I’ve pulled this off the forum just for the fun wheel, because it’s SUCH an important topic. “IS IT TRUE?” is my question. What part of our horse work are you inspired by, by me or others – but is not yet all the way to your bones? If it’s not YOUR OWN belief, your own truth, then you don’t yet quite own it when the pressure’s on or the crap hits the fan. Does that make sense? This can, by itself be a source of struggle. So what do YOU believe in? What is YOUR Truth?
The following was written back in 2014. Gosh it’s interesting to see how much my writing has changed. The subject came up in the virtual clinic, and is such a biggie (big in results though not big in effort) that I decided to post this on the forum for everyone to benefit from.
One of the insights that I have had recently is about how hugely what we believe in, fundamentally affects how we work with our horses.
For example, one of the basic principles of the way that I work with horses is that feelings are messages that are actually designed to guide me to where I want to go – the crappy feeling stuff signalling that some kind of change is needed in order for me to get where I want to go – the good feeling stuff guiding me towards what I want.
And with the crappy feelings – as soon as we understand who they belong to and what we need to know or do about them, then pfft! They just disappear – leaving relief or peacefulness or joyfulness or excitement or passionate inspiration behind.
In the lessons on your course, I am leading you step by step through discovering how you personally experience your connection to your horse and helping you to get systematic about taking action on the feelings that you get, in all aspects of your horses lives.
Well, what I have realised this week, in a blinding flash of the bleeding obvious, is that what I believe in – what I know all the way to my bones, that my feelings are messages designed to guide me – what I have realised is that MY beliefs are not necessarily useful to you.
And in fact, until you get that belief, that knowing, all the way to YOUR bones, then you will always be bucking against it when the pressure is on. Of course you would, what other choice would you have? Does that make sense?
And I see that TRYING to follow MY belief, no matter how attractive it is intellectually – when it is not yet a knowing all the way to your own bones, then it is actually getting in your way when you hit a tough spot.
So here is the task.
Decide that you want to understand your feelings (and thoughts too for those of you who have a more mental connection to others) – emotional, physical, energetic, heart, mental. What are they for? Do the crappy one’s really just disappear for you when you understand what it is that you need to know or do about them? Does following the good feelings work for you?
Does using the crappy feelings and thoughts to signal a change place work for you? Is there anything in my picture about feelings that needs to change for you? Is there anything else that you need to complete your own picture?
If you were to decide right now that you wanted to know the answers to those questions, then the answers will gradually unfold.
I felt seriously good as each piece “landed” and the sheer wonder when I saw the whole picture was something very, very special that I could wish for everyone to experience.
This is a profound exercise and I think you are going to get something very, very special out of it.
My advice is don’t put too much effort into it. Just decide that you want to know the answers and then allow them to unfold in your own good time.
And enjoy the process! You can put up what you get here – or not – but it would be lovely to hear the big picture outcomes at least…