A presentation given at the 2011 Rocky Mountain Horse Expo to showcase how horses can help people in self-exploration. Syzygy Equine Vision Journey retreats are grounded in equine guided practices and appreciative inquiry personal growth methodology.
6. “The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit and fire.” ~Sharon Ralls Lemon
21. A Horse is the projection of peoples’ dreams about themselves – strong, powerful, beautiful – and it has the ability of giving us escape from our mundane existence.” ~Pam Brown
Horse Human ConnectionOut on the trail for the day – all the answers came
Gets to the heart of our feelings, emotions and desiresAuthenticity of horseMirror our body and emotions (watch for the changes and be curious – what does that mean?)Awareness: nature and other horses (herd dynamics) Oneness with Naturespace to explore… sacred place
Active to passive – we’re mostly going to focus on the passive side of EGE today. Personal exploration to making declarations to teamwork to leadership.Experience the energy of the horses Energy field of the horse – awareness of entering their energy spaceHow do they connect? Watch for changesIs there a connection between my emotions and thoughts to how the horse is responding? Am I being authentic to me? Your own somaticsListen with your body today (only 7% of language is verbal)
Native American Culture – medicine means anything that heals or makes whole. The earth has medicine. Animals have medicine. There is medicine in the wind and in the stars. There is medicine in laughter and medicine in silence. Each person has his or her own medicine.The Medicine Wheel is an ancient and sacred recognition of the medicine of change. It is sometimes called the Wheel of Change. It helps us look at things from many different perspectives. Each aspect of the wheel is associated with one of the five directions: East, South, West, North, and Center (Heart). Honor the Native American tradition from which this comes. Honor your unique experience – each person will have their own interpretation, their own meaning. Each path is sacred. So just listen to the messages that come forth for you. East: Place of new beginnings and illumination. It is home of the eagle. The East guides you to your greatest spiritual challenges. It creates a path to your illumination and is therefore represented by the color yellow. Male energy is grounded in the east. This is the place to consider the brightness of new beginnings. South: Represents the child within you. It reminds you when to be humble and when to trust. It is a place of innocence and wonder. It is home of the coyote. The color is red. Consider your child’s point of view.West: The West leads you to your personal truth and inner answers. It helps you find the answers you already have buried deep within. It is home of the bear and represents female energy. This is the place to ponder the path to your goals.North: The North is a sacred place. It is a place of wisdom and gratitude. Look to your elders and consider who your teachers are. It is home to the buffalo and is represented by the color white. The North gives wise counsel and reminds you when to speak and when to listen. It also reminds you to be grateful for every blessing every day.Center: This is the place of the heart. It is where you ponder how you integrate what has come forth for you in each direction. Connect here to the greater universe and ground yourself to mother earth. Consider what you are to learn today?