Belong…pull-back – we’ve all felt it. As 2015 draws to a close, Beate Sommer looks at her horse connection, and her increasing interest in the familial behaviour of brumbies to look at conscious horse-human connection.
As I think about writing my last column of the year, I ask myself how I can pack the richness of the year’s experiences, the growth and changes that have occurred as well as some valuable horses healing humans healing horses information for you into a short paragraph!?
So this is what I’ll do… I will give you some of my favourite insights into how a conscious horse-human connection is so helpful, followed by an update on a subject I am most passionate about, topped off by a few photos from my last visit to the New England Brumby Sanctuary (NEBS).
- Have you noticed the pull between wanting to fit in and belong and wanting to stand out and be different? They are like two forces pulling in opposite directions, creating internal (and external) tension. I spoke about this with several young people in their twenties and they could really relate to this conflict. We agreed that all the way through school in a mainstream system, individual uniqueness is not encouraged.
Recognizing and nurturing our uniqueness create peace, contentment and self-love, which relieve this tension. The need for comparison dissolves and competition becomes friendly, playful, inclusive and with everyone walking away a winner.
Horses know and live this inclusive uniqueness. They are always authentic and themselves with a unique place in the herd. They are unique and belong at the same time. This is what we can learn from all of nature – the Gumtree doesn’t try to be a Poinciana. A lettuce hardly aspires to being a potato. The rose doesn’t look down at the ‘weed’ with an air of self-importance.
When I sit with my herd I observe and feel them, I marvel at their individual traits and their unique expression. Invariably I get an increased awareness and a deeper sense of myself and of everything surrounding me.
I am impressed at how horses play, how they test their strength and speed and if there is an outcome with a ‘winner’ and a ‘looser’ (human terms), even the ‘looser’ comes back for another round. Winning a play fight seems to mean nothing beyond that. No conclusions are drawn from the outcome. No judgements are passed. As humans we observe a pecking order in a herd of horses with one horse being over another yet the higher-ranking horse is not any more important in the tapestry of the whole herd and greater whole. Humans find that hard to understand. Horses understand their own and each others uniqueness.
- Highly sensitive people and empaths can experience feeling anger around people who are incongruent and don’t express outwardly what is really going on inside but instead act from a mask.
Horses perceive incongruent people as a threat to the integrity of the herd as these people are not in touch with their internal environment and therefore cannot draw cues from it as to the external environment. Horses respond to this tension between the pulling forces. They feel unsafe and may stay at a distance, withdraw altogether or even show signs of aggression as a protection (aggression – anger).
It is not necessary to work things out or necessarily be peaceful and happy. All that is required is to become congruent, the pull in opposite directions seizes and a stillpoint emerges even if just momentarily. This is the moment when people often sigh and horses yawn. Tension is released and the energy flows again.
How?
First, set an intention of holding space for yourself and within this space establish a regular practice of paying attention to your breathing, feeling your breath flow in and out of your body (or being stuck), sensations arising in your physical body, emotions rising (or wanting to rise), thoughts crossing the mind (accept all, then change your focus back to your breath and body) and inner voices speaking to you and sometimes even back and forth amongst themselves (no, you are not crazy!).
Early Sufi practises and the teachings of Jesus already speak about this… set the table, invite the guests, let each one speak so every voice feels heard and can relax and not try so hard to be heard… making peace between the waring parts within follows naturally.
From this place of peace and safety, allow your own light to come forth and shine. Be a light upon yourself. Shine your light upon the world.
There are some of a few of my favourite shots from my last visit to the New England Brumby Sanctuary near Guyra in NSW. Enjoy them and please do visit the website of savethebrumbies and maybe you can adopt a Brumby too!?
For more information on Beate Sommer go to: taketime2smellthehorses
