Power of Thought Tip 4

A what if....thought can be a positive thought too. I wonder what will happen when I change my what if...worries to what if... I get what I want.

Use the power of your imagination

It’s all too easy to imagine something horrible happening. But have you ever noticed that if something happens, like the horse spooks, in that moment you cope perfectly well and feel nothing? It’s afterwards when you start thinking about all the ‘what ifs’ that you start to feel the fear?

Try this… take a ‘what if’ that worries you and follow it through to a positive outcome; an outcome where you remain in control or regain control and you are safe and happy.

And this... think of something you really want to achieve. What if you get it? Imagine what it will be like? What will you see, hear, feel? Wouldn't you rather be imagining this?

Horse Wisdom

I have a superb pack of Horse Wisdom cards that have been created by Linda Kohanov and Kim McElroy. Kim has painted the stunning images for these cards. The set consists of 40 cards and a book in which each chapter describes the Gift, the Challenge and the Journey relating to each card.

If you are interested in how horse wisdom can help guide your life then you will love these cards. I'll be sharing more of how I am working with them in coming posts. Here is just one example of how I used them just this weekend for my own guidance.

Recently events in my life have left me feeling like I am being held in a waiting mode and am not being allowed to move forward. These events have not been major but a series of irritating things that have held me up - like the car blowing a tyre, the PC monitor dying, losing my mobile phone (though I did find it eventually) and this last week a trapped nerve in my back which has literally stopped me moving forwards with any speed (and sometimes moving at all!).

So I tuned into my horses and the cards to ask 'what is this all about?' I drew three cards, one for the general question and one each for Penny and Jester's take on it. These are the cards I drew:

No 20: Close to the Shore
This card is about being at a crossroads and in transition where the old life is being left behind, but the new life has not yet revealed itself and the form is not clear. This can be a fertile time of gaining knowledge that can be passed on, if we view it that way. (Or we could just get cranky!)

Penny's choice: No 8 Desert of Inspiration (one of my favourities, this card depicts a black horse standing with a raven-haired woman, which is kind of poignant since Penny is a black horse and I have very dark hair!)
This card is about creative limbo, the art of doing nothing and allowing space for something new to emerge. 'The frustrating limbo between letting go of the old and giving birth to the new is an essential, though uncomfortable law of nature'.

Jester's choice: No 24 Kairos
Kairos is about opportunity and timing. 'The best laid plans can distract you from unexpected opportunities. Yet you cannot force the issue. Sometimes you must wait, patiently, for an opening - then act without hesitation'.

There seems to be a clear theme then! This is not a time for forward motion obviously!

What might I being doing instead to make use of this creative limbo? I drew card no 19 Back to Grazing! All about trusting in the universe, becoming emotionally agile and letting go of the stories that keep me tied to the past. This is particularly significant for me as I have been processing a number of issues over the last couple of years relating to the death of my brother when I was 12. I have a feeling that the time is now right to move on from there, and clear that energetic space ready for new things.

These cards really are awesome! As are the horses and horse wisdom encompassed in them.

Power of thought Tip 3

My body is a mirror of inner thoughts and beliefs. Every muscle responds to every thought I think. My horse feels my every thought: what is in my brain goes down the reins!

If you have never done a body scan, this is a great time to do it. Stand with your feet just slightly apart so you feel balanced. Let your arms hang by your side. Close you eyes and focus on how you feel on the inside of your body. Start at your toes and work up through the body until your reach the top of your head.

Notice where you feel tense, where relaxed; where you feel pain or pleasure, warm or cold, hard or soft. Just notice the different sensations in your body.

If you can, ask a friend to observe your body from the outside and make a note of what she notices.

Now think of a specific pleasurable experience for a minute or two and do that body scan again. Make a note of the sensations you feel.

Then think of an unpleasant experience and do the body scan. Note where you feel different.

If you are working with a friend ask her to note her observations. Then compare notes when you have finished.

What did you learn about the thoughts your are transmitting to your horse through your body?

Head in a book

For the last month I've had my head in a book - one I've been writing, not reading. The irony is that the book is about social networking and blogging for beginners and I've been so embroiled in writing about it, I haven't been doing it! All will power up again this week so more power thought tips will coming up rapidly! Plus other articles and ideas around healing and horsemanship.

There is a lovely article about me in The Equestrian this month www.theequestrianmag.co.uk.

Power of thought tip 2

If we allow anxiety about the past or fear about the future to command our attention, we often mess up the present. Ride in THIS moment. It is what is happening NOW that counts!

If a horse is anxious, he's only anxious about what is happening in this moment. If you notice horses grazing, something might spook one and they run, but seconds later they are head down, back to their restful grazing state. They aren't dwelling on what spooked them, nor are they worrying about what might happen next. They are totally present with their mouthful of grass.

We can learn so much from our horses. If we stay totally present in this moment, with whatever is happening right now, accepting it as it is, all our anxieties drain away. Anxiety only exits because we dwell on it and lose our attention on 'now'.

Power of thought tip 1

There is a saying that your energy flows where your attention goes. So whatever you are thinking about and putting attention on is likely to happen - whether or not it's what you want!

Have you noticed that horses only focus their attention on what is happening and what they need or want right now? They respond in the moment and to the moment. They don't plan for things they don't want. So let's take a leaf from their book.

If you dwell on what you don't want to happen, it is more likely to. Keep this thought in your head instead:

I focus on the good things I want from my riding.

It might help to write down five good things you are going to focus on this week.

And please share your thoughts and experiences, via comments, to help others.

First post

This is me snoozing on my dear penny while she munches, seemingly oblivious to me. Jester is munching away in the background. These two horses have been my saviours and my healers over the last few years. On days of despair when I would gladly have never come out from under the duvet, they kept me going and helped me through another day.

I always knew they came to me for a reason (I wasn't searching for either of them), and now I know why. Coming to live with me allowed them to just 'be' the horses they are, rather than the competition horses they were destined to be. And in their 'being' they have shown me how to 'be' myself too and taught me how to stop trying to be and do what I thought I should to please or prove myself to others. They have taught me the real power of 'now' and how to live in the present, sitting with pain or joy and allowing both to just be.

Horses are such phenomenal creatures. I hope that by sharing my thoughts, experiences, hopes and dreams on this blog, and I encourage you to comment and add your thoughts, experiences, hopes and dreams too, that we can bring to awareness just how important and special these creatures are in our lives. The world and humanity is richer for their presence, their teaching, their healing and their unconditional love for us. Horses rock!