I have been thinking about horses A LOT lately.
Horses are such amazing creatures – beautiful, instinctual, intelligent… the list goes on. When I think of horses, the imagery is a herd of wild horses running through the prairies. Mustangs. Free. Symbol of the indomitable spirit.
People are a lot like horses…when they operate from their source, their gut, their truth…
How can learning about, and from, horses, connect us to our core?
I love and fear horses in almost equal amounts, though the balance has been shifting towards love. I think that says a lot about where I am, and the journey I’ve been on.
I love horses because they are just stunning beauties. They are pure power (and hence why we still call it horsepower). Pure undulating muscles. I also connect them with this deep sense of fearlessness, spirit, and freedom. You may think there is an element of fantasy since horses are quite flighty prey animals who humankind has subjugated for a long time. But to me, horses are simply magnificent creatures.
For some of the same reasons, I also fear horses. They are pure power and muscles and they are flighty prey animals. They can easily be spooked. And injury – serious injury – is not uncommon. So yes, I’m scared of being thrown off. And whenever a horse starts to move a bit, I start to worry. That also says a lot, about where I must tread.
I think people are like horses. They are powerful beyond imagination. Beautiful beyond description. Spirited and magnificent. But mostly, most of us need to be free. We get spooked when we think the boogie man is close by. We get spooked whenever we feel someone or something is about to throw us off balance and disable our ability to remove ourselves from danger.
Yes, picking up a horse’s hoof (for cleaning, for example) can be a difficult thing. Horses don’t like to have one of their legs “taken out of action” in case they need to (literally) run off.
People are the same. We like our options. We like to have choices. Even the illusion of freedom is good enough for many.
So what does all this mean?
Well, horses don’t take crap and they can smell fear, doubt, and hesitation. They will call you on it. They will push you – nibble at your shirt, trot when you want to halt, become immovable when you want to walk….You simply cannot make a horse do something. Not really. Not easily. They are big. They are strong. They can kick something fierce and their bite is nothing to laugh about.
These are good lessons for us. It’s important to remember that we also shouldn’t take crap. We really do know when someone is less than forthright with us, for whatever reason. So call them on it. In an honest and authentic way. You don’t need to kick or bite.
And call it on ourselves! We can be the biggest bullsh*tters – excuses, justifications, etc etc.
Horses also remind us who we really are…beneath it all. Behind our masks and roles – conscious or otherwise. Behind the wall. Hidden from view. We NEED to remember who we truly be.
When you know you are at the core a beautiful, instinctive, and powerful being, you will move mountains (Thanks Dr Seuss!)
When you know you are by nature free, you will never by suppressed or oppressed. Not in spirit or in mind. You will not be imprisoned even when all the forces come to bear. Even when you simply feel overwhelmed. It’s only when we lose sight and forget that we are free, we lose our freedom.
We know what we know (Again, thanks Dr Seuss!) and we just have to trust that we know. Listen to our gut, and know that we can rely on our instincts. Even with all that cerebral activity, we are animals and we have survival instincts that lead us towards water and away from the cliff.
When we can connect with our core, enter the void, and BE the essence, we can unleash our amazing power. And run free, outside of the box, outside of the paradigm. Imagine your hair flying in the wind as you gallop to infinite possibilities.
As Emily Dickinson wrote, “I Dwell in Possibility”. To me, that’s the spirit of the Horse.
Sorry, comments are closed for this post.