This summer I’ve been reading various fantasy series which have been both a fun distraction and nourishment for my imagination. In one a prominent character or element was “the cauldron.” It was a mysterious and all powerful force, feared and revered. It stuck with me, bringing to mind magic, witches, feminine energy, the void, the womb. I recently realized how much it evokes how I have been feeling, and perhaps you, too. Much that I thought was known has evaporated, and some goals I thought made sense no longer do. A pause has arisen, an invitation for deeper trust, listening, patience and presence.
I have relied upon my qigong practice to organize my life and it served me incredibly for four years; it’s a powerful and beautiful healing tradition. And then two months ago a question struck which I couldn’t ignore: who would I be if I weren’t doing qigong? I recognized I wasn’t feeling the joy I once felt in my practice; and while I once thrived participating in the online communities that I joined during covid, I was no longer drawn to spending hours on a computer. My own relationship to it had become limiting.
What would it mean if I allowed myself to follow the whispering of my heart, and surrender the daily routine and structured practice for now, including the path I had thought I’d follow? Here I am, discovering that, day to day. Whether it’s a relationship, friendship, habit, hobby, job, identity, or (fill in the blank!) that we’re releasing in some form, who better than the horses to support us in living from our hearts moment to moment, discovering who we truly are?
In the cauldron, or in life when we are sitting with unknowns, there is raw infinite potential and power. It can be exciting, as well as scary. The illusion of control may be revealed for what it is, and our paradigm and reference framework may be available to shift and expand. It’s such a beautiful and essential part of the creative process. Yet it’s often avoided with our strong conditioning to try harder, make things happen, and over-effort into success and results. So while the human dimension has felt wild and unstable lately, the presence of the herd and nature grounds us in the moment, in the always changing, yet always here, NOW.
The horses (and Bunny!) invite me into softening the edges that have kept me in a box of thinking I know how things will play out, and opening into simply feeling, simply being, ten seconds at a time. With all the comforts and discomforts, joys and sorrows, passing through. If you’re craving time to be present in nature with the herd, I’d love to see you for a session or one of our upcoming events.
Next month, on Saturday, August 17 we’ll gather for Soaking in Summer. This is a day I dreamed up with Ulrike McCarty of River of Life Yoga and Cheri Martin, the tie-dye queen of Buchanan. We wanted to create a space for people to gather and celebrate summer by practicing yoga with Ulrike in nature, being present with the horses and remembering the power of our presence, and creating naturally dyed items from heirloom vintage fabrics Cheri has found over the years. Come play with us!
In September we have our second Circling Center event with High Low Tarot. Our first weekend in June was absolutely amazing! The parallels and conversation between horses and tarot continue to inspire us, and the September event is entitled Boundaries and Connections. We have restructured it to be a one-day workshop on Saturday, September 14 followed by optional 1:1 horses/tarot time on Sunday, September 15. Join us and expand your own tarot practice – open to beginners and experienced readers!
Wishing each of you a beautiful and bountiful summer season, following your own heart’s whisperings moment to moment. The horses invite us to go gently with ourselves, to open, and live from our heart space. From mine to yours, may many blessings surround you this season.
With love,
Elizabeth and the herd