Let me paint a picture for you of the day I am experiencing. I got up earlier than usual to feed my horses so that l could meet a friend and ride our horses at a local state park. The weather is glorious. After riding, it is now mid-afternoon. I hose off my horse and put him in the pasture. I'm now sitting in the pasture and my horses are wondering what my next blog is going to be about. I listen to the pleasant sounds the horses make as they tear at the grass while grazing. Life feels so wonderful and everything around me is vibrating in perfect harmony. The birds are chirping, wind chimes are ringing, and the sky is "Carolina blue" without a cloud to be seen. Dragonflies are mating and the butterflies are bouncing from one flower to the next. Picturesque, wouldn't you say? I open my heart and ask the horses to speak to me. BlackJack is standing in front of me so I ask him if he has anything he would like to share. I watch as he licks and chews. His breathing changes from its normal rhythm.

Despite this perfect day, I now feel a sense of sadness. It is a sadness that I didn't feel until I came into the pasture. My horse named BlackJack is a Polish Arabian. He was the first horse that I acquired as an adult and he is now hovering in front of me. BlackJack is by far the most intelligent horse in my herd and he has all the characteristics of a lead horse. BlackJack is not interested in conflict. Instead, he uses intellect to carve his place in the pecking order. Blackjack is 34 + years old and is very wise. He is the perfect teacher for new students who are learning the Waterhole Rituals.

Today, however, there is something noticeably different about BlackJack. I feel as though he is trying to communicate something. A lick and chew confirm my perception. BlackJack nowshares that he is sad. He says that few care about the healing powers of horses. "We are like gifts from above and yet few are open to our teaching, our guidance, our healing, and our wisdom. This is the equivalent of watching man walk past riches as he starves and complains that there is no God. It is painful to see. Man is being provided with everything he needs to come home to himself but he cannot see. Even if he could see, he doesn't know how to trust. Because of this, man no longer lives in community. He only co-exists. He loses his group wisdom and has only individualknowledge. This saddens me. I am approaching the final cycle of my life and I have witnessed mankind growing further apart. The separation man has created is killing him and the unity we have with all of life as well." BlackJack now turns and walks away.

As I ponder his message, my thoughts drift to something that happened this morning on my way to meet my friend at the park. A few minutes before I arrived, I picked up the phone to call her. I realized that although we had talked about riding at a specific time, we failed to discuss WHERE we would ride. We have many choices within a small radius, so the state park is not our only option. When I got her on the phone, she too was about 5 minutes from arriving at the state park. I laughed and said we must have communicated this telepathically!

BlackJack's communication had a deep meaning for me. This morning, I experienced the joy of like-mindedness with a friend. The sadness that I sensed from BlackJack has now become my own sadness from the thought of living in a world of separateness. Tragedies sometimes shock us back into a feeling of oneness but for the most part, the example our horses provide of living peacefully in community simply goes by unnoticed.

As I reflect on all of this, I don't want my perfect day to end on an unpleasant note. Thus, while remembering last week's blog, I make a conscious choice to "shake off" the sadness. I appreciate the joy of sitting in a pasture with 6 horses who are always there to lead, teach, guide, and heal. The horses are all snorting in agreement as I type this last sentence. As students of the horse, we have oh so many lessons to learn from our willing teachers.

Have a great rest of the week! Wishing you all the joy that horses can bring.....

Linda

MY HORSE BLACKJACK SPEAKS