There is an old Cherokee tale that I share quite frequently, normally when I am talking with someone about choices and energy. However, the other day I came to realize it was about learning to trust the voice of the Divine within. The story goes like this for those who have not heard it yet.
One evening, an elderly
Cherokee brave 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 though about
it for a minute and then asked
his grandfather:
"Which wolf wins?..."
The old Cherokee simply replied,
"The one that you feed"[1]
What if the question was which voice within you are you going to trust? Would you trust the voice of anger or joy? Jealousy or peace? When you look at it this way, it becomes clear that we are to wait on and trust the voice of the “good wolf.” When we are making decisions while feeling anything from the first list then we are placing our trust in that which is not of the Divine. Learning to listen to our feelings will help guide us in knowing when we are in the right space to respond from a place of love. We need to be intentional about inviting those positive energies into our life. When we are filled with them, we can trust the Divine is guiding our thoughts and actions.
[1] http://www.nanticokeindians.org/tale_of_two_wolves.cfm