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| Destemido and Sedutor |
There is something about where I live that makes me feel less than human.
There is something about where I live that makes me not mind that feeling.
There is something about where I live that makes feeling less than human seem like more.
What I know about being "human" has been culture-shaped by the circumstances of my birth
And the "human superiority" world view of the people I have been raised among.
Where I live has taught me that what I know about being human has limited me as an experiential being.
Here in the wilderness, among the horses and the wind and the throbbing gnosis of the landscape,
What humans think of what it means to be human is of little interest.
So I set it aside, quite easily...
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| Altamiro |
Fascination comes from sensing no separation between that which sees through my eyes
And that which sees through the eyes of Altamiro,
And that which sees through air breathed in and breathed out,
And that which sees through the sensations of cold air up warm nostrils.
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| Esperanda |
Where I live one realizes thought comes with the entire body -
Whole body thinking.
Whole body thinking makes the brain subordinate.
Whole body taking in and giving out information,
Whole body making determinations of what action - or inaction is appropriate in the moment.
Where I live there is never a sense of boredom!
Where I live there is endless creativity,
Even (especially!) among the wandering grasses.
What a delight to be part of such poetry!
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| Fading and Ousado |
"Other animals, in a constant and mostly unmediated relation with their sensory surroundings, think with the whole of their bodies. A nuanced creativity is necessary to orient and forage in a world of ever-changing forces. Equipped with proclivities and patterned behaviours genetically inherited from its ancestors, each wild creature must nonetheless adapt such propensities to the elemental particulars of the place and moment where it finds itself--from an unexpected absence of water in the usual watering hole, to a sudden abundance of its favourite food. No matter how precise are the instructions tucked into its chromosomes, they can hardly have encoded, in advance, the exact topology of the present moment. And hence a modicum of creative engagement in its immediate circumstance is simply unavoidable for any organism that moves (whether an elephant or an amoeba)." --David Abram from BECOMING ANIMAL/An Earthly Cosmology
6 comments:
That being less than human is more...and here I thought I was the only one who had that figured out.
Lynn - I'm so glad that you're still here writing about Altamiro and his friends. The rest of us who were blogging when I first discovered your Journal seem to all have moved to other venues to write (in my case to Jenny Pearce (Australia)'s site. But you are keeping the flag flying there! You were the first place I found when I searched for Imke Spilker online after reading her book. And the rest is (continuing) history. Do you know what has happened to her site? It is no longer up, and she has zero online presence (as far as I can find) apart from her book.
Your inspiration and Spilker's (and others) have made it possible for me to succeed as a barefoot hoof trimmer. The level of communication possible with horses could not have happened without you guys. Thank you!
Thank you, “A Rigo” for sharing your comment. It reveals something marvellous about you, which I hope influences those humans in your orbit.
Hello June! A voice from the past! Yes, the Journal of Ravenseyrie remains active, but obviously much less so than before. Sometimes I have very much I want to say, to share, to provoke others into deeper thinking, etc. Mostly though, quite honestly, that which I feel I want to share is too often diminished by words, so I just breathe in and breath out and watch clouds roll by. Perhaps that is the same state of being Imke Spilker now finds herself in? I did not know she has chosen to remove her presence online, but I can sure feel the allure of that myself! I appreciate your words and wish you continued inspiration from meaningful sources, especially those non-human ones.
Hi, Lynne! Well, since posting yesterday, I heard from another source, who'd been in touch with her, that Imke is now Imke Nielson and has removed her Internet presence deliberately as she is moving in a fresh direction and doesn't want people to be looking backwards
. She plans to continue her work and offer coaching to people and horses. So hopefully in the near future we'll see what she's up to!
As for me and my horses, we recently came home to all live together again after being in Texas for 3 years with the horses being boarded. The horses want to meet and influence people, so I'm in the very early stages of trying to figure out a format to be able to offer this to them. We had a "Welcome Home, Horses!" party about a month after we moved back, and about 20 people came and mingled socially with them. The horses loved it, and George did some healing. How this is going to look going forward is an open question, but I think it's what we're supposed to do. Wish us luck!
Hi Lynne, I just found you today. I am going to buy Imke's book. It was recommended by Paulette Evans ~ I am a student of Ribbleton Attunement. I have a 6 yr old OTTB. I am his 5 th owner ~ unbelievable. I have had him for 16 mths. Quite a journey ~ he is taking me on this new journey ~ his name is Kokoda. I am grateful.
Whether you post or not there is so much for me to read and discover in your blog. It will take a while to catch up to 2018. Nonetheless ~ you are a lovely discovery. I live in Portland Oregon. Maybe one day I can visit you in Canada.
Gratitude! Anita Stark
Hello Anita Stark!
Apologies for the tardy reply to your comment.
I hope you by now have devoured Imke’s book and are exploring these new (I think, better) ways of relating with equines.
There is certainly a lot of history with our horses recorded in this Journal of Ravenseyrie and loads of photos. Enjoy!
Thank you for leaving your comment, I appreciate it!
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