Everlasting Shades of Amber

I challenge you to keep your heart open

And know that love is eternal

Release your fear and gallop with me into the unknown

Life is unpredictable

So keep moving forward

Dance with your inner tiger in fierce and joyful play

The riches of your life are in

The gift of each new day

And the treasure of love in your heart

~ Kim McElroy

Shades left the earth to soon.  His owners knew of my art and felt compelled to contact me to ask me to paint his beautiful spirit.

I sit in meditation before composing a portrait, and during this experience I witnessed a vision of Shades emerging from a pool of water, accompanied by a playful tiger.  They romped and rolled, in complete joy, and the experience was so lovely I had to share it.  His owners felt comforted by the idea of his spirit in such joy,  and agreed that they would love for me to include the tiger in his portrait.  I found a perfect image of a tiger running in water, which complimented Shades striking coloring.  When I unveiled the portrait his owners were struck by the additional impact of the composition I had chosen to create.  Unbeknownst to me, the main feature of their property is a beautiful pond, which had strikingly similar features to the water I chose to paint, including the color of the water, and the grass going to the water’s edge.   They told me also that Shades was unusually attracted to the water, so much so that when ridden in the shallows he was inclined to want to roll.  The vision and portrait gave them the feeling that he was communicating his memories and the message that his heart was happy.   These amazing experiences always fill me with awe and joy, and remind me once again that we are all One.

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“The Messenger”

I created the Messenger in 1995 from the inspiration of seeing a picture of a beautiful horse running on the beach.  I was inspired to paint the horse with wings.  There was something about this horse that felt very familiar, and while I was creating it, and ever since, it has remained one of my most cherished works of art.  The original hangs by my desk – framed in silver wood carved with cherubs.

I later found out that the photograph I had worked from, was a memorial for the horse pictured…

A year later I attended a short workshop by a local shamanic practitioner who offered to guide the audience through a meditation designed to help us meet our “Animal Totem”.  I was very intrigued and really thought that I would try to stay completely neutral because surely it would be easy to imagine my guide would be a horse, and I wanted the meditation to not be affected by my expectations.  Therefore I was even more affected when the guide that did appear to me, was indeed, a horse.  And not just any horse, but a white horse with wings.

There are many stories about Messenger’s gifts to me, but two I’d like to share are on the subject of faith.

Sometimes our faith in the power of good is tested, especially when we witness abuse of animals.  Yet in times when I despaired that there was no comfort for the helpless animals of the world, I was given a sign, by one of the most powerful healers of all, the spirit of the horse.

I had arranged to stay overnight at a client’s home, to photograph her horse for his portrait.  As she gave me the quick tour of their small farm, I noticed a dog barking incessantly on the other side of the fence bordering the neighbor’s property.  I commented on it, and my client said the dog was chained up, and that there was a horse living there too.  She didn’t know if the horse was ever fed, and she had thrown hay over the fence on occasion, but was afraid of doing more.  She admitted she was disturbed by the conditions the animals lived in, but she had resigned herself that there was nothing more she could do as she didn’t think the authorities would investigate and she was afraid her neighbors would threaten her own property or animals if she were to bring accusation against them.

I peeked through the fence and could just make out the horse in the dark, standing among piles of trash, and subjected to the endless barking of an angry and hopeless dog.

That night I couldn’t sleep for thinking of them both.  I wondered what could I do?  I would be flying home the next day – 3,000 miles away.

The next morning as the plane took off, I began listening to a music cd I had purchased on my trip.  When I bought it, there was something that told me the music was truly powerful and I intended to plan its use in a film about horses.  The cd is called Agnus Dei, and is choir music that is hauntingly beautiful.  The first song is also titled Agnus Dei – which I later discovered means “Lamb of God”

As I heard the rising chords of music, I began to weep for the animals in that sad place, and for all horses who are in lost places.  I wrote the following poem through my tears, and it became a prayer…

The horse is a holy creature
sent to this earth to remind us of the Divine
He is uniquely connected to us.
He is our benevolent companion
and our guide
to the beingness we have forgotten.

His four strong legs carry us when we are weak
from the burdens of life.

His beauty inspires us
when our eyes are weary from crying.

His spirit uplifts us when our hearts lie dormant

Let us not forget.
Let us not abandon him
or any of his kind.
Let us not relegate him to a beast of burden
but acknowledge his unselfish gifts.

Let us always care for him as long as his legs touch the earth
and beyond.

He is our reminder of what grace is
He is our return to grace

Only by awakening to the true awareness of the horse
can we ever expect to understand him.
He speaks to us in the language of the heart, not the mind.
His true self is only given to those who seek to comprehend

Only those who ask
rather than demand
will receive his undying loyalty and generosity of spirit.

Awaken
to the message of the horse . . .

~ Kim McElroy

A few weeks later I was in touch with my client.  I asked if anything had improved next door.  She said, “You know it is a funny thing, the week after you left, a horse trailer came and picked up the horse…”  I felt that my prayer had been answered…

Another time, the Messenger sent me a sign when I needed his light again.  In 2005 I drove with my friend Connie to nearby Vancouver, Canada for an exciting retreat with Linda Kohanov and other equine assisted facilitators, at Sandra Wallin’s Chiron’s Way Equine Experiential Learning center.  I was scheduled to showcase my art that night at a lecture with Linda at a nearby theater.

We drove up to the bed and breakfast that had been recommended, as it was the closest place to where we were attending the workshop.  In addition the bed and breakfast had horses!  We thought, what better way to spend our time surrounded by horses day and night in workshop and in sleep.

We parked at the closed gate and got out of the car, chatting happily about our upcoming experience, and then both of us stopped, shocked, in our tracks.  Staring back at us were half a dozen horses in various conditions of neglect.  They were all extremely thin and hollow eyed.  Some wore blankets despite the summer heat.  They stood in dirt paddocks barren of grass and looked at us with eyes of sadness.  We stood rooted, neither of us could think what to do or say.  We didn’t want to enter the property with no one there, but we knew we had to do something.  We said to the horses, we will try to help, and numbly got back into the car.  We had to rush to get to the auditorium to set up for the lecture, but I was in no state to be talking to people about my art.  On the way there we tried to compose ourselves and discussed what we would do to confront the owners, and we needed to make new arrangements for accommodations as we obviously weren’t staying there.  We said a prayer for the horses and vowed to do whatever we could.  But again, it was a helpless feeling, knowing we were in another country – away from home, and not knowing the laws or procedures.  I kicked myself for not having the presence of mind in my shock, to take pictures of the horses and their conditions.

Connie and I unloaded the car and began to set up my art in the lobby of the auditorium.  The canned jazz music playing over the loudspeaker seemed a surreal counterpart to the emotional state we were in.  After several trips to and fro – I entered the building again.  And I heard an entirely different piece of music…  Agnus Dei – was playing on the loudspeaker…  of all music, of all the places… of all the times I needed to hear it.  I ran out to Connie with tears rolling down my face, and told her that there was hope…

The story is a long one, but suffice it to say that night we did confront the owners of the B&B who denied anything was wrong and they were outraged at our gentle but firm accusations.  They said that sometimes they left their horses blanketed in the winter and they got a little thin.  But that was all.  The authorities did follow up on our complaints but nothing was done.  However, the miracle that occurred was through human angels in the form of a couple who were also participants at the workshop.  They too saw the conditions of the horses, and bravely stayed on as guests of the B&B.  They worked their way into the confidence and trust of the people and learned their story and their excuses, and gently tried to point out the conditions of the horses in a way that was non-threatening.  In the end, they were even allowed to buy one of the horses, and she lives happily to this day as a shining example of their dedication and ability to forge into the darkness, and find the light.

“The Messenger” continues to provide me with healing and support in my art and in my life.  I am forever grateful for his gift…

~ Kim McElroy

Dear One, be comforted
The Great Mystery is a beginning
Rather than the appearance of an ending
We never stop growing…

Even now, in your sadness
You can open the doors to healing in your heart
Then we shall enter the Mystery, together…

~ Kim McElroy

Noche’s Lessons on Intuition

This work of art was inspired by a horse named Noche .  Author Linda Kohanov has shared many stories of Noche in her books “Tao of Equus” and “Riding Between the Worlds”.  Noche assisted Linda in her equine assisted therapy practice and one of his special gifts was in allowing people to heal their unresolved grief.   In the book and card set Linda and I co-created called “The Way of the Horse”, Noche represents “The Master of Sadness” – and stands for Sadness and Grief, The Power of Tears, and Release and Rejuvenation.

Noche passed away before I met Linda, so I never had the chance to meet him in person, but I feel as if I know him, for he taught me that intuition isn’t limited to direct experience, and that even a photograph can allow one to tap into spiritual awareness.

In Linda’s books, she refers to intuitive messages she has received from the equine collective mind that she calls “The Horse Ancestors”.  For many of us who have enjoyed her books, the concept of these ancestors was very powerful.  Over the years I’d had a few experiences in meditation where I felt I had connected with horse guides in different forms, but usually these experiences were during a deep meditative state.

Then one day I had an experience that made me realize that intuition can happen in the blink of an eye in any normal, day to day circumstance.  Before we had conceived of the “Way of the Horse” cards, Linda and I were at an event together where she was presenting a lecture and a slide presentation that included her horses.  Upon seeing Noche’s photograph I felt compelled to close my eyes and I asked if he had a message for me.  I had done this in the presence of horses, but I had never asked in this way from looking at a photograph.  Instantly, I had a vision of a shape of curved lines – like the familiar entwined ribbon pin people wear in support of a cause.

When I later mentioned it to Linda, she raised her eyebrows and said, “That is the image that the horse ancestors once gave me; it is the a symbol of two rivers flowing together, then meeting and mingling.  It represents the energy of Equus (horse) and Anthropos (human) entwining.  It seems to speak to the ancient connection we have with horses.”  She had written about the symbol in her book “The Tao of Equus” but I didn’t remember the reference.

Her confirmation that the symbol I had envisioned had such a profound meaning to her, gave me a thrill of excitement and a deep confirmation of my life’s path of learning and growth, and a renewed sense of wonder at the mystery of horse consciousness.  I had been learning to access my inner wisdom through tapping into my body awareness, and horses were the catalyst that had taken me deeper into my own personal insights.  Those experiences with horses then began to expand into receiving intuitive messages from the horses, but how was I to trust that what I was receiving had meaning?  When I began sharing my experiences with others like Linda who were equally curious, their confirmation that I had received information I had no way of knowing otherwise, allowed me to begin trusting that what I received was meaningful.

When I later created this painting for the Way of the Horse card deck.  I chose to portray the flowing shape in Noche’s portrait.  When Noche passed away,  Linda shared that she saw the light of the light of the setting sun reflecting in his eye, and that a single tear sparkled there as he crossed over into spirit.  Tears are an expression of the inexpressible.

From my own self development and healing with the “Way of the Horse” card deck, I often drew the “Master of Sadness” card, and thus Noche assisted my healing in ways I can’t begin to describe.

Horses seem to tap into our deepest psyche.  In their silent but dynamic presence, they have a timelessness about them that invites self inquiry.  We all have the potential to receive their wisdom, because it is also our own.

I hope you will think about and share your own intuitive experiences you have had with horses….

“When horses are treated kindly and with respect, they will show their sentience.” ~ Teresa Tsimmu Martino

“From the shadows of night
I emerge into light
Carrying with me the mystery of my making
Did I always exist, thus
Or have I appeared, just
in the moment of your waking…”

"Satin fire" available as a custom signed giclee at www.spiritofhorse.com

Satin Fire Insights
“Satin Fire” was a painting that sold in 1987 before I’d had it photographed.  Fortunately the collectors lived locally and recently they kindly allowed me to borrow it back to have it photographed, so it is now I can share it with my fans.  It is always an experience seeing a work of art that I created in the early stages of my artistic explorations.  The texture of the pastel, the paper, the composition and technique are all slightly different from what I do now, yet the essence of the spirit, the intent of infusing paper with pastel to create life… is vividly there.  It is like being reacquainted with an old friend.  Perhaps Satin Fire had to wait until now… to be revealed to someone who only now needs to see it…

 
“The Blessing”

Come, drink from river of Universal Knowledge.
With eyes unclouded ~ you will see
that spirits are not merely of the air,
they are woven into the fibers of the world.
With a heart unburdened ~ you will know
that Angels come in many forms…

~ Kim McElroy

"The Blessing" is available at www.spiritofhorse.com as a custom signed giclee ~ available in 4 sizes

“The Blessing” Insights

This painting is a Soul Essence portrait created of a filly named Shana.
Shana’s name is short for Justanemoshan – so named by her breeder, Barb.
I asked to receive knowledge of Shana’s soul essence and what she came to express of herself for Nicole and John and any other’s whose lives she touches, in a way that I could paint for her portrait.

I entered a beautiful glen with a river surrounded by trees of Fall colors.  The river spoke to me and told me that Shana receives Universal knowledge.
Shana conveyed to me that all of Nature was full of energy – horse energy and others, and that everything is connected.  That the spirits of all who have ever been and gone, are still here in the fibers of the world.  That we can learn to understand that spirits are not as intangible as we believe – our limited perception of them almost as like “air” , but rather they are in every rock and tree and river and leaf, the cells and the molecules and the fiber of nature. 

I asked Shana if we could know more about her own essence, and she lifted her head high up, and a human-like form of light emerged from her throat and neck and chest, as if she had metamorphosed for a moment into an angel.  She told me she is an earthly counterpart of the Archangel Raphael.

 
Nicole later shared with me that all this was so significant because many people are drawn to touch or be near Shana’s neck and chest – and that Shana will maneuver herself to intentionally put people there.  That her hair is so soft there it is almost unreal…

Later Shana’s breeder, Barb, told me the name Shana  means “God is gracious”…. 

Nicole Birkholzer is an Equine Inspired Personal Coach visit her website at www.birchwoodfarm.us

Nicole Birkholzer and I are offering a play shop September 10th – 13th at Birchwood Farm Westhampton, MA entitled “The Art of Attunement” Aligning with Horses and Nature through Art, Movement, and Meditation
for more information visit www.birchwoodfarm.us

This week’s inspiration flowed out of me late one night as I pondered our connection to our beloved horses who have passed on, and to the horse spirits who call to our souls.  The mystery of  our connection with horses is elusive as it is tangible. Much like the process of writing or art.  Creativity is unformed until we express it, and then the expression just takes us deeper into the mystery.

Someone asked me recently how I came up with my inspirational writings each week, and I told them that when I look at a collection of my paintings one will catch my eye and then I know there is something in me that wants to emerge.  I sit and wait for it and then words start to come.  This is how I’ve always written, even as a child. 

I remember sitting down to write my first poem at the age of 9 or so, and feeling the need to express some unspoken feelings that weren’t in the form of a conversation, or a story – but rather in as few words as possible to convey the meaning. 

I hope you will share your own insights into connecting with horses spirits…
 

“The Legend”
In the dark of night
a magic awakens
the veil is lifted
and for a short time
horse spirits walk the earth…

They call to our hearts
in the language of dreams

If you listen closely
you will hear them

If you wait patiently
you will feel them

Then, in wonderment and joy
you will remember

And until you meet again
the stars will shine
with new meaning…

"The Legend" by Kim McElroy available at www.spiritofhorse.com as a signed giclee print ~ available in 4 sizes

Insights into “The Legend”

“The Legend” was originally created as an illustration for a toy series and children’s book called “The Legend of the Night Mares” www.wildheartranch.com.  When I read author Dawn Van Zant’s story of 3 mares escaping capture by climbing a mystical path to the stars, her evocative story inspired me to visualize this painting in its entirety.  I then knew it was an inspiration who’s time had come.

 Leanin’ Tree Greeting cards originally published this image as a sweet card celebrating pursuing one’s dreams.  Then later they released it as a horse sympathy card with the phrase… heaven has welcomed a new angel.

 “The Legend” has become a powerful symbol that represents two themes.  To some, it represents our mysterious connection to the spirits of horses. 
As horseman Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling so aptly describes in the documentary “The Path of the Horse” – throughout history and culture – horses have always represented the line between the mystical world and the tangible one. 

To others who have lost a beloved horse, it is a poignant vision of the veil between worlds, and a faith that horse spirits return to that mystical place.  And perhaps come back again…

Listen…
Do you hear the echo of angels?
In my eyes you see spheres of ancient messages
Pools of infinity
Reflect trickles of thought.

If you but open the reservoir
The water of life would flow between us.
Carrying eddies of emotion.
Quenching the thirst for connectedness.
You float on the surface
Of the depths of the soul
If you have the courage to dive
You will find the riches you seek.
~ Kim McElroy

available at www.spiritofhorse.com

Awareness Insights

To me this horse’s eye captures so many things. There is a flicker of hope and a shadow of sadness. There is a distant past and a vivid present. There is insight and awareness, and most of all, the irrevocable feeling that horses like this one have an Awareness that extends beyond mere reaction to the present moment, and into realms of memories and echoes of experiences that we cannot fathom, and which he can only convey through his expressions and his movements. We are ever drawn into the mystery, and allure of the horse.

My art has always been about connecting and communicating with others who feel as I do about horses and life.  In this painting, the spirits of horses combine with the waves as a tangible reminder of the energetic power and wisdom in Nature. I hope you feel as I do about the mysteries of horses and the sea…
~ Kim

“Night Run” Nine horses running in the crest, two appearing in the mist”

Custom signed prints of “Night Run” available at www.spiritofhorse.com

From the distant corners of the earth… we have come

Across the oceans of time… we have come

Horses…

Horses…

Horses…

We are ancient myth

Formed of salt and water

Earth and air

Feel us as the stillness in the air after a storm

Hear us as the roaring waves of a thousand hoofbeats

We have come to fulfill our destiny

Join us…

Night Run Insights

All my life I have been fascinated with the unseen, with spirits, and with hidden images in aspects of nature.

I grew up in the city of Long Beach – where the only touch of nature was a calm breakwater beach bereft of shells, or digging clams in the mud by concrete piers. The weather a mild sunny constant and the rain only smelling of wet pavement.

Then my parents bought vacation property on the Hood Canal in Washington State. In contrast, Washington was a lush wilderness that filled me with fascination. I loved the dense mysterious woods, miles of oyster beaches and the tide pools, rivers, and waterfalls. The gentle rain had the smell of green, and the sky was as complex a world as the woods, with its dark cloud formations in layers of light and shadow. The sunsets lit up the clouds over snow-capped mountains, and reflected on the brilliant water. There I reveled in Nature’s mysteries of the salmon spawning, and eagles and deer were a common encounter.

I would often find driftwood on the beach and see in it the shapes of dragons and sea creatures. My skill at carving the driftwood wasn’t satisfying enough, so I turned to drawing the creatures in the wood. Always my desire to draw was a desire to reveal to myself and to others, what I could perceive.

This love of Nature and what I could see and feel in her presence was the true beginning of the “Horses in the Elements” series. When I saw the horses in the waves that inspired “Night Run” I hearkened back to the magic of my childhood, when I could see dragons in driftwood, and almost hear the voice of the sea.

Kim McElroy