Happy Winter

Now it is officially Winter and it feels like it. It is "cocoon" time, introspection and preparation for the re-birth of Spring and the energizing of our dreams and objectives. Our horses are fuzzy, the days are short (but start slowly getting longer now) and hoses freeze. One thing I really became aware of the past few years is that, if you set your horses up in as natural a life as possible, they are, of course, much healthier, but they are so much easier to care for. You can concentrate on your relationship with them and the doing of the really fun stuff. If you have them in a very large pasture with trees/windbreaks, shelter and running water that doesn't freeze (I had that in West Virginia with spring fed water tanks) or water tubs large enough or with a heater, mineral supplements free choice, supplemental hay and delicious herb filled mashes, you can enjoy being with them so much. Even when your horse is in a small pen, the water buckets freeze every night, the poop is frozen solid and the tarp on your hay is covered in ice - just imagine how boring life would be without horses! - or dogs, or goats, or chickens or all of the above - There is profound satisfaction in having such an important purpose.

Elderquestrians

We have started this concept of the "Elderquestrian" because so many of us are mature, centered human beings in relationships with horses for, perhaps, different reasons than the "horse crazy" teenage girl or the cowboy whose living depends upon his horsemanship. We may not be Olympic riders, nor aspire to be (and then again, we might!). We have some obstacles at times if our bodies have a lot of "mileage" on them - and this is where the Naturalpaths philosophies can come to the rescue with powerful support on all levels of healing and balancing. One thing that horses really bring to our lives is a profound connection to Nature. I used to work in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and many of the youth and adults my horses and I worked with had very little to no connection to the natural world. Stepping in poop, seeing the milky way, building a campfire, picking peaches and pecans, watching the birth of an animal - all these experiences (and hundreds more) were made possible by HORSES. If you are looking for support and ideas and a real connection to horses as a mature human being, sign up for our newsletter and check out the Elderquestrian page at www.naturalpaths.org and join us on this journey.

Opinions

When it comes to horses, ask 100 people a question and you will likely get 99 different answers - it is possible that a couple of people will be in agreement. That may be an exaggeration, but it is true that there are hundreds of methods, philosophies and opinions about horses and there is a good reason for this. Horses are such individuals. They may have their genetic programing as a species, but each horse comes with his own set of circumstances, training and experiences that shape his view of humanity and his reactions to us. A horse person is "trained" and influenced by the horses she works with. This also creates a vast pool of useful information we can all tap into by listening to each other. A rider who has mastered flying lead changes without a bridle will have valuable insight for a trainer just starting lead changes (like the use of subtle weight and balance and using the rider's chest and focus, etc.) because working without reins has heightened other aids and influences. Some trainers develop elaborate systems to help their students break tasks down into incremental steps to foster clarity and consistency - the most important keys to communication. But no matter what "language" we choose for equine training, we have to use the same language each day, all the time. Confusion is every one's enemy.

Perceptions

This morning I took my dog to a cafe' where we could sit outside and have some distraction from the routine of her day and the "grind" of mine. It was a great thing to do. She loved watching the people - things are busy all around because of the Holidays. I am profoundly aware of how she reacts to people. Sometimes, she leans toward a human, wagging her tail and even her body. Other times, she gets an expression of concern or even fear and it sure makes me wary of the person that she's watching. Dogs relate to the world in vastly more sensitive ways than we do. My dog never reacts to the sound of the house settling at night, the trees scraping the side of the house...but when a sound does make her alert and worried, I pay attention! She used to go to my studio in Tubac and sit while I painted. She gave me clues about the people that came in to see the Art. All this is common knowledge to dog lovers, but how often do we just take our canine companions for granted? If you get to know your dog better (or your horse, your cat, your sister!), you will get to know yourself better because they are always giving you information about how they perceive YOU.

diamonds

Thus shall you think of all this fleeting world:

A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream,

a flash of lightning in a summer cloud,

a flickering lamp, a phantom and a dream.

Rain

Big old sopping clouds are hanging around to the North and the furnace is kicking on a little more often than yesterday. It feels like Winter today. Yesterday I rode with a friend and the weather was just beautiful. I've been thinking a lot about how to "go with the flow" of life and not try to control the people and things around me. It's a delicate dance. I know that I can't control the weather, so I accept what the day brings. I should know that it is not my job to control other people (I have answers if they ask for them - and questions I want to ask) nor do I control life around me. The only thing I have control over is me - my mind, my actions, my reactions, my emotions and my feelings. This is how I create my life. So learning to master my own mind is perhaps the only really important task life requires of me. So, I can wake up and be miserable or I can wake up and be joyful. I actually have that choice. Why on Earth would I choose to wake up each morning and be miserable? Good morning to you. How are you?

NATURAL PATHS

It's officially up and running. The new holistic care website and store for our educational information will provide immediate help for natural dog, horse and people care with much more to come as manuals are transcribed and workshops are video taped. Go to www.naturalpaths.org and let us know how you like it.

Beginnings

Every ending is just the other side of a beginning. Before we are born here on this Earth, we must end whatever existence we were participating in... when we wake up in the morning and end our sleeping, we begin the process of creating another day. You can choose exactly what kind of energy you will start the day with and, if you choose something wonderful as the beginning, you can sustain it through deliberate intent hour by hour. This is how you choose a spot in the superposition/infinite possibilty paradigm. But, something does not have to end for something to begin; you can add lots of beginnings to your life as you go along that only increase the dynamic flow. When your energy feels stuck, start something you've never done before (from knitting a scarf to sky diving - find a piece to add to your experience) and just inhale the feel of beginning.