Freeing Your Inner Child
By: Georgie McBurney
Your inner child has a choice, to stay wounded or to heal.
Your inner parent has a choice, continue wounding or start supporting.
You have a choice, you can be elsewhere or you can be present, witnessing, like the horse.
Your inner parent has a choice, continue wounding or start supporting.
You have a choice, you can be elsewhere or you can be present, witnessing, like the horse.
Five years ago, a little grey pony called Jac came into my life and he reflected back these choices. With his help and guidance, I have made many inner journeys to heal and when I am ready, he will present another opportunity. When life is challenging, and I have gone back into survival mode, he has waited for those circumstances to pass, without judgement, and we resume work together. He has taught me a great deal about connection to all that is. I have a knowing that Jac and I have met before in other lifetimes, and I am grateful that he is present in this one. In saying I am grateful, I have to accept the hard times that entered my life before and after his arrival, as I would not have met him without them. I also would not have had the journeys I have had, those that gave opportunities for great learning and encouraged me to step out of hiding. Jac's equine friends, from herds he has been with since we met, have also added to my understanding of the horse as an individual, and as a collective wisdom which has encouraged me to look again at our intuition, our knowing and our connectedness.
As Dr Evelyn Hanggi (Equine Research Foundation) puts it, “Traditionally, horses have rarely been classified as intelligent, even today gaps in knowledge, myths, misconceptions and limited research affect how horses are understood or misunderstood by the public, the horse industry, and even the scientific community." Properties of the brain assumed to be relevant for intelligence include the relative size of the brain. The horse’s brain is similar in size and weight to ours when we were about twelve, therefore some scientists estimate a horse’s intelligence to be relatively similar to a 12 year old human [1].
As Dr Evelyn Hanggi (Equine Research Foundation) puts it, “Traditionally, horses have rarely been classified as intelligent, even today gaps in knowledge, myths, misconceptions and limited research affect how horses are understood or misunderstood by the public, the horse industry, and even the scientific community." Properties of the brain assumed to be relevant for intelligence include the relative size of the brain. The horse’s brain is similar in size and weight to ours when we were about twelve, therefore some scientists estimate a horse’s intelligence to be relatively similar to a 12 year old human [1].
WONDER AND MAGIC
Those of us that spend time with horses, and other species, have the opportunity to look at them again with our sense of wonder and belief in magic. Magic being the things we don't have scientific explanations for yet, and wonder being an attribute of our free child archetype. Our child is adapted to the adults that were around us in our childhood. We adapted to make bonds and attachments for survival purposes, as unlike other mammals we would not survive without adults for many years to come. Our adaptations include suppressing our innate feelings; our intuition (if logic is more acceptable in your society) and we hide our free child under layers of defence mechanisms. Our inner parent continues to repeat criticisms or fears. Unless life presents opportunity to look inwards, we don't challenge these limiting childhood beliefs.
The horse will challenge them however, and they will see past our defence layers to witness our free child. A horseman once said, “they know if you know, and they know if you don't' so they may be gentle with you, or not. Either way, their challenge can be a powerful experience”. In my Equine Facilitated Counselling work I have witnessed people bursting into tears whilst approaching a herd of horses. Most don't know why and try to find the logical explanation for their outburst. I myself have been reduced to tears during my training. One horse placed its nose on my stomach, witnessed my inner wounding. I didn't need to exhaust myself in explaining to the horse to be understood, he knew and I just cried it out.
Horses sense our energy, intentions and boundaries. If trust and respect are in a relationship from both sides, this presents an opportunity for the human to be comfortable with being seen. As a relationship develops between human and equine there is also an opportunity to use our intuition. This helps us to connect and communicate with equines on a different level; some of us may need to challenge another part that logically informs us that we are 'making it up' if we use intuition. Using our intuition helps balance out our masculine (logical) and feminine (intuitive) energies.
Those of us that spend time with horses, and other species, have the opportunity to look at them again with our sense of wonder and belief in magic. Magic being the things we don't have scientific explanations for yet, and wonder being an attribute of our free child archetype. Our child is adapted to the adults that were around us in our childhood. We adapted to make bonds and attachments for survival purposes, as unlike other mammals we would not survive without adults for many years to come. Our adaptations include suppressing our innate feelings; our intuition (if logic is more acceptable in your society) and we hide our free child under layers of defence mechanisms. Our inner parent continues to repeat criticisms or fears. Unless life presents opportunity to look inwards, we don't challenge these limiting childhood beliefs.
The horse will challenge them however, and they will see past our defence layers to witness our free child. A horseman once said, “they know if you know, and they know if you don't' so they may be gentle with you, or not. Either way, their challenge can be a powerful experience”. In my Equine Facilitated Counselling work I have witnessed people bursting into tears whilst approaching a herd of horses. Most don't know why and try to find the logical explanation for their outburst. I myself have been reduced to tears during my training. One horse placed its nose on my stomach, witnessed my inner wounding. I didn't need to exhaust myself in explaining to the horse to be understood, he knew and I just cried it out.
Horses sense our energy, intentions and boundaries. If trust and respect are in a relationship from both sides, this presents an opportunity for the human to be comfortable with being seen. As a relationship develops between human and equine there is also an opportunity to use our intuition. This helps us to connect and communicate with equines on a different level; some of us may need to challenge another part that logically informs us that we are 'making it up' if we use intuition. Using our intuition helps balance out our masculine (logical) and feminine (intuitive) energies.
TWO JOURNEYS
In every indigenous culture there was a spiritual knowing about the inward 'feminine' journey and the outward 'masculine' journey and that in our lifetimes we need to explore both. Fairy tales often give us the same message. It is only when the two journeys have been experienced that there is the 'happy ever after'. Furthermore, we are all connected to each other and all that is, so our unexplored inner journeys that are not acknowledged, will instead be mirrored in the outside world until we awaken to journey them. Whatever we hide collectively is shown on the world stage for all to see and there are some huge challenges facing humanity. If we collectively heal and support our free child, we may find that we can heal and support our planet too.
“The Great Web that connects all life: it is vital that you learn how to make contact with that form that links us all. Be reconnected to everything, end that state of fragmentation that exists in you and that is everywhere in your world” – The Sidhe
In essence the horse links us back to our ancient ancestor’s way of well being, a way of being in connection with ourselves, each other and with our planet. Known in some cultures as the medicine wheel it comprises of Mind (Air), Love (Water), Service (Ether/Spirit), Creativity/Warrior (Fire) and Body (Earth). In the UK, our modern-day equivalent is known as 'Five Ways to Wellness', which are Learn, Connect, Give, Take Notice/Awareness and Be Active [2]. Maybe it is not intelligence we should be measuring, but wisdom, as an individual and as a collective.
Horses show us their connection, their roles in the herd, their roles for humanity, their unique gifts and talents and how to be seen. This can trigger a fear response in a human (who is too scared to allow their free-child to do the same) and consequently they shut down the horse as they shut their free-child down. Those inspired to follow the horses lead, receive their unconditional love as we begin to make the transition from fear-based motivation to love. We begin to shine as we realise that only love is real, real because it crosses lifetimes.
If horses are able to be themselves, they show us how they express emotions, and how they move emotions out of their body by rolling, stretching, shaking, and running. Rolling also connects horses to the planet. Horses can reflect our blocked energies back to us, some may act out a behaviour or may present with a dis-ease that it is for you to acknowledge about yourself. Our minds are invested in time; past or future which connect us to our pain and our stories, but they are not who we are in essence. Horses remind us to be in the present, as when we are here witnessing, there is peace.
In every indigenous culture there was a spiritual knowing about the inward 'feminine' journey and the outward 'masculine' journey and that in our lifetimes we need to explore both. Fairy tales often give us the same message. It is only when the two journeys have been experienced that there is the 'happy ever after'. Furthermore, we are all connected to each other and all that is, so our unexplored inner journeys that are not acknowledged, will instead be mirrored in the outside world until we awaken to journey them. Whatever we hide collectively is shown on the world stage for all to see and there are some huge challenges facing humanity. If we collectively heal and support our free child, we may find that we can heal and support our planet too.
“The Great Web that connects all life: it is vital that you learn how to make contact with that form that links us all. Be reconnected to everything, end that state of fragmentation that exists in you and that is everywhere in your world” – The Sidhe
In essence the horse links us back to our ancient ancestor’s way of well being, a way of being in connection with ourselves, each other and with our planet. Known in some cultures as the medicine wheel it comprises of Mind (Air), Love (Water), Service (Ether/Spirit), Creativity/Warrior (Fire) and Body (Earth). In the UK, our modern-day equivalent is known as 'Five Ways to Wellness', which are Learn, Connect, Give, Take Notice/Awareness and Be Active [2]. Maybe it is not intelligence we should be measuring, but wisdom, as an individual and as a collective.
Horses show us their connection, their roles in the herd, their roles for humanity, their unique gifts and talents and how to be seen. This can trigger a fear response in a human (who is too scared to allow their free-child to do the same) and consequently they shut down the horse as they shut their free-child down. Those inspired to follow the horses lead, receive their unconditional love as we begin to make the transition from fear-based motivation to love. We begin to shine as we realise that only love is real, real because it crosses lifetimes.
If horses are able to be themselves, they show us how they express emotions, and how they move emotions out of their body by rolling, stretching, shaking, and running. Rolling also connects horses to the planet. Horses can reflect our blocked energies back to us, some may act out a behaviour or may present with a dis-ease that it is for you to acknowledge about yourself. Our minds are invested in time; past or future which connect us to our pain and our stories, but they are not who we are in essence. Horses remind us to be in the present, as when we are here witnessing, there is peace.
INTUITION
At the time of writing this article it is autumn in England, and Jac is intuitively selecting blackberries and rosehips from the hedgerows. He is canny because he has me doing a lot of the hard work whilst he gives me the odd nudge to reach further in or higher as we walk along side by side. Both are rich in vitamin C, which supports the immune system to get ready for the forthcoming winter. His way of being makes me mindful that I need to become more seasonal with my diet, and vary it. I eat the odd blackberry whilst picking for him. Animals, even domesticated, have not lost their innate ability to self-select for food and medicinal purposes. Most humans have become disconnected to this innate ability [3]. I wonder if by following his lead, I can relearn to intuitively listen to what my body needs to stay healthy, and to heal. To journey down the hedgerows of life, connecting with the Earth, the seasons and the Great Web that connects all life. I guess I have a choice. We all have a choice. *~*
At the time of writing this article it is autumn in England, and Jac is intuitively selecting blackberries and rosehips from the hedgerows. He is canny because he has me doing a lot of the hard work whilst he gives me the odd nudge to reach further in or higher as we walk along side by side. Both are rich in vitamin C, which supports the immune system to get ready for the forthcoming winter. His way of being makes me mindful that I need to become more seasonal with my diet, and vary it. I eat the odd blackberry whilst picking for him. Animals, even domesticated, have not lost their innate ability to self-select for food and medicinal purposes. Most humans have become disconnected to this innate ability [3]. I wonder if by following his lead, I can relearn to intuitively listen to what my body needs to stay healthy, and to heal. To journey down the hedgerows of life, connecting with the Earth, the seasons and the Great Web that connects all life. I guess I have a choice. We all have a choice. *~*
