Yesterday, our year-long program, Activating and Facilitating Feel, had an “Office Hours” meeting. Office hours are the times when participants can bring forward what they have been playing with in their everyday lives—asking for clarity in energetic discernment, sharing exquisite interactions with people, animals and themselves, and receiving direct guidance to further their awareness and experience in living life from an intuitive foundation.
One of our participants, Ashley, will swear up and down that she doesn’t feel much. Her mind is so oriented toward “hunting down an answer” that she feels like she has blinders on. The drive to “get it right” tends to drown out the intuitive insight presenting all around her, including the communication coming directly from her horses. So, yesterday we guided her at a pace where her mind was able to not only recognize the subtle information being presented, but it was able to remain open and curious throughout.
The magic of creating a harmonic conversation with a horse is curiosity. Remaining open and curious regardless of the information that presents means you stay available for insight that doesn’t necessarily fit into human linear thinking. Humans are oriented toward identifying a problem and then finding a solution, which is great, until you connect with another being who may not see their experience as a “problem”. They may receive the “hunt” for information as a threatening experience and draw away from the connection. The art of harmonic conversations asks us to surrender the idea of being “correct” in favor of being connected.
It was 5:30am in Australia when we had this conversation. Ashley was one of 7 of us on zoom together as I walked her through her capacity to request information, recognize and find relevance, and stay curious in communication with one of her horses who has been limping.
My first question was, “What are you curious about?”
Ashley said, “I want to know how I can help him.”
To a human, this is obvious, right? We see someone in discomfort, and we want to “help.” When crafting harmonious conversations though, the idea of “helping” needs to be a little more clear.
“Why do you want to help?” I asked her, acknowledging the obviousness. I asked her to be really honest with herself on this one, which takes a remarkable amount of courage. Does she want to help because her horse is hurting, or because her heart is hurting? Does she want to be the hero? Does she want to help because the dear horse could be in a better situation? Does she want to help so the neighbors won’t criticize her for having a limping horse? What is the truth behind it?
“I really want to ride,” she said in plain honesty. “I selfishly want to ride.”
This is a beautiful moment that invites harmony. It is honesty, forthcoming clarity without judging one’s self. Horses are not going to judge us for what we want or don’t want—they will simply reflect back to us how that desire lands in their world. When we show up without judgment, the reflection can be seen and interpreted clearly.
We walked through that conversation for the next 40 minutes or so, and Ashley relaxed a bit more each step of the way. Letting herself be clear with her own intentions and desires, without pre-judging herself, she not only formulated open, loving curiosity, but she also kept herself available to recognize information and communication coming back from the horse.
Several hours later, she sent a voice message to our group text, telling us about her experience with another horse who throws his head around constantly while riding. She followed the same approach, getting clear with herself first before she asked this second horse why he throws his head every time they ride. She got clear that she wanted to relieve the horses’ discomfort so they might enjoy riding together; she remained curious as she received information from the horse, never getting caught up in whether what she was receiving was “correct” or “actionable.” She simply stayed curious and grateful for the insight she was shown.
Through her inquiry, there came a point when she had an “ah-ha!” feeling! Her awareness expanded and rested when, in connection with the horse, the idea to do some energetic healing work around the horse’s TMJ and hyoid bone settled with a sense of clarity and relaxation in her body. She offered that assistance to the horse, asking for insight on how often to offer this assistance—each time they ride. After offering this assistance to the horse, she saddled up and headed out. There was no head shaking, and they both finished the ride feeling relaxed, more connected. Ashley, usually reserved in her expression and deeply anchored to logic, recounted her experience through a smile we could all feel in her audio recording.
“This is what dreams are made of!”
Creating harmony in conversations is very simple. Remain curious, say thank you. You will feel the harmony, and your skill for courageous clarity will grow each time you surrender the need to be “correct”, welcoming in connection.
If you are interested in learning more about this approach and philosophy, please consider joining us on October 1st for a free 2-hour gathering called Unspeciated. Or keep an eye on our Events page for other workshops.
You are wired for interspecies communication—let’s help your mind work in service to your nature.
