A wolf goes for a walk
Published: Tue, 01/23/18
When my mother was about 12 years old she was given a terrier dog as a pet by local dog breeder. This was at the start of WW2 and the breeder was reducing the number of animals in her care because of food shortages. As it was winter time the animal caught a chill of some kind and sadly died. My mother was very sad about this and the dog breeder gave her another dog. This one lived long enough to grow strong and active but apparently obedience was never the creature’s priority. I don’t think my mother knew much about dog training either. My mother lived in a very rural part of Lancashire where the main farming activity is keeping sheep. One day my mother’s dog found its way through a hole in a field wall and began chasing the ewes. No amount of calling would cause the excited creature to leave the sheep alone, a lot of whom were pregnant. Eventually the farmer appeared and terminated the terrier’s fun with a gun shot. The
farmer was very sorry to have killed a child’s pet but unrepentant for protecting his sheep. No one held it against him, a disobedient dog living in sheep country is accepted to be a menace that cannot be tolerated.
The dog breeder apparently offered my mother a third puppy. My grandparents decided enough was enough by this stage and that was the extent of my mother’s career as a dog owner. When I was a child I was quite keen to have a dog. My mother was extremely reluctant to take on a canine pet and I suspect part of the reason was her experiences as a child.
I was reminded of this sad episode from nearly 80 years ago by the story of Torak the wolf which was widely reported in the media last week. Torak is a 12 year old Alaskan timber wolf who lives at the UK Wolf Conservation Trust in Berkshire. There seems to be some debate as to whether the high winds damaged the enclosure or if the gate was deliberately opened. Either way, Torak was able to walk free and enjoy five and a half hours of freedom. During this time the fugitive was able to walk about 8 miles. There was quite a panic and police marksmen with itchy trigger fingers were actively involved in the hunt. In the end Teresa Palmer, who runs the Conservation trust was able to catch up with Torak, put a lead around his neck and bring the wolf back home for his supper. During his stroll the wolf apparently walked straight through a field of sheep and took no notice of them at all. Maybe 12 years of captivity takes the edge off
even a wolf, it sounds like my mother’s little dog could have taught Torak a thing or two. Then again, a story that could have been. “Rampaging, sheep killing, beast dies in hail of police bullets.” Actually finished up as. “Pet wolf takes a country walk, home in time for his tea.” Maybe Torak knew that enjoying his freedom also meant behaving well if he actually wanted to stay alive.
I do like a story which confounds expectations. Humans have always had an ambivalent relationship with wolves. In the Norse mythology two wolves Skoll and Hati chase the sun and the moon and if they ever catch and swallow them the world will be returned to primeval darkness. The wolf Fenrir causes great fear, has to be restrained by a magical chain and will kill Odin at the day of Ragnarok. Or there is simply the story of Little Red Riding Hood and her highly devious adversary. On the other hand all our pet dogs are descended from wolves just like Torak. Sometimes the hunting instinct expresses itself as my mother tragically discovered in her pet dog all those years ago.
The lesson for me is let situations sort themselves out. The apparent reason to panic may come to nothing if you stay calm and relaxed. The supposedly innocent situation can suddenly turn nasty if you don’t have your wits about you. The secret is being aware of what is going on around you. Then respond appropriately to what does happen, not what did happen, or what you though was going to happen, but simply what is. The best way to have this awareness is simply to be centered in your web and be connected, it is a stare of mind as much as anything else.
In the foundation programme I am trialling at the moment I show how to do the stances and teach about the runes and principles. However, the most important thing is understanding the web and your place within it, so each module returns to this theme and at the seminar at the end we will discuss the various ways that the web enables us to understand our lives.
The first programme with seminar on the 24th of March is full and underway. I am still prepared to do a seminar in Somerset on the 8th of April and start the learning modules this week. Or you can just do it as a distance learning programme. Details here http://www.iceandfire.org.uk/foundation.html
regards
Graham
PS The point of the Foundation Course is to prepare people for learning Stav by introducing the basic concepts, practices and principles of Stav. So, if you were tempted by the Stavcamp in September but don’t feel that you know enough about Stav to benefit from it then I can send you the foundation programme in the months leading up to the event. That way you will be much better prepared for the event. See http://www.stavcamp.org