Loyalty means not that I agree with everything you say, or that I believe you are always right. Loyalty means that I share a common ideal with you and that, regardless of minor differences, we strive for it, shoulder to shoulder, confident in one another’s good faith, trust, constancy, and affection.

—Dr. Karl Menninger
Walk The Talk
April 26, 2011

Today’s inspiration comes from:
Wisdom of Wolves
Leadership Lessons From Nature

Interesting that the quote above comes from Wolves.  I discovered MANY years ago while taking several anthropology courses both in high school and college that the wolf is my shamanic animal.  Both in high school as well as in college, we were visited by outside lecturers who were experts in the Native American studies.  I clearly remember an exercise  we took part in one of the courses I took at Southern Connecticut State Universirty.  We were asked if there was a particular animal that resonated with us.  For me the wolf has ALWAYS been a part of my life.  The class was asked if we found an animal we THOUGHT spoke to us, we were to go home and ask our friends what qualities they saw in us.  Not to mention why, just bring up the question as naturally as possible.

The two qualities that arose over and over from my friends were?

Loyalty and Premonition.

I asked what my friends meant by the latter and EVERY one said I seemed to instinctively know from an immediate meeting that we would be friends.  Even today I’ve had people comment on the fact that I can tell from a first meeting whether we’re going to be friends for the long haul or simply acquaintances.  I never gave that any thought until it was brought up by EVERY one of my friends for the first time over ten years ago.  Now that I’m aware of it, I take advantage of that quality and it has NEVER let me down.  Every one of my friends I have now I KNEW would be a long haul friend.

Wolves are extremely loyal and they have to KNOW from a first encounter whether they can trust.

Other qualities I share with the wolf according to my friends are:

–that wolves, though strong, disagreements rarely result in serious fights.

As seen above with my premonition example:
–Wolves have a capacity for making quick and firm emotional attachments.
–Learning to trust your own insights and secure your attachments accordingly is part of what wolf medicine teaches.

The last two examples came from the book:

Animal Speak by Ted Andrews available at Amazon
Pages 323-325  –The Wolf.
After reading the passage on The Wolf and hearing from my friends both then and now, I’m more convinced then ever that it is the wolf who walks beside me.

Loyalty is a quality I share with the wolf.  If you’re in my circle, you can trust that I will stand by your side and do everything I can to protect you, to help you, to ensure that you move forward.  Ask any one of my friends and I’m convinced they will attest to that fact.  Do you count loyalty as one of your traits?

Be Happy!  Be Well!  Be Positive!
Blessings to you.
—
Chris