metaphors of wolves to create a sense of real evil stalking the world.
In the Book of Leviticus and the Book of Deuteronomy, the “Malleus Maleficarum” mentions that wolves are either agents of God who have been sent to punish evildoers or agents of the Devil that have been sent with God’s blessings to test the faith of true believers.
Stories and legends of Saint Francis of Assisi show him befriending the wolf. According to “Fioretti” (translated into The Little Flowers of Saint Francis), the city of Gubbio was attacked by the “Wolf of Gubbio” that devoured men and livestock.
Saint Francis of Assisi, who lived in Gubbio at the time, felt pity for the townsfolk and went into the hills searching for the wolf. The fear of the animal caused all his followers to flee; however, Saint Francis persisted.
Upon finding the wolf, he made the cross sign and ordered the wolf to approach him and not cause further harm to anyone. Miraculously, the wolf closed its jaws and lay down at Saint Francis’s feet.
How Do We Call A Wolf Spirit?
Often it may become necessary to call upon the spirit of the wolf whenever you are feeling afraid, confused, lost, or you need some direction on a personal matter that might be plaguing you.
At these times, you should call upon the wolf spirit to guide you and give you the confidence that you need to overcome any challenge that you may be facing in life.
So, how do you call upon the wolf spirit in these times?
You can start by hanging a picture of the wolf you feel bonded with, either in your home or your office. If you have a picture of the wolf at home, you can mentally speak to the wolf energy before leaving home and call for its guidance to help you through your day.
If you have given your wolf spirit a name, you can also write down its name on a clean sheet of paper and carry it with you wherever you go. You need to be aware that the wolf spirit is constantly with you.
Your connection with your wolf spirit will always be there with you, so you can call upon it whenever you are troubled. You can also keep a picture of your wolf animal under your pillow, and it will help you sleep at night.
If there is a person or persons that are not being too friendly towards you, you can always project the image of the wolf onto that person, and you can ask the wolf spirit for help with dealing with those individuals.
To call for the wolf spirit, you can start by saying, “Wolf, I thank you! Please help me with courage, strength, and decisiveness to face the obstacles that I am facing.”
The wolf spirit will provide you with the wisdom, inner vision, confidence, and experience you need to make your way through unexplored territories in life. However, to venture out into the forest, you have to be willing to face your deepest fears and insecurities.
When you call upon the wolf spirit, he will provide you with the necessary guidance and protection that you need to make bold and fearless changes and decisions in life.
The wolf must venture into the depths of the forest to find out what he needs for growth and sustenance and put his fears aside of the unknown. Once the wolf has conquered his fears, he walks confidently through the forest.
Calling the wolf spirit is not limited to language, religion, or caste. You can call upon the wolf spirit in any language you feel comfortable with. You can call upon the wolf spirit whenever you are in any of the following situations.
- When you feel the need to protect those that you love
- When you need to sharpen your intuition and instincts to make better decisions
- When you need to improve your social life to attract the right mix of people that will support and inspire you
- When you need to strengthen your relationship with your “pack,” your family, friends, and colleagues
- When you feel that life has become too mundane, and you wish to reconnect with your independence and wildness
Conclusion
The wolf is seen as a teacher to the people of California and the Great Plains. They saw the wolf take refuge in the hills and mountains to hide away from humans. Eventually, they connected wolves and high places, in other terms, the spirit, or descending from the lower plane to a higher plane of existence.
The wolf is symbolic of loyalty, spirit, guardianship, and ritual. The wolf’s lessons may not always be easy to digest, but it is necessary for our development and growth in life.
