An old Grandfather said to his granddaughter, who came to him with anger at a friend who had done her an injustice, "Let me tell you a story.
I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do.
But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times." He continued, "It is as if there are two wolves inside me. One is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him, and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way.
But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger,for his anger will change nothing.
Sometimes, it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."
The young maiden looked intently into her Grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"
The Grandfather smiled and quietly said, "The one I feed."
There are several versions of this story floating around and I took the liberty of changing it a bit. It is apparently debated whether it is an actual Native American tale, but none the less it inspired me to make this painting. I have a small bit of Cherokee blood in me so perhaps that’s why it resonated.
http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/TwoWolves-Cherokee.html
Here are a couple of shots of the work in progress.
Here is some beautiful music to set the stage. The two wolves story starts at about five minutes in, but the violin leading up to it is beautiful.
Have a blessed day and try to feed your good wolf. 😊🐺
