The horse experience is unique for us all, and although we share so much, we seem quite divided in general. It is of constant fascination to me how we perceive horses. Both how we experience them and why we are drawn to follow such diverse paths. There are so many influences and belief systems, and at the root of it I believe we all have an inner certainty about what feels good. That certainty can easily be infused with ego and trick us out of joy however.
One interesting point is that those who become interested in the horses’ perspective tend to be the ones who change their activities. Yet there would seem to be a lot of room for human error here. How do we know we aren’t just exchanging one set of rules for another? How can we be sure that we have any idea what the horses’ perspective is? Stormy May feels this is a dangerous path to go down, yet it seems to me that we can enter a state of knowing when we connect with the Universal Oneness of all beings.
Obedience Free
In the podcast with Emelie Cajsdotter it was particularly refreshing to hear her perspective on obedience free relationships with horses. I love this topic personally because my horses are friends and companions as well as guides and colleagues. All of those roles are reciprocal, and giving myself the freedom to let go of the leadership role has been such a joy. I am fully aware that this is my joy, and there are many people who have horses in their lives that would not find joy in this. This is what is so fascinating about our awakening on earth. Is the most important part of it is being able to accept that everyone has a different source of joy?
Surely there are horses who enjoy their life of service. Amber Lydic felt this from her own horses, even though she has currently moved out of the competitive sphere.
Perhaps there are horses who are competitive and they can accept a give and take when it comes to obedience. This was Kim Walnes‘ experience, and she has developed a dialogue which helps her to mediate with the horses she works with. And after all, most humans have a similar relationship with other humans in terms of hierarchy.
It’s Okay To Be Joyful
Life definitely begins to change from surviving to thriving when we realise we can choose to be joyful. And that finding our joy is unique to ourselves and ultimately only found within. Sometimes it is necessary to experience what doesn’t feel right in order to know what does. The question of how we can know what is right, what is ethical and what is authentic is always there in my mind. I like to ask guests whether they think there are performance horses who genuinely enjoy what they do. Or even whether training can be ethical at all. I feel that it is essential to remember that our eyes, our mind, and our personal perspective is not only coming from what feels good to our inner guidance, it is also filtered through our beliefs.
Therefore if we don’t believe that something exists, we will not actually be able to perceive it. This happens on a physiological level, through our reticular activating system, the way the brain processes sensory information. We actively seek out those physical stimuli that accord with our experiences and subsequent beliefs about life. For example we might not see something right in front of us if we believe it is lost. More fundamentally those beliefs influence us on the vibrational level. Our personal energetic vibration will attract and repel vibrations that resonate and don’t resonate with our energy at that time. This law of attraction is happening all the time with everything in life, whether it is situations or beings or objects.
The Horse Experience : Attuning with Truth
I feel that the deeper we can enter an open hearted state of being that is liberated from the pathways of intellectual thought, the clearer our inner guidance becomes. This is a personal guidance, so it only applies to our own creative experience. We can’t draw it out into making absolute rules destined for others, because they have their own inner guidance. The belief system that limits what we see and experience is developed within our mental pathways. It is a thought system, and often we don’t realise the extent or rigidity of it. The more time we spend there, the more opinions we will develop, and the less authentic they will be.
What a relief it is to accept that our belief system is not the truth, and we can change it whenever we choose. And what a joy it is to experience the clarity of our unique inner guidance, and know that it is our personal illuminated path of happiness.
Not a path to happiness, but the path of happiness. As we walk it we experience happiness as we are witnessing our own expansion.
Creative Communication
We discuss this in The Equine Perspective with Sandra and Michele, and it is an interesting point that those who have developed their creative communication with horses as an inner awakening so often find a common ground of kindness and rule free living.
I feel that one of the most ego liberating things to embrace is that we don’t need to condemn others to find our own path. Whether it is practices or people, circumstances or ideas, condemnation can never occupy the same space as love. Perhaps we fear that in extending our compassion and acceptance to those we don’t agree with, we are allowing their energies to influence us, or become us in some way.
But quite the opposite happens.
In not limiting the love you radiate, you are amplifying your own authentic expression. And in this you offer a bridge for both of you to dissolve the illusion of separation and create a more awakened mutual consciousness.