The War of Light and Dark

Native American proverb,

An old shaman was talking to a group of boys preparing for their trials to be ordained men.
Shaman: You should understand that you have two wolves battling within you. The first is a dark creature full of pride, prejudice, fear, hate, disrespect, vengeance, and hate. The second is a light beast full of love, kindness, friendship, service, respect, and hope. Everyday these wolves battle each other for their very survival.

After a long pause one of the boys asked: Which one wind?

Shaman: The one you feed.

I've missed you. Good to see you back

I'm familiar with this proverb! It's been so long since i heard it, thank you for sharing this.

A wonderful proverb friend! I must ask does one let one wolf starve or does he feed both? For both will never die, but can a man control their growth in this way?

Kobos wrote: A wonderful proverb friend! I must ask does one let one wolf starve or does he feed both? For both will never die, but can a man control their growth in this way?

I'd say feed both, but only one enough for it to grow strong. A starved wolf becomes erratic and violent and will take what it wants and needs to live. So rather than put it in that state, keep it just fed enough to sate it, but not enough to put enough strength in its bones to overthrow the one you want to thrive.

My Grandfather from my mother's side taught me this when I was very young, and has been one of the few teachings that has stuck with me through the years...

Of course, it's all metephors for something deeper, one wolf symbolizing the higher self, the other the primal. Both are essential...

I feed both, equally. To deny one over the other, is to deny a vital & essential part of ourselves, preventing us from ever truly healing past traumas and becoming whole...

Both can do great harm without the other, it is mankind's ignorance and insistant stubbornness that has led us to believe one is better than the other. Get to know them both. Accept & love them both, and you'll grow more than you can imagine...

Feed the Higher Self, let the lower starve until it's gone..

Zenchi is right. Feed them both. The illusion you see that they fight is wrong. They are not in competition with one another, they are in cooperation.

I thank you all for your replies and I must say I agree. It is that both must be fed but kept on different length of leashes. The light side a longer leash but still bound as unrestrained it will leave you. This happens in many ways naivety being one, humbling oneself until you are hollow being another. The dark side one must keep tighter but still enough room to move or it will only attack yourself. Should you never feed that dark side it will become savage as any hungry animal will.

Thank you for the story !
Classic
I’m a feeder ...
I have cousins who if ever they visited ... i would always sit at a table with them and feed them but would also be carful with my valuables. This is one of those story’s to me that represents the individuals balance and the ability they can have. Feed. Don’t feed. Balance seems to be the idea here. Balance is different for every person. Myself - I starved my dark till I could handled it and think strait - now - it is very much a part of me as the light- took a while but it took finding that balance too. He don’t bite - but then again - he does. Smiley face