Peace & Chaos in the Herd

Without any expectations, I sit with my horses. Breathing in and breathing out, I allow myself the space and time to be still. In this stillness, my heart opens and I am in the flow of self, nature, and connection.

Once in this flow state of total enjoyment, I begin to feel the energy of peace. When peace is connecting my mind and heart, that is the time that the horses will come closer physically to where I am sitting. They can read this energy.

Collectively, we all breath slowly and deeply together in the shared feeling of peace. My human thoughts still move through me. Acknowledged but not dwelled upon. Spiraling back and forth, as I move inward. My mind quiets and I begin to see deeper truths. Always deeper. Knowing myself more. Loving myself more. Understanding more.

At some point, one horse will signal another that they want more space, or that something is momentarily worrisome. The whole herd will collectively shift their focus to whatever is going on in their environment. They may startle, lifting their heads to see what there is to see. Or, they may quickly move out of the way or snort, or whatever they need to do to feel safe as they are creatures of self-preservation.

When this happens, I am pulled back up to the surface and engage in my own self-preservation. I might stand up, jump up, or simply look around. Most of the time, there is nothing there that will truly hurt any of us. This is a type of chaos.

As long as we are not being threatened in a real way, we can choose to stay in chaos and dramatize it or we can choose to nurture peace.

Peace is the way. The horses show this every day. They have a reaction to something, get themselves away from whatever it is, and then circle or spiral back to calm. To peace. The act of circling takes them back inward. Horses truly know themselves.

Every time I spend time with them at peace, to chaos, back to peace, I emerge wiser and more profoundly connected to myself and my own peace. The state of peace, doesn't really leave me, it just shifts at times and then comes back to my present state of awareness.

Consciously creating space to relax, be still, and integrate peace is a practice that allows us to appreciate who we truly are, the beauty of life, and opens us to share our heart and love with others.

This is but one of many lessons I have learned from my horses. They live with an infinite depth of power and wisdom. I hope to one day scratch the surface of what I can learn from them. I accept the challenge to do better and be better for myself and the world around me.

"Each moment is a chance for us to make peace with the world, to make peace possible for the world, to make happiness possible for the world."

Quote by: Thich Nhat Hanh