Wow! I just finished another Way of the Horse workshop up here at Bushwood Farm near Woodstock, NY. This time the theme was Create Your Future Through the Way of the Horse.
A small group of us took advantage of the incredible weather this time of year, crisp light, reds and yellows on the trees and a lot of sunshine to spend some time accessing a part of ourselves that we normally don’t, with the help of the horses.
Horses live completely in the present, they don’t know about future. So how does planning your future intersect with horses? What better way to create your future than from being fully present in the here and now? So, that’s what we did.
Each time I create the space and opportunity to do this work I am equally amazed by the beauty and potential that the horses reveal to us by mirroring who we truly are. Because they are animals of prey they have highly developed sensory awareness systems. To them everything, including emotions, is information that tells them they should flee or graze. With humans their behavior is a reaction to our emotions, even if we aren’t aware of them. Because as humans we exist mostly in our heads, we not only ignore what we feel, we often mistake these feelings for something they aren’t. Horses teach us about feeling emotions and the information they have for us.
For example....Fear vs. Vulnerability.
Fear
Message
Intuitive, focused awareness of something that is a threat to our physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual well being
Questions to ask of the emotion
What is the threat?
What action must I take to move to a position of safety?
Intensification
Worry, anxiety, Confusion, dulling of senses, Panic, terror, dissociation
Vulnerability
Message
Something significant is about to change or be revealed
Questions to ask of the emotion
What wants to happen and how does this seem to threaten the status quo?
What belief, behavior, or perception is being challenged?
Intensification
Panic, Anger
Working with the horses gives us the opportunity to make a distinction between these two powerful emotions. Being able to do so is critical for moving forward. Fear, our reaction to a real physical threat, informs immediate actions that can save our lives. Vulnerability is an indicator that we are growing—by letting go of what is no longer serving us.
Where are you right now? Is it time to flee for your life, or question what is happening in the present that can change or evolve and Create Your Future?
This is just the beginning...There are so many full emotions for us to embrace as we live. The first step is awareness, and then the journey begins. Welcome.
To learn more about Karla McLaren’s and Linda Kohanov’s Messages Behind Emotions, contact me at Lisa@metacg.com.
