This morning I pulled the King of Pentacles.

Well really, he flew out of the deck and onto the table.

 

Two things struck me immediately and I wanted to explore here one of those things in particular – the wolf-dog.

 

The King sits in this warm vibrancy of security and accomplishment. He is looking at the beautiful pentacle sitting in his hands, his own magic at work. At his side, sits his faithful companion, the Wolf-dog.

While the Kings is focused on his own creations, the Wolf-dog looks directly at me through the card.

Wolf-dog is not passive, nor assertive, but alert. Whether or not the King is aware of my presence – the outside world – he is aware of me. Wolf-dog is both the loyal companion and the filter. He is the guardian.

He is the discernment required for the King to sit confidently in his success – in his castle that he has built.

 

Wolf-dog sits with a different kind of security and self-assuredness – he is vigilant and aware, even in his restful state.

 

Wolf-dog represents an important element of the masculine – protection, clarity, and boundaries.

Much like when I talked about the feminine, when I speak to the masculine, I’m referring to masculine energy and essence, not what we as a culture refer to as “masculinity”. I’m speaking to linear, logical thinking, structure, boundaries, directive action.

The masculine essence is in service to the feminine essence, very much in the way that Wolf-dog is in service to the greater thing that the King represents.

 

This Wolf-dog element is essential in supporting the energy that we are wanting to embody and be in service to – whatever “success” looks like to you. We require a clear filter – much like we require a clear “yes” and a clear “no”, we need to be able to embody that clarity.

Wolf-dog, while calm is very clear in his position. He is alert, aware, and fully embodies the self-confidence of his task – protecting what is sacred. Wolf-dog reminds me that while I am responsible for creating and nurturing the thing, I must also must maintain constant clarity of what is for me and what is not.

 

He is within my spirit as much as the King. They are not separate, simply essential expressions of the complexity of our nature.

 

Protection.

When we think about protection, we often arrive at this place when we feel we are already under attack.

Defense is not the same as protection.

Worry does not keep bad things from happening.

No wonder we are confused about the true meaning of vigilance and boundaries.

Protection is simply being clear and being aware – aware of your surroundings, present to the sensations and information coming in, and a willingness to filter that information in a deliberate way.

Wolf-dog teaches us to be aware and connected to our nervous system – to trust our animal nature, our instincts.

He embodies a self-assuredness that allows him to give a clear answer – no, this is not for me – and take clear action.

This is the simplicity of protection.

In this way, Wolf-dog does not need to attack the enemy, because there is no enemy to attack.

This is clarity.

These are boundaries.

 

Yesterday I wrote about how we make agreements in our relationships (usually unconsciously) – this is the clarity that Wolf-dog is hear to protect and restore. First, we must know and trust in our knowing. Then, we will have a clear filter of discernment.

Rarely will we have to attack, or feel under attack.

 

The fierceness of his essence does not come from his growl or his bite – it lives in his willingness to be clear and communicate that clarity. It’s not about the “fuck you” energy of entitled insecurities, or the passive-aggressive collapse-attack, cycle – it’s just clear, authentic Wolf-dog energy, essential element to our beingness in the world.