SPIRITUALITY
AND PASSION IN HORSES
By
Heather Green, Animal Communicator and Healer
As the world changes in these present
times, we are learning more about the animal and nature kingdoms, and how we
are all more alike than it seems. Before I knew I was an Animal
Communicator, I was training to do Equine Facilitated Experiential Learning
(EFEL), a program where humans and horses are brought together to promote
personal growth and development. During this training, I met a horse
named Misty who taught me ways humans can help fulfill the similar needs and
desires of horses, leading to better health and well-being.
I liked Misty from the first moment I
saw her. She was a conscious, highly intelligent, and feisty fourteen
hand, Quarterhorse paint. The EFEL leaders told me she was abused by an
old-fashioned cowboy who rode her without mercy. When she came to live
with the owner who gave her to the healing ranch, Misty was bony thin,
depressed, and covered in whip marks.
The new owner, Linda, spent plenty of
time with her. She gave her extra space to roam, a comforting touch, and
nurturing. They spent time being together, without an agenda. Linda often
talked to her in her paddock, groomed her, or sat out in the pasture with her
while reading. She also slowly introduced Misty to her own herd of
horses, never putting them in the same area together in the beginning.
Because Misty had all of this extra
time to run free in the pasture, without the pressure of finding her place with
the other horses or providing any kind of service for humans, she began to heal
and get in touch with her own spirituality. She was able to reconnect to
Mother Earth again, find healing and grounding for herself in this most natural
way. As I stood before her now, I visualized that divine re-connection as
a cascade of white energy filtering through her crown. Misty walked
purposefully in front of me, her head held high with dignity and self worth,
not out of fear. I knew she had come a long way to achieve this level of
empowerment.
Return of spirituality in horses is
something humankind can work towards to benefit them on a body, mind, and
spirit level. Giving horses the time and space to simply be, takes them
out of their role as our friend or servant, and allows them the chance to
discover their true identity and passion.
Misty’s connection to her
passion was apparent in our conversation. She leaned forward, looked into
my eyes, and I heard the words, “I want what you want,” in my head. At
that time of my life I was single, but I knew instinctively she was talking
about my desire for a boyfriend. She spun around in the small round pen,
looking off in all directions as if to show me that he was out there somewhere.
As I tuned into my body in her presence, I felt the love and longing in
my heart that I knew was also in hers. I saw a picture in my mind of a
family of horses—two adults and a filly or colt.
Unlike humans, horses are not able to
choose the kind of life they are going to live. We can help them by
understanding that they have parallel necessities and wishes. It is
essential to honor their yearning to connect to their own spirit and species
through giving them time, space, and a place to do so. When we recognize
the value of the choices we have about where to live, what we do for work, and
who we have in our lives, whenever possible, we can begin to offer these
preferences to our horses, too.
