Me: “Finding purpose” has become quite a buzz words as of late. This “finding purpose” has been the focus of the last several years of my life. I knew that I wanted to spend more time with my horse and also make a living sharing my horse experiences.
Amigo, an amazing horse who crossed over in August of 2017, taught me that there was something much more that horses had to share with humankind than merely riding. I found it difficult to explain this to people who had not spent time around horses, and even some who had. I searched for programs that might be a match for what I was seeking, and talked to the founders. I was stopped in my tracks after talking to Melisa Pearce of Touched by a Horse and The Equine Gestalt Coaching Method Certification Program(EGCM). Her program teaches students how to assist clients working through traumas that are still affecting our lives, and to take the charge off of the places we get stuck.
This would have been enough in itself, however the best part of this program is the partnering with horses who bestow their divine gifts to help heal the hearts of humans. The horses consistently show up and have free will to choose to heal us. I signed up and will be graduating in a few months.
I am noticing apprehension in this life transition. It is scary to prepare for a life in which I can share this with other people, and make a living doing so. I have always had a 40+ hour job that supported my passions and kept me at an income level that I had become comfortable with. Even when it was getting increasingly difficult to go to the J.O.B., I found comfort in the discomfort of it. I am learning through processing my own past traumas in this certification course study to choose to move outside the false sense of the comfort zone I had kept myself in for over 30 years; things will be different, and wonderful.
I have decided to go for it and not only change the trajectory of my life, I will also assist others who are interested in the same. I attempted to work though my traumas in traditional therapy, and found a great awareness of how life experiences, good and not so good, had formed me. Yet, I felt myself repeating patterns that were not healthy for me or others around me. I kept getting pulled back down and in to places and situations that I would prefer to let go of. I was stuck. The process of EGCM for me has lifted a self-imposed prison that I lived in every day.
For now, am working as an independent contractor in the field I have been in and am good at as a stepping stone forward…..I am in a place that respects the choice I am making for my future and while they know someday I will fly, I am able to work toward that goal and be productive where I am.
And then came Remy………
How we found each other: After losing Amigo (my soul pony) almost 2 years before, I struggled with the reality that for the first time in my life I was without an equine companion. I always felt that I was special because I had a horse. As a kid and into adulthood. Everyone wanted to meet my horse. I developed an identity that I was the girl with a horse. I knew this time was for me to work on ME being Special, AND, I HAD A HORSE. I was relaying this to another student in the program and, when I explained this concept to her, she energetically felt a horse rush past her and come to me. She explained it as “the horse went whoosh past her shoulder and stopped right at me.” (Remy is a former Reining World Champion and we believe it was her sliding to a stop in front of me.) The next Saturday afternoon I felt this for the first time, and I declared it to the universe “I am special…AND I will have a horse. Universe I am ready for a horse.” The next day, Sunday morning about 9:30 AM, she arrived via a picture of a horse that needed a home. Nine days later on July 2, 2019 she arrived at the ranch where she lives now.
Remy
Remy is a beautiful World Champion Reining Horse. She was injured and unable to perform in the ring ever again. Those around her knew she is something special and that she had much more to contribute in this life, even if she could not perform. One former owner described how Remy took care of her son who had fears about horse showing; Remy got him to a World Championship as a Finalist. The former owner also described Remy as wise, as if she has been here a few times before. When I met Remy I felt this too. I also felt apprehension and a little fear from her. I realized she was in a transition in life just as I was. She was here to help me, as much was here to help her.
She was clear with me as I thought of the work we would do together that she didn’t want to spin and slide any more, It hurt her, and it was all she knew. I told her about the healing work we would do with each other and for others. I knew she didn’t want to spin and slide anymore because it hurt her. I assured her that she would never be asked to do this again.
Remy had no idea (yet) what else there was to do. This not knowing was identical to how I felt about my life. I knew I didn’t want to do what I was doing forever, and I was also apprehensive and had some fear about doing something so totally different. I had asked for an equine partner to come into my life and I received one who mirrored me and my situation to a T.
Remy, after settling into life at the new ranch for a few weeks, was making friends and enjoying time in the pasture. She was getting comfortable. I watched her reactions and noticed she was very observant and calm. I asked a friend to come over and help me with an experiment. We talked about his loss of a beloved, pet; we were set up right outside the round pen in which Remy was at liberty (free to move at will, without a halter). She was interested in our discussion and kept coming close when the great sadness was being expressed. After we had concluded, my friend went into the center of the round pen and I asked Remy to help. At first, she was connected to me and followed me as I walked away. I asked her to “go to him” and she got it. Remy bee lined straight for him and started energetically working on him. Remy did her work with precision and walked off when she was done. We met her at the side of the round pen, and I told my friend he could thank her anyway he wanted. He stood by her and petted her neck, and she responded by wrapping her neck and head around his back. This is a horse hug. I knew then she wanted to partner with me doing this work. She understood what I was offering her for the future, and she was a rock star.
“People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.”