Messengers come in all forms and this past weekend, it was a beautiful butterscotch mare named Gypsy with legs of different colors. Did I mention her round, soulful eyes – mesmerizing deep chocolate pools beckoning me to release and dive in?
Gypsy
Any chance I get, I love visiting Lynn Clifford [horse and people whisperer extraordinaire] at Arrowhead Ranch for her evening equine meditation program. It’s springtime at the ranch. The evening is a tad cooler and the wind is just breezy enough to kiss my lips and muss my hair. Yet warm enough to wear a simple blue jean jacket and ChapStick.
Lynn Clifford & Beth Bryce
The horses are quiet and winding down as they munch dinner with the sun descending ever so slowly. They seem relaxed, pleased almost that they don’t have to work. Their role is to simply bare witness, be a messenger, teacher, or confidant depending upon how we show up.
The horses always try to meet you – but only if you are open and willing to introduce your truest self.
Honestly, half the time I watch the other 13 women in silent, walking meditation, and one brave man, as they timidly approach and mingle with the horses pushing boundaries. Mostly the horses push boundaries, some of us push back. That’s the beauty of the evening, we have a choice.
But don’t you always have a choice through the twists and turns of life?
As I watch the ladies dance with their chosen partner, I wonder if they are tuned in and listening to the messages the horses are trying to whisper. Are they brave enough to ask the question they’ve been avoiding for quite some time?
I wander back to my present moment and stare down Gypsy. We stand face to face for ten minutes watching to see who blinks first. I’m certain it was me. I stood there searching for the answer, any answer, to a question I wasn’t even sure I was asking.
Beth’s message depicted
Suddenly, Gypsy’s message was clear, “You already know the answer Beth, you must press on – the world needs more love and compassion, people are waiting.” In that moment I was flooded with the faces of people I’ve been blessed to work with, family, friends I haven’t talked to in months, some years, all of whom I love. Deeply.
I realized they are like hoof prints on my soul. Our exchanges, however brief or long, are imprinted forever. And for that I’m extremely grateful. Isn’t that what we are all seeking; deep connection? I believe so. On that note, I drove home with a simple smile and a sense of renewal, gazing at the pink and purple mystic New Mexican sunset – like only New Mexico effortlessly delivers.
What or who has been your messenger recently?
Are you paying attention?
And how are you living your heart wide open?
Sound fascinating even intriguing? I encourage you to seriously consider an opportunity of a lifetime to be cracked wide open on a journey of self-discovery at my October Santa Fe retreat, with Lynn and her tribe of horses, Susan Perry and myself. The magic is beginning, that is, if you choose to show up as your truest self. I hope you do, the world is waiting on you.
