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