I had such an amazing experience with Galahad this afternoon—we were (as usual) hanging out at the back of my car. He had been munching his hay and looking at “stuff” going on around us, and I’d been just randomly grooming at him, stroking him, and admiring his fuzziness. Then I sat down on the tailgate.
After a while he turned his head toward me and suddenly he was just THERE—so extraordinarily vivid and present to me—impossible to explain, but he was HUGE and REAL in a way that has only happened once or twice before. Wow!!!!
In the few moments that it lasted, I was able to ask him how he feels about me: He loves me, in the way that horses do, so different from the way humans love but just as strong.
I could sense his enormous patience with me, despite the fact that he doesn’t understand why uncomplicated things are so difficult for humans to grasp.
And I asked him if he actually likes being touched (since I had this amazing channel to actually find out!). When I asked that (all of this through my tears, as you can imagine), he turned his head toward me and touched my hand. Yes, he loves to be touched—but only if I’m not doing it as a task. My tendency is to “groom him” because he “needs” grooming, and not for the pure joy of touching him. It’s the loving touch, the friendly contact, that he enjoys.
The feeling faded quickly, but I will never forget it. Wow…. What a blessing!
Part of why I’m sharing this is because I really believe that these kinds of experiences are available to ALL of us! The key seems to be listening to what’s going on in the horse AND in ourselves. That, and NOT doubting ourselves—we may not know the “why” of some feeling or sensation, but we need to notice it and acknowledge it.
It feels very much related to the way I’ve talked about experiencing the imaginal world, in the sense of requiring the same attention, the same willingness to allow these things to be true. And it comes with the same caveats: We need to be aware of how our own deepest desires, and our need to explain things, can actually cloud our experience, and so we can watch for the feeling of surprise, for example. I’ve talked at length about this in the “Brian Is Real” series, here.
It’s a rare and fleeting experience, and doesn’t happen just because we want it so badly—but it happens. At least that’s been my experience. We can ALL do this!!!
And I’ve been wondering if maybe this is how non-human animals perceive the world. And I wonder if our rational mind, and our spoken/written language, may be some kind of impediment to this way of communication. I have no answer to that, but I am starting to believe that maybe it’s true.
Interesting. I’d love to hear YOUR thoughts….
[Cross-posted on The Alchemical Horse]
It's an Alchemical Life 
I am absolutely sure that our internal verbal chatter (or external, as I do chat/whisper to myself out loud rather frequently!) stops us both listening, and sensing in a real way, many emotions and instinctive observations. Your experience with Galahad today perhaps coincided with a mutual opening of ‘mind doors’ when you were both in the here and now, and fully content. Fascinating stuff.
Yes, Sheena. It really is fascinating. And your observation about our internal/external chatter stopping us listening and sensing–I bet you are absolutely right. Hadn’t thought about that! Thanks for the insight.
I think the momentary hugeness and realness of Galahad is wonderful and fascinating. I don’t think this is limited to cross-species communication, though it is probably more profound when it does happen this way. I think amongst humans we also occasionally find these moments, but quite often, even with all our advantages of communication, we don’t see the reality or hugeness of others. We’re rarely still enough.
Interesting thought, Chris. Never thought about this involving humans. We ARE rarely still enough; that’s for sure. But also, I think, some of us may be too damaged to trust a human that much. Animals are much easier. Fascinating!
How beautiful, Kay. I have no explanations for this, but I do know these moments too, and had some myself. These moments can’t be forced, in my experience, they happen or they don’t. I remember one time, when I was sharing territory with Kría and I suddenly felt this deep connection, where she told me ‘we are one of a kind – leaders and very sensitive’. At that moment I thought YES! although I don’t consider myself a ‘leader’ at all. But still I understood perfectly what she meant and I felt completely one with her. I also remember her telling me this in English, isn’t that weird?
I agree that these moments only happen when nothing is in the way, mentally or emotionally.
How fascinating, May–in English! But yes, they do seem to understand things about us that we ourselves don’t…my mare Nevada was like that, so wise…. Thanks for sharing this!