Worldly Wisdom Wednesday – Brought To You Today by the Coyotes of Nova Scotia
Posted By Randy on August 8, 2012
Source – {link: http://hal_macgregor.tripod.com/kennel/Anatomy.htm}The Anatomy of a Coyote Attack{/link}
“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.” ~ Kurt Vonnegut
In my 18 July 2012 article, Worldly Wisdom Wednesday – The Way of the Wild, I said, in part:
Every living thing in Nature, flora or fauna, has a Way that defines its ideal state of being. That balanced equation of form and function forged by generations of evolution against the anvil of environmental reality. This ideal state of being is, for each species, its own unique expression of the greater, all encompassing Way – the Way of the Wild – the Way from which all others spring.
The Way of the Wild deals with Life, Death, who gets each, and when. For successful organisms, embracing this Way is not a choice, and of all things on the Earth, only one kind flirts with living as though this were not so – Man. For the most part, human society does not embrace Wild in its Natural sense, viewing it instead as representing all that is wanton, dangerous, and out of control. An unpredictably unacceptable condition fit only to be tamed or eradicated for the greater; i. e., human; good. Down that path lies a disconnection wrought by an artificially orchestrated thing called “civilization”, built on a foundation of conflict with the Way of the Wild. This will one day resolve itself, one way or another, and of that resolution only one thing can be said with certainty – the Way of the Wild will prevail, as it always has and always will.
As though bent on demonstrating the veracity of my words, the 5 August 2012 edition of the Cape Breton Post contained an article titled Campers rescued after coyotes surround campsite. Click the link and absorb what’s written there, both on and between the lines.
Depending on the setting, a Human may come to be regarded as a prey animal under certain circumstances, no matter how much that Human may embrace the Way of the Wild; but it must never be forgotten that a prey animal is as a prey animal does, and a hunter is as a hunter does.
Think on this.
First of all, is that really a coyote in the photo? Are those a different species than the scraggly coyotes I’ve seen down here on the NE coast of the USA? I was thinking about this Way of the Wild a lot recently. Seems there is at least one big thing missing these days–there are no medicine men, shamans, etc., and where they do exist, they are not accepted or respected. Kids coming up nowadays never take a Vision Quest or risk-taking adventure into the spirit world. All answers are sought through the conventional channels of college, society, and (first and foremost) the confines of their personal desires. The great xingyiquan master Wang Jiwu stated that the will of most people was thin as paper. Don’t we all have to have a “dark night of the soul” or rather “nights” to find our Way?
I know how I access or tap into my recognition of the Way of the Wild. I hope in the near future you will share some specific ways you do this, Randy. I would like to expand my awareness in this regard, and would value your words on this. Especially the outdoor stuff.
Thank you Gary. The picture I used was from an article that is linked from its caption, specifically – http://hal_macgregor.tripod.com/kennel/Anatomy.htm I’m sure you’ll be interested in what that bit of writing has to say because it will answer all your present questions about Coyotes.
Back in my flying days I was often driving the 80 odd miles from my home to the Halifax Airport in the early morning hours, routinely drawing nigh to my destination just as the dim light of dawn was making it possible to see well without headlights. Now and then I’d see a coyote either trotting along the roadside or tearing at a road killed animal, and I recall being amazed at how rangy and scraggly they all looked. What I saw then is nothing like what lives here now.. The writer of the article I cited makes some accusations that might explain how that came about, made all the more credible by the fact that Coyotes and assorted species of Wolves have coexisted in the same range for centuries, each keeping to its own, until what might be referred to as “recently”. Please read that and give me your own observations. You will be reading more on the subject here in the future.
I’m glad to learn the Way of the Wild has made itself apparent in your waking life. And I completely agree with you. What we refer to as “modern society”, for want of a better term, routinely discards wholesale the validity of anything that doesn’t come with the stamp of approval of some officially sanctioned bestower of accreditation. It also persists in trying to compartmentalize what can’t be individuated because every piece of Nature needs every other. It exists in the conceit that a piece of the Earth can be controlled simply by building a barrier around it by way of a wall, a fence, a coating or permeation of poison, or a hatefully repellant noise – that Nature not only should, but MUST tolerate the establishment of “humans only” zones that are wherever and as big as we want them to be.
The Shaman and the Medicine Man/Woman still exist, but much is hidden to the casual observer who hasn’t proven worthiness to learn beyond the simple satisfaction of curiosity. With your background, I think I’m preaching to the choir. I fully embrace the importance of that long dark night of the soul, and have personally pursued that as a vital development component in character building going back to a rather young age. For example, if you haven’t already, please read http://randy.whynacht.ca/archives/24
Lastly, you will be happy to know that my next installment of WWW will be the first to include instruction of a practical rather than philosophical or illustrative bent. Keep an eye out my Esteemed Friend!