This is interesting. There is, within the thread regarding 'Symbolism' on this forum, a topic relating to animals which this would be interesting and relevant to. I, and others, have also spoken there of horses and the relationships with them therein.
Thanks I found it
Omoksha wrote:I have always had a great respect and empathy for animals; much more so than for humans in many respects, particularly in my younger years, although I hope that this has now become more wholesome and well-rounded.
However, despite this deep and over-arching respect, I have never had any particularly powerful experience with any one animal. Thinking of what one may call a 'spirit animal' or 'totem', for example, has been something I have not been able to answer for many years, and had resigned myself to thinking that I simply don't have a specific connection in that way.
For reasons essentially different, yet connected to those discussed here, I have recently begun to learn to ride a horse. They have always been an animal that I have found stunningly beautiful. Such power, strength and finesse, I find it impossible not to stand in awe of them when I have the opportunity. As well as of the symbolism and the high and noble ideal that they can represent.
And what a rich history with man they have; venerated religiously, as well as within war, peace and prestige. They have had to endure being used for both the best and worst of man.
I have now ridden twice, and am already convinced of a very strong relation between this and aspects of the great work. There is a strong esoteric thread in the relationship that one must develop with a horse that one is about to ride. It had been too easy to think of horse riding being about man controlling a horse to his dictation before. It is however not at all like this; it is more like an agreement. Much like how our every movement, action and word effects the moments in our life and work that follow both immediately and over the long passing of time, so too does every touch, look, movement and action inform the way in which a horse understands, interprets and thus acts toward man. In the context of riding, to me at least, this means that an agreement is sought with the horse, rather than an attempt to control it. And in this agreement, one must essentially become 'one' with the horse. So too should we 'become' our occult work, rather than merely attempt to 'control' it(?).
Another thing to strike me is how intuitively and easily they can read people, and in effect mirror this in the way they answer our plea for an agreement, or a pact, so to speak. The first time I rode, despite it being my first time, I did so with something close to confidence. As a result, so too did the horse feel comfortable in our agreement, which was equally displayed in its response to me whilst riding.
When riding the same horse for a second time, due to other goings on, I was a lot more uncertain and, in some ways, preoccupied. The horse mirrored this exactly in its behaviour and reaction to me.
So you learned this within two hours of riding?
That’s impressive, some horse owners need years for that or they never learn it.
One particular horse taught me this lesson.
I was starting to work with this extremely sensitive, beautiful blue-eyed mare some years ago. It was very fearful and problematic horse that injured his former owner. She ran away as soon as I tried to put a holster on her. It was impossible to control her since she was more likely to run into a car than to follow a human. She wouldn’t even let me tough her. I tried to gain her trust with every method from every horse trainer but the more I tried, the faster she ran. I was clueless how to train a horse without even toughing it.
One day I came to the horse paddock without the intention to work with her. It was a frustrating day and wanted to spend some time sitting near the horses to relax and read a book. After about an hour I almost fell asleep. As I opened my eyes the mare stood right next to me and was completely calm. This was a turning point in many ways. The next day I kept this state of passivity, erased all expectations and gave away the idea of control. She stopped running away from me ever since. So what happened is, that as soon I gave up the fight for control, the horse did the same and suddenly there was nothing left to fight about. In my interpretation that story represents the very meaning of oness and unity. However it has helped me a lot in the occult work too for it is not about controlling something but about becoming one with it.
I don’t think it is possible to unfold the full potential of something if one tries to control it. In order to “become something” it is always necessary to let something else go. Thus occultism demands quite a lot.