We are fortunate to live in the country, and springtime is a wonderful, hopeful time of year. Our home is in the woods, and it is always a mystery as to which group of birds born here will come back to raise a family, and if they’ll nest in the same spot that their parents did.
We have noticed that the young ones seem to come back every second or third year for some species, and others are here every year – Towhees nest in our front peak every year, and the Wrens are expanding from their original nest on the screened porch to several new locations, including our Christmas wreath. The Hummingsbirds are back – three this year instead of two – and they are fascinating to watch. The Blue Jays born here a couple of years ago are back in force, and loudly announcing themselves to all.
At this time of year we make a special point of renewing our relationship with our space, with all the beings that live here and those that come to visit. We set our intention to work cooperatively with all of them, to the best of our ability. We communicate at many levels – energetically, emotionally, spiritually, and telepathically. We notice if a particular animal or tree catches our eye, and we stop to get acquainted, to ask if there is a message for us, and to thank them for sharing our space.
In this column we usually talk about communicating with animals, but it’s important to talk with all the beings in your space – plant, animal, mineral, natural and synthetic. This year, we made a very difficult decision to remove several trees that are very close to our house and barn, as we had damage to both structures from falling trees and branches. We have lived with these trees for nine years, and the feeling we have is almost the same as we have when helping one of our animals to pass over. We honor them, and we have let them know what will happen and when. We try to reuse the wood, we will plant other, smaller, plants and trees in their place. We invite you to communicate with and honor those that share your space with you, to renew your relationship with them in this time of renewal.
Springtime is also time for a visit from our horse vet. Our horse Rusty is older and is challenged with many of the same things we are as we age: missing teeth, failing eyesight, a sagging middle, and stiff joints. He is an amazing friend and teacher, very patient as we learn a different way of riding together. Rusty lost his left eye four years ago, so when our vet indicated that he had an ulcer on his right eye, we were very worried. The next few days were very anxious for us all. Rusty and his friend Rohan were confined to the barn, he had to wear his fly mask all the time, and twice a day one of us came and put medicine in his eye. I (Cindy) felt particularly nervous when doing this, and found myself reacting to my fear with impatience. This in turn upset Rusty more. He was already anxious and uncomfortable, spooking at things he normally took calmly. Horses mirror us emotionally, so all I did was make things worse. I found myself not trusting him to keep me safe – something I had never doubted before.
What I came to realize is that his trust in me had been shaken too – I was reacting in fear when he needed me to be calm. We needed to restore our trust in each other. Part of that is respecting what Horse is, and what Human is – our nature as a species. Rusty is a prey animal, and as such is going to feel fearful if he cannot see danger well – his remaining eye was blurry and hurt. He was feeling extremely vulnerable. I as a predator was reacting by trying to control the situation and make him do what I wanted. In addition, I acted in a way different than what I normally do – with impatience instead of gentle invitation, which stressed him further.
Tonite we stood in his stall, and I telepathically asked him for forgiveness. I asked him to trust me once again. I made my predator energy very small, stood very quietly, and opened my heart to show him how much he is loved. In typical old horse fashion, he waited a good while – looking out his window, ears flicking back to me. Then slowly, he ambled over to me, stuck his nose out to me, sighed, and looked at his feed bin. I was forgiven, now could I PLEASE get his SUPPER??? Rusty is a great communicator. We have begun, again.
To learn more about working cooperatively with Nature, we suggest Behaving As If the God in All Life Matters by Machaelle Small Wright. We also suggest The Tao of Equus by Linda Kohanov – this book dramatically changed how we perceive and relate to horses.
