Mystique - Prints available at www.spiritofhorse.com

“Mystique”

“I will rise from the fires of adversity
Alight with inspiration and purpose.

The light of my intuition
Dispels the darkness of doubt.

With a courageous heart
I move forward and trust
That love conquers all.”

~ Kim McElroy

Midnight Mystique was a black arabian colt born to author Linda Kohanov’s mare, Comet.  He was only on this earth for a few brief days, and he crossed over quietly on the night of the new moon.  His powerful spirit left its impression in many hearts.   I created this painting for Linda after a vision I had about Mystique, in which I was given the image of a phoenix, in a powerful symbol that portrayed his spirit in the elusive elements of fire, air, and smoke – black against black – like the night of a new moon.

“The rose in the fire symbolizes the daily round of human passion intersected by the divine, so that what could be meaningless suffering is transformed into soulmaking….”  ~ Marion Woodman

Today I’d like to write about some of the amazing visions and healing experiences that horses have inspired.  Next month on June 18-20 I will be co-creating a workshop with Sandra Wallin of Chiron’s Way in Maple Ridge, B.C. Canada, and this marks our first collaboration and the 5th Anniversary of my first enlightening experiences with horses at her centre….  For more information on our “Unseen Realms” Workshop – please click the Unseen Realms picture above:

Childhood Dreams

I spent my childhood wanting to be a horse, and then turned to drawing them as the best way to express who I thought horses were.  I had limited contact with horses, so my imagination supplied the rest.  I imagined that horses could think and feel as I did, and the mystery of their nature was often the focus of my thoughts and my art.

In 1995, when I acquired a horse of my own, the mystery deepened, because now I was not only looking at horses from afar and from within, but I had to attempt to engage with them physically.  This was challenging, because the horse I fell in love with, was a racehorse named Darma.  Our connection was unmistakable, but I didn’t realize that her presence in my life was going to be a catalyst for my own life changes and personal growth.

In 1999 I received a call from Linda Kohanov when she was writing her 1^st book, “The Tao of Equus”.  She had heard a story about Darma and I from an animal communicator.  The story related to the concept of horse’s behavioral issues reflecting their person’s life issues.  I was fascinated by the themes Linda was writing about.  When Linda’s book was published, her insights resonated with me and I longed to know more.  I had always been fascinated by the paranormal, and given my natural empathetic nature, my desire to communicate with horses was very strong.  But as yet I had not been able to achieve the experience of feeling that I could send or receive communication with horses or other animals.

Opportunities for Growth

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend a workshop that Linda herself was teaching along with Sandra Wallin and several other gifted facilitators at Chiron’s Way in B.C. Canada.   I thought I was attending this workshop to achieve a better understanding of horse nature and to tap into my intuition.  What I didn’t realize was that the key to those doors of understanding, was only available if I began healing my own inner nature.

One of the first experiences Linda led us through was what she calls a Body Scan.   in which a person close their eyes and becomes aware of their state of being.  Any physical sensations, mental pictures, feelings, or thoughts are observed without judgment, and as sources of wisdom and information.

In my Mind’s Eye

Our first exercise was to meet all the horses at the workshop, and do the body scan and record our impressions with each horse.  Each horse was given a symbol marked on their enclosure, instead of a name to identify them, so we could be neutral in our impressions.

I approached a horse whose symbol was a swirl.  He stood on the other side of the paddock fence and regarded me with mild curiosity.  I closed my eyes and tried to let go of my critical mind.   I began to feel the curious sensation of feeling that my body was weighted down, but my mind felt like it was floating.  I became aware of sensations in my body.  The horse began pacing, I could hear his footfalls.  I focused on my body.  My right side felt strong and tense, my left side felt heavy and weak.  I could sense the split between the two halves of me as if they were out of alignment.  Gradually dim pictures began to emerge from the darkness behind my closed eyes.  As if seeing myself in a mirror – but simultaneously experiencing the actual tangible images in the reflection, I visualized myself split into two halves.  These halves seemed to appear as two different people.  My right side appeared as an armored male warrior standing strong and stoic.  My left side was a diminutive female curled in a position of helplessness and apathy.   If I focused on the mental pictures – I could switch my awareness from one figure to the other and could sense somehow – that they were a part of me, even though I had no idea what the pictures truly meant.  What struck me most powerfully – was that I could see these mental pictures – and that they seemed to have a message for me.  I also became acutely aware that being in the presence of this horse, was somehow going to help me understand more about these parts of me.

The two parts of me then appeared as if carved into a door.  The door opened inward and I saw other partitions, layered like files.  I got the impression I could as any question and get an answer.  I asked what the warrior part of me represented?  I felt rather than heard the word “Protection”.

Then there was a feeling of movement, and a feeling of distance, and then images started to appear of a mountain, and a distant path leading towards the mountain and some unknown destination.  Would this horse lead me there?  I felt ready to take the journey and as I realized this, the heaviness I had been feeling in my body lifted.

I opened my eyes.  I was very excited, was I really receiving communication from this horse?  Was I somehow tapping into some sort of memories?  Or were these pictures symbolic of what I was here to learn?

Afterward we gathered in small groups and compared our experiences.   I was astonished when my friend Connie reported that when she stood with the “swirl” horse, she had seen mountain, just as I had!   Her messages were different than mine, but we’d had the same image with the same horse.  This gave me some sense that there was meaning in what I had seen, that I really was somehow receiving imagery or messages from the horse.

These first experiences were profound and exciting, but also daunting.  How was I going to understand what these mysterious images and feelings meant?  And would it happen the next time I tried?

To be continued…

Fantasy

Full Circle

~ Kim McElroy

Leap of Faith

“Leap of Faith”

As you peer into the intangible darkness of the unknown

I will be there with you.
The darkness will become as soft as velvet.

The empty void will be filled with the warmth of our living breath.

Reawaken the love buried in your crystal heart

Watch it begin to glow like an iridescent sunrise

As the darkness of doubt

is dispelled by trust.

Transformation is only possible

if you shed the cocoon

of the worn and battered armor of your past perceptions

and emerge into the shining light

that is your true self.

~ Kim McElroy

E-Inspiration Poster available here

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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"Windwalker"

“Heart’s Desire”

There was a time when you knew your own heart,
and you followed it boldly into new adventure.
You have never lost that connection.
I have carried it for you through the storms of life.
You will remember what you were looking for.
It will appear in a glimmer of an inspiration,
an awakening of knowing,
or a ripple of excitement.
Those feelings are clues to the mystery of your heart’s desires.
Their guidance will lead you to paths
that would otherwise remain hidden.

~ 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

One day while staying at Connie’s ranch we had a break from the busy schedule and I spent an hour or so with Connie’s horses out in their field.  Connie’s horse, Chasta, is a honey colored mare who has a deep wisdom and sense of self.  As I lay on the bench by the pond, she graciously came over to me and gently nuzzled my torso and head.  I felt very peaceful and when I sat up I felt blessed that she had chosen to nap right next to me. 

I closed my eyes in contentment and a vision began forming.  I believe it was Chasta who communicated this message to me.  It was clear to me that the vision had many interpretations, but that it was especially appropriate for the experience our group was having in going out and reaching people to showcase the film and trying to raise human consciousness about horses.

Enlarged view here

Once there was a Being called the Beekeeper
He happily and diligently tended his hives
Only instead of bees, they were full of horses…
Horses of every size and shape, color and breed.

With the Beekeeper’s blessing,
One by one the horse beings left the hives.
They flew to the Earth realm, disguised as earthbound creatures
Only instead of seeking flowers, they sought human beings

The horses were most drawn to the humans that were open hearted
Only those humans could be pollinated with ideas and inspirations
With this miraculous partnership, the horses and humans thrived.

The horse beings are still working to this day…
Patiently waiting for more human beings to bloom
So they can continue to share their knowledge.
There is much to be done.

~ Kim McElroy

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

Davina and I started working together in 2005 when she contacted me to purchase a set of coasters of her favorite painting, “Shadow Dancer”.  From the very first time we met over the internet, we knew we were in sync with our love of horses and our artistic talents and our dreams of sharing our creative ideas with the world.

Davina has become an integral part of my business and my accomplishments, and I hers, and neither of us could have achieved as much without the other.  

I’d love to hear stories from you about how the love of the horse has inspired you to connect with wonderful people in your lives.  Or if you have stories of how dolphins and horses are linked in your minds and hearts…

 
We are linked
In the intricate web of life
With our joint momentum
We can move forward
With the energy of connection

The Water of our emotions
sustains us on the journey
The Sky of our dreams
gives us horizons to aim for
The Fire of our passions
gives us the fuel for our dreams
While the Earth
keeps us centered and grounded

We two – can go further than we would alone…

"Brother Earth, Sister Sea" custom signed prints available at www.spiritofhorse.com

“Brother Earth, Sister Sea” Insights

The story of the creation of this painting is another example of how connections with others can inspire beautiful things.  The idea for the painting was sparked by a conversation with a woman who was a collector of my work.  She shared that the horses hidden in the waves in my painting, “Night Run” (Shown May 11) reminded her of dolphins, and how her young daughter’s two favorite things were dolphins and horses.  This topic made me reflect that I too have always been drawn to dolphins, and I realized that the two seemed very similar in their behaviors and their mysterious connection with humans.  The next morning I was having breakfast with my mom at a local restaurant and the image of what would become “Brother Earth, Sister Sea” came completely formed into my mind.  I quickly sketched it on a napkin (as is the habit of artists when no other paper is handy!)

When I shared this painting over the years I had many fascinating discussions with people who shared their own stories of how closely dolphins and horses were connected.  One woman was a marine biologist and a horsewoman.  She shared how closely their social dynamics were and that she had used these insights in her work. She asked me why I had chosen to paint the Common Dolphin instead of the Bottlenose.  I said I felt the Common Dolphin’s face and body seemed more elegant and refined like the Arabian horse, and she said, “Yes, I always thought of Bottlenoses as like Quarter Horses!”