I realised when I was out walking with the dogs recently, that it is not just that I love nature, I am nature… the realisation was not a thought, but a feeling. It was a sense of physical belonging to the earth and everything that grows.
Spirituality
Spirituality acknowledges the dimension beyond what is immediately perceptible to us with our ordinary senses. There are no rules or limitations there, because it is the source of everything that exists in consciousness. Ultimately it is an awakening we are all undertaking, as we are all spiritual beings. Everything that exists in Nature exists as spirit. This world has attracted me, and many horse guardians, because it is a portal where we can go deeper into our relationship with horses. It is the place where words, thoughts and behaviour itself are no longer relevant or necessary. It could be called a meeting of souls.
Becoming Horse Conscious
Becoming Horse Conscious is an exciting journey. It is the process of liberating ourselves from old rules that no longer have any value. We are only following them still because we are stuck in old patterns of thought. It is not only about our equine management practices becoming more holistic, there is a whole new world of communication to discover.
Start by considering how often you sense your horse’s energy field when you approach. Can you feel your gelding’s mood, do you ever decide what you might introduce that day because he indicated what he might enjoy? When you groom do you listen to the sensitivity of your stallion, how he is experiencing the brushes? How do you respond if your mare resists, do you ask her how she is feeling in that moment?
Engaging With This Moment
Engaging with this moment is nothing more that accepting how you feel and being with it. A lot of the time we set up different ways to avoid feeling how we are feeling. Distracting ourselves with books, television and computers. When we are spending time with horses it can be a great opportunity to let go of those defence mechanisms and become still.