THERE IS A FIELD. I’LL MEET YOU THERE
And There Will Be Horses
By: Lynda Watson, Canada
Rumi’s famous poem states: “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”
Many interpretations have evolved from Rumi’s piece. Some suggest that he is exploring our connection to the spiritual. Others explore the concept of non-judgment. Let us head to the field and take Rumi’s poem along for consideration. A herd of gentle horses will meet us there, horses that live as close to nature and as authentically as possible. Alongside the herd you might feel what Rumi is trying to convey with his poem. You will find your interpretation with the horses. We will sit for a bit and observe the herd. We will watch and witness their interactions with each other, the world around them, and with us. What will we take away that will ultimately enhance the space between human and human? What will we find in that space in the field? We will find the electromagnetic field of the heart, the energy that flows in and in between everything, the energy that connects us all. We will discover nature’s field of instinct and flow. Let us meet in that magical space between horse and human “out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing”.
Simply and Profoundly
A quick story before heading to the field: Debbie LaHaye, author of Treasure Hunt found inspiration in the title of this article. She devised an exercise for their mindfulness group based on the Rumi poem. She printed the words, ‘and there will be horses’ on paper for people to contemplate, along with two other lines from Rumi’s piece.
There is a field. I’ll meet you there. (and there will be horses)
When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase “each other” doesn’t make any sense.
They then headed out to sit in the fields for 20 minutes, in silent contemplation, amongst the horses. Afterwards participants were invited to share their thoughts and feelings. The sharing was quite fascinating. After being inspired by these words, participants felt comfortable even if they chose not to share anything. It also got them thinking about how they had shared space with the horses. The horses couldn't put into words their time together, so maybe the humans didn't need to either. This experience was simple and profound.
Insights such as this are oh so common when we head to the field and there are horses.
The Horses Await
Shall we head to the field now? The horses await us. We can wander out and perhaps sit with them for a while. It might seem like not much is happening. We can sit quietly in our bodies, slowly reducing the chatter in our monkey minds. The horses will inch along in their grazing journey. But invisibly, there is so much happening. We can see and feel this when we are aware and tune into the energy in the field, just like a radio tuning into the channel we want to listen to. Let’s enter the field and walk between horse and horse, and horse and human, and see what magic we find there.
While we gently make our way to the horses allow me to share a short story. A while back, I went to the field to fill water tubs in the horse’s paddock. As I stood waiting for them to fill, I connected to my heart and the herd. When I opened my eyes, sure enough, one of the horses was about one hundred feet away doing the same thing and staring directly at me in stillness and silence. Our heart fields connected in a magical moment of presence and softness, sharing time and space. In a few moments, the tubs were full, and we both went back to grazing. Simple? Yes. Profound? Absolutely.
This seems like a good spot to sit. While we settle in, perhaps I will share about the different fields that we will find today in this field.
The Fields Within the Field
One would be the field of the heart. Let’s consider a few facts in this field. The heart is the strongest organ in the body in terms of its electromagnetic field. It is recordable up to three feet from the body. So, our hearts are communicating well before we do. Let’s consider a few more things when it comes to the horse’s heart and breath. Each of these rates are slower than that of a human. A horse’s heart is significantly larger than a human’s. And one more thing, their temperature is higher. Let’s then consider that field surrounding us and the horse, and settle into a soft, open and aware state. If our horse is in a calm state, then their slower breath and heart rate, larger heart and higher temperature has the potential to have influence over our heart and body state via that energy field. They have been known to assist a human to slow down, experience a deeper awareness of their body, and elicit a profound feeling of peace and serenity. As wild prey animals, horses can go from a state of intense movement, making space between them and a predator, then quickly shift back to a state of calm. When we tap into that field in the field and that awareness in our bodies, we are privy to a very different way of being than what we are used to.
I have another short tale of a time when I was so fortunate to be included in this state of awareness with a herd sentinel. The sentinel role, whichever horse may have it at that time, is to scan the environment and be aware of any potential threats to the herd. Perhaps it is a time when the herd is sleeping or grazing. The sentinel’s job is to be the lookout. One day I was out in the field. I saw that most of the herd was dozing in the sun, but one horse was looking off into the distance. He was watching a tractor in the neighbour’s field. He was staring at it intently. As I was close to him at that moment, I asked if I could stand with him and share what he was seeing. He agreed, but not too close. I didn’t want to interfere with his duties, neither did I want to be regarded as a threat to the herd. We stood together, about 6 feet apart, and I sank into my body, deep breaths, gentle heart and soft gaze. I followed his gaze and observed that his heart rate was normal. Our electromagnetic fields were in sync, indicating that he was alert and aware of his surroundings, including the tractor. However, he did not perceive it as a danger to the herd. I could feel this in our body connection. If his heart rate had increased, the horses would have been up from their naps and moving elsewhere in their paddock. It was such a solitary moment with this sentinel, awareness yet utterly calm in body language. It was a true honour to stand with him as a second sentinel and be entrusted to hold that space in the field.
How does it feel to sit in the field with a herd of horses just watching them be who they authentically are? Horses who are interacting with each other without words, yet with a full awareness of each other and their environment. How does it feel being a part of that environment, which includes all of nature?
Another field to consider when sitting out here is Nature’s field of instinct and flow. Included in Nature are all things, not just horses. By observing them, we observe the flow of Nature. They always communicate, always without words. How do they do that? How do they know that one thing is a threat and another thing poses no danger whatsoever? It goes back to the first field, the field of the heart and that inner knowing, that instinct. The horses don’t question it. To them, it is as natural as breathing. Horses know when a storm is coming and turn their tails to the wind. Horses know when the weather is about to change and drink more water. When I sit with nature and the herd, I am connected to my inner knowing. I am connected to my inner nature. When we look outside of us to the horses, we are naturally connecting to our inner field.
Shall we head to the field now? The horses await us. We can wander out and perhaps sit with them for a while. It might seem like not much is happening. We can sit quietly in our bodies, slowly reducing the chatter in our monkey minds. The horses will inch along in their grazing journey. But invisibly, there is so much happening. We can see and feel this when we are aware and tune into the energy in the field, just like a radio tuning into the channel we want to listen to. Let’s enter the field and walk between horse and horse, and horse and human, and see what magic we find there.
While we gently make our way to the horses allow me to share a short story. A while back, I went to the field to fill water tubs in the horse’s paddock. As I stood waiting for them to fill, I connected to my heart and the herd. When I opened my eyes, sure enough, one of the horses was about one hundred feet away doing the same thing and staring directly at me in stillness and silence. Our heart fields connected in a magical moment of presence and softness, sharing time and space. In a few moments, the tubs were full, and we both went back to grazing. Simple? Yes. Profound? Absolutely.
This seems like a good spot to sit. While we settle in, perhaps I will share about the different fields that we will find today in this field.
The Fields Within the Field
One would be the field of the heart. Let’s consider a few facts in this field. The heart is the strongest organ in the body in terms of its electromagnetic field. It is recordable up to three feet from the body. So, our hearts are communicating well before we do. Let’s consider a few more things when it comes to the horse’s heart and breath. Each of these rates are slower than that of a human. A horse’s heart is significantly larger than a human’s. And one more thing, their temperature is higher. Let’s then consider that field surrounding us and the horse, and settle into a soft, open and aware state. If our horse is in a calm state, then their slower breath and heart rate, larger heart and higher temperature has the potential to have influence over our heart and body state via that energy field. They have been known to assist a human to slow down, experience a deeper awareness of their body, and elicit a profound feeling of peace and serenity. As wild prey animals, horses can go from a state of intense movement, making space between them and a predator, then quickly shift back to a state of calm. When we tap into that field in the field and that awareness in our bodies, we are privy to a very different way of being than what we are used to.
I have another short tale of a time when I was so fortunate to be included in this state of awareness with a herd sentinel. The sentinel role, whichever horse may have it at that time, is to scan the environment and be aware of any potential threats to the herd. Perhaps it is a time when the herd is sleeping or grazing. The sentinel’s job is to be the lookout. One day I was out in the field. I saw that most of the herd was dozing in the sun, but one horse was looking off into the distance. He was watching a tractor in the neighbour’s field. He was staring at it intently. As I was close to him at that moment, I asked if I could stand with him and share what he was seeing. He agreed, but not too close. I didn’t want to interfere with his duties, neither did I want to be regarded as a threat to the herd. We stood together, about 6 feet apart, and I sank into my body, deep breaths, gentle heart and soft gaze. I followed his gaze and observed that his heart rate was normal. Our electromagnetic fields were in sync, indicating that he was alert and aware of his surroundings, including the tractor. However, he did not perceive it as a danger to the herd. I could feel this in our body connection. If his heart rate had increased, the horses would have been up from their naps and moving elsewhere in their paddock. It was such a solitary moment with this sentinel, awareness yet utterly calm in body language. It was a true honour to stand with him as a second sentinel and be entrusted to hold that space in the field.
How does it feel to sit in the field with a herd of horses just watching them be who they authentically are? Horses who are interacting with each other without words, yet with a full awareness of each other and their environment. How does it feel being a part of that environment, which includes all of nature?
Another field to consider when sitting out here is Nature’s field of instinct and flow. Included in Nature are all things, not just horses. By observing them, we observe the flow of Nature. They always communicate, always without words. How do they do that? How do they know that one thing is a threat and another thing poses no danger whatsoever? It goes back to the first field, the field of the heart and that inner knowing, that instinct. The horses don’t question it. To them, it is as natural as breathing. Horses know when a storm is coming and turn their tails to the wind. Horses know when the weather is about to change and drink more water. When I sit with nature and the herd, I am connected to my inner knowing. I am connected to my inner nature. When we look outside of us to the horses, we are naturally connecting to our inner field.
Silence Amidst the Words and the Herd
Amidst all these words, it is good to mention that the best way to learn from a herd is to do what we are doing now. Go and sit with them. You don’t need to touch, and you don’t need to talk. You don’t even need to be close. Be like the herd. Be an observer of the herd community. It is a community that lives in a space of nonjudgment, authenticity and honesty, a community that has compassion for all, and a community whose members know how to set and respect boundaries. It is a community whose members don’t sit in their emotions. Their job is to be very present. When we enter the field, if we are lucky, we might just become a temporary herd community member. But only if we adopt each of those characteristics above. For that is when a herd feels fully and truly safe. Only then might they decide that we as a two-legged, are worthy of standing with the four-legged.
Perhaps it is time now for us to bid our farewell to this beautiful herd. It is appropriate to express gratitude through our hearts. No words are needed.
As we leave, perhaps I will finish with one more short recollection of my time in the herd community. I had travelled with a friend to spend time with a local herd. That is all, just spend time with them. When we got there, we went our own ways in the rather large acreage that this herd lived on. It was a warm summer evening, and I recall the sun setting. So, I lay down on the ground away from the horses and enjoyed the warm sun on my body. My eyes closed. I am sure I drifted off. I suddenly had an awareness and opened my eyes without moving my body. Sure enough, one of the herd members had come over and was standing sentinel over me. I was one of the herd and this horse was holding the space for me to rest. My heart filled with love at that moment, for there was no other word to articulate that feeling. I gently closed my eyes and sank back into my enjoyment of the sun, the warmth, and now my sentinel holding me close. Not a word was said.
Each of these memories I share brought me closer to what one exploration of Rumi’s poem might have meant about the connection to the spiritual. Perhaps there are no words to explain it all. Perhaps there is no need to. Rumi states in the poem: The door is round and open. Perhaps the door is a herd of horses. ~*~
Amidst all these words, it is good to mention that the best way to learn from a herd is to do what we are doing now. Go and sit with them. You don’t need to touch, and you don’t need to talk. You don’t even need to be close. Be like the herd. Be an observer of the herd community. It is a community that lives in a space of nonjudgment, authenticity and honesty, a community that has compassion for all, and a community whose members know how to set and respect boundaries. It is a community whose members don’t sit in their emotions. Their job is to be very present. When we enter the field, if we are lucky, we might just become a temporary herd community member. But only if we adopt each of those characteristics above. For that is when a herd feels fully and truly safe. Only then might they decide that we as a two-legged, are worthy of standing with the four-legged.
Perhaps it is time now for us to bid our farewell to this beautiful herd. It is appropriate to express gratitude through our hearts. No words are needed.
As we leave, perhaps I will finish with one more short recollection of my time in the herd community. I had travelled with a friend to spend time with a local herd. That is all, just spend time with them. When we got there, we went our own ways in the rather large acreage that this herd lived on. It was a warm summer evening, and I recall the sun setting. So, I lay down on the ground away from the horses and enjoyed the warm sun on my body. My eyes closed. I am sure I drifted off. I suddenly had an awareness and opened my eyes without moving my body. Sure enough, one of the herd members had come over and was standing sentinel over me. I was one of the herd and this horse was holding the space for me to rest. My heart filled with love at that moment, for there was no other word to articulate that feeling. I gently closed my eyes and sank back into my enjoyment of the sun, the warmth, and now my sentinel holding me close. Not a word was said.
Each of these memories I share brought me closer to what one exploration of Rumi’s poem might have meant about the connection to the spiritual. Perhaps there are no words to explain it all. Perhaps there is no need to. Rumi states in the poem: The door is round and open. Perhaps the door is a herd of horses. ~*~
