Here in the Journal of Ravenseyrie, we have often discussed the differences between training practices that are based on dominator models versus those which are partnership driven.
The dominator model supposes a higher authority which demands that the more intelligent human dictates what the horse's needs are and sets an agenda that the horse must submit to--an agenda which more often than not is a method based on strict tradition where innovation is only reluctantly embraced if it fosters the same results gained by dogmatic principles.
A recent view from the "Top of the World" spot at RavenseyrieIn the partnership model, the role of the human and horse are more flowing...sometimes the human leads the agenda, other times the horse does, with the roles being cooperatively interchanged depending upon the moment in time and what the situation presents. The partnership model uses intuition and relationship enhancement as it's foundation and while it is aware of and sometimes makes use of traditional concepts (either in care or training), it is never bound or limited by them.
These same differences in philosophy and practice have been present in humans' approach to health care since ancient times and has been the subject of many a comparative analysis.
A view from down at the Ravenseyrie beach, looking up toward the bluff while a Raven flies overhead
There's just something shamanic about these Ravenseyrie rocks...In today's entry, I'll tell Bella's story, and in a day or two will follow up with Altamrio's story. Before sharing about Bella, I'd like to relay some quotes from the book Reclaiming Our Health by John Robbins, which will more succinctly illuminate the different approaches to health care.
"When patients are expected to be subservient and compliant, this is dominator medicine. When obstetricians are trained to intervene in normal births with piton and fetal monitors rather than patiently supporting women's natural rhythms, this is dominator medicine. When children are pharmaceutically subjugated and healthy alternatives ignored, this is dominator medicine. When normal life events are medicalized, and drugs prescribed to mask problems that have been slow to respond readily to lifestyle approaches, this is dominator medicine."
"In ancient Greece, doctors worked under the patronage of Asklepios, the male god of medicine, while healers served Asklepios' daughter, the radiant Hygeia, goddess of health."
Quoting the eminent physician, Rene Dubos, Robbins included this explanation of the way both Asklepios and Hygeia are reflected in modern times:
"The myths of Hygeia and Asklepios symbolize the never-ending oscillation between two different points of view in medicine. For the worshippers of Hygeia, health is the natural order of things, a positive attribute to which people are entitled if they govern their lives wisely. According to them, the most important function of medicine is to discover and teach the natural laws which will ensure a person a healthy mind in a healthy body...[on the other hand], the followers of Asklepios believe that the chief role of the physician is to treat disease, to restore health by correcting any imperfections caused by accidents of birth or life."
Continuing his own writing on the subject, Robbins adds:
"In our medical system today, the followers of the Asklepian way utterly dominate those of The Hygeian. And yet, we may soon find ourselves needing the Hygeian tradition more than ever, for it is from this lineage that we can learn how to create health, and how to reown the powers of naturally healing ourselves. Alternative medicine is where most of the followers of the Hygeian tradition can be found today, teaching us the use of natural and inexpensive things such as herbs, hot and cold water, and how to prepare natural and wholesome food. They are reminding us of the power of our attitudes. They are helping us to take responsibility for our lives and to take charge of our health. They are telling us to exercise, to play as well as to work, to be intuitive and artistic as well as rational and logical." (pg. 319)
It has been relatively easy for Kevin and I to trust in the natural processes of Hygeia. As you can imagine with fourteen primitive horses, two domestic horses and three draft mules--all living in a rugged wilderness environment in various networks of herd relationships, the opportunity to experience the rapid healing of scrapes, cuts, abrasions, bruises, etc. has occurred on more than one occasion.
"Anyone who doubts the body's ability to heal itself should pay attention to wound healing. It is a splendid way to learn the nature of the process and gain confidence in it as an innate capacity."
"The list of substances recorded as wound treatments throughout history seems endless. A few of them may actually retard healing; most probably do nothing one way or the other. Some like honey and malachite, may reduce the chance of infection. The fact is that most wounds heal with or without treatment."
"Always, healing proceeds as best it can given the circumstances of its occurrence."
These quotes are from the Harvard trained medical doctor, Andrew Weil, in his very educative book, Health and Healing.
We humans do like to make our horses feel better and desire to speed up healing, but in normal situations, given the right environment the horses' abilities to heal themselves is more than sufficient, without recourse to micromanaging the healing process with our modern medical interventions and running the risk of disrupting the horse's naturally occurring responses.
To chance upon an exquisite example of "Fairy Ring" style mushrooms while looking for Bella was surely a good omen.But what of some acute physiological disturbance or deeper injury--can Hygeia be trusted or is one better served by the swift and direct action of Asklepios?
Let's explore a recent frightening situation that Bella went through.
On March 28th of this year, Bella gave birth to Pinoteia. On April the 4th, Bella came into her foal heat and was covered by Altamiro. I have no further heat cycles recorded on my calendar, and the appearance of Bella throughout the spring and summer was that of a settled mare.
Here is Bella in early summer, looking like a contented pregnant mare, alongside BelinaOn September 20th, I noticed that Bella looked amazingly fit! She had lost the low round abdomen, was tucked up behind the girth area, had a certain bloom to her hair coat and an added brightness to her eyes. She looked the way mares look after foaling. I suspected she had aborted her fetus and had Kevin come out to assess her body state, lest my eyes were playing tricks on me.
On September 23, Bella was lethargic and her rear-end was completely covered with runny manure. While she came up for breakfast oats, she didn't stay eating for long, but instead walked off to the side, cocked a hip and took up a standing rest position. Quite frequently, she would raise her tail and squirt out brackish liquid manure. It was not black and overtly foul smelling, but it was clearly was not a normal excavation of the bowels. I suspected she had eatien some toxic plant which prompted the abortion of the fetus and some secondary condition or digestive upset was resulting in this episode of diarrhea. This being our first experience with diarrhea in a horse, I went right to my books to see what they had to say about the symptoms I was documenting and what manner of treatment might be suggested.
In her book, Emergency!, Dr. Karen Hayes offers these thoughts regarding diarrhea in the mature horse:
"The sudden onset of diarrhea--true diarrhea--in an adult horse is never anything less than an emergency...If diarrhea strikes your adult horse, you should become immediately alarmed."
Yes! I was now certainly alarmed, more than ever after reading this!
Dr. Hayes differentiates diarrhea from occasional loose stools:
"Diarrhea, however, is characterized not only by excessive water in the stool, but also by a significant increase in the frequency of bowel movements...You might also notice that the manure doesn't have its usual pleasant, earthy aroma but smells soured and fermented, or more like dog feces...In most cases, along with diarrhea, the horse might also show signs of general malaise: a droopy, depressed demeanor, lack of appetite, and fever (although fever is often missing if the diarrhea is the result of poisoning instead of an infection). Colic (nonspecific belly pain) is another common finding regardless of the diarrhea's underlying cause."
In Bella's case, there was no apparent fever (though I didn't take a rectal temperature) and no signs of belly pain, but she was definitely demonstrating a lack of appetite and depressed demeanor.
According to Dr. Hayes, when the mature horse has a case of diarrhea it reveals a digestive system that is excessively inflamed and secreting all manner of caustic liquids with a major disruption of the usual processes of the intestines:
"The result is a rapid and profound upset of the horse's water and electrolyte balance, and depending on how rapidly it takes place, it can be life threatening before the day is over."
Gasp!
There is a list of procedures that Dr. Hayes says the "sharp veterinarian" would undertake, which includes laboratory tests to identify any infectious organisms, correct the loss of water and electrolyte balance, administer an "antiinflammatory/antiprostaglandin/antiendotoxin/anti-fever medication such as Banamine if indicated", administer Pepto-Bismol or other such soothing medicine, if it has been determined a poisoning has occurred give an antidote if available, give antibiotics and probiotics if a bacterial culprit is determined, institute a quarantine if necessary and "take steps to prevent founder, a common sequel to diarrhea".
Here is our stoic Bella, not feeling well, but alert and interactive (note the tension in her jaw and lips)The book suggests what to do while waiting for the veterinarian's arrival some of which are to take vital signs, listen to gut sounds (or lack thereof) offer small amounts of food to determine appetite interest and offer three buckets of water, one plain, one with baking soda added and one with electrolytes mixed in.
"If he's so sick that he's refusing to drink or eat, he needs intravenous fluids and electrolytes. The combination of diarrhea (massive losses) with refusal to replace those losses is a deadly one."
Let's look at my other reference book, the Horse Owner's Veterinary Handbook by James M. Giffin, M.D. and Tom Gore, D.V.M. They provide references to diarrhea on many pages which are devoted to situations which often prompt loose bowels, such as tainted food, poisoning, bacterial infection, parasitic infection, etc. and they distinguish between "acute" or "chronic" diarrhea.
"Diarrhea of sudden onset indicates an infectious disease or an acute poisoning. Poor-quality feed, spoiled feed, and ingested irritants do not cause diarrhea in horses as they do in animals with shorter digestive tracts. When diarrhea is profuce, watery, explosive, foul-smelling, dark green to black, blood-tinged, or bloody, the horse is suffering from infectious colitis. Salmonellosis is the most likely cause because it is the most common...Less common causes of acute diarrhea include arsenic and lead poisoning, equine viral arteritis, selenium toxicity, plant poisoning, blister beetle poisoning, and peritonitis. Treatment is directed at the cause of the diarrhea."
Kevin and I discussed what to do...should we call out the veterinarian, or is this something that we can allow to run its course, providing whatever support Bella herself indicates is necessary?
Based on Bella's willingness to eat (albeit at a vastly reduced amount), her capacity to keep up with the herd, her interactive and seemingly positive attitude, along with mild weather conditions, we decided against calling upon veterinarian assistance. Our decision included the concerns we had over what impact veterinary intervention would have on Bella psychologically as well as physically. We were worried the manner of treatment discussed in my books and on various veterinary websites was, itself, potentially damaging to the already distressed digestive system Bella had, and that also such "helpful", interfering medicines would leave behind residual elements that could have a negative influence on the environment and the other horses. Another concern we had was for the impact these chemicals could have on Bella's nursing filly, Pinoteia. Overall we believed in Bella's strong capacity for self-healing and that the Ravenseyrie habitat would provide all that she needed to return to a healthy state of being. Though she was obviously ill, the intuitive perception we both felt radiating out from Bella herself was that this was an episode she was well equipped to work through with minimal support from her human friends. She wanted us to be around for her, but also wanted to show us her own capacity for doing what she needed to do to feel well again. Kevin and I reaffirmed our partnership with the landscape, with Bella and with the ever-present oversight of Hygeia...we decided to monitor Bella as closely as we could without removing her from her herd mates or her environment.
"For several hundred years there has been a bias in Western education against the intuitive approach in medicine and science. Intuition, imagination, and instinct are relegated to art or religion. There it is permissible to use such faculties. While one can appreciate the need for objective observation and analytical study, the use of these methods alone, as if they were the only true measures of reality, in and of itself, is an inherently sick and flawed condition. It skews the human organism by rendering obsolete skills and faculties it has always relied upon to contend with environmental and internal stress."
"The self-healing mechanism of the organism counteracts environmental stress. It takes an action in one direction and then a reaction in the opposite direction to contend with the stress and return to the healthy mean or homeostasis...As long as the organism is able to act and react it will be able to recover from disease. Problems arise when it gets stuck in either polarity."--Matthew Wood from his book, The Practice of Traditional Western Herbalism
Would you like to know what Bella did to make herself well again?
Bella was careful to eat less and in very small quantities when she did eat.
Bella drank copious amounts of water, which due to the heavy rains the island had recently experienced was easy to access almost anywhere in the open grasslands.
Bella spent long periods of time at the mineral block, licking and gnawing at it. One morning, she was there for almost 25 minutes!
Bella sought out the bark of a fallen Poplar tree and was observed selecting the flowering tops of Goldenrod. Both which are mentioned in my herbal books as having a beneficial effect on the digestive tract in the case of diarrhea. There may have been other plants she selected to which she consumed when I was not there to observe her.
The diarrhea lasted for three days, each day becoming less. Bella would seem strongest in the early evening and some times would stay with the herd, while other times she sought a secluded area to rest.
One morning she came up for breakfast covered in bite marks and was quite determined to avoid Altamiro...unfortunately she was also (poor dear!) exhibiting signs of a heat cycle which was prompting Altamiro to pester her for copulation rights. She managed to deflect his advances--obviously whatever arguing they had done over the evening had left an impression on Altamiro that his lady indeed "had a headache" and was not interested in providing sexual favors.
Probably because of her desire to avoid Altamiro, on September 26 Bella kept herself well separated from the family band and I would go looking for her, bringing with me a small amount of oats mixed with compressed alfalfa cubes, carefully broken up into easy to ingest morsels. I always found her, and she always nickered a greeting and walked up to meet me. Some days she ate more than others. Some days Pinoteia was with her, other days Pinoteia was with the herd. I had noticed at the beginning of the illness that Bella's udder had shrunk considerably, along with her losing a tremendous amount of weight in a short period of time. While I was pleased that the diarrhea had ceased to be an issue, I was still concerned over how little time Bella spent grazing and how much time she preferred to be alone, standing at rest.
On September 30th Bella rejoined the herd and was much, much better--once again her somewhat domineering, regal self!
Here Kevin let's Bella know how happy he is that she has recovered and rejoined the herd.
You can see the weight loss especially well when observing Bella from the rear. (Altamiro, left, with Bella on right) But, no worries, she's already putting pounds back on and doing very well!Bella's illness lasted one week, or ten days if we count the day I noticed she had lost her pregnant belly. During her recovery, there were many little things I did to assist in supporting Bella heal herself. I stimulated Bella's "Tien Chu" point as suggested in the book Healing Hands, written by Dominque Giniaux, D.V.M. and translated from the original French to English by Jean-Claude Racinet. I used damp grasses to clean Bella's soiled hindquarters and gave her massages and itches in all the areas she presented to me as needing attention. And of course I would seek her out and bring her special small meals as explained above.
In addition to the more normal ministrations, I also undertook more meditative support: I would light medicinal Tibetan incense while at work in the studio and send her a mental message of healing. I would also devote my Tai Chi practice to thoughts of healing for Bella. When Kevin and I would have our evening meals we would raise our glasses of wine in a toast to Bella's full recovery. These meditative supports may seem like so much quackery--I don't much care what readers might think of them--they made me feel closer to Bella and provided a connection between her and I throughout the entire episode whether I was physically with her or not, and for me that has tremendous merit, even if it seems just plain silly to others.
Bella. with Pinoteia, feeling good once again!This is actually Bella's second abortion. The first one occurred in October of 2008, while she was still nursing her firstborn colt, Animado. Just as she did this time around, she "caught" on her foal heat when Altamiro covered her and we only knew that she had aborted the foal because she came into heat that autumn after having not cycled the rest of spring and summer. She did not suffer any residual illness from that abortion.
Had Bella carried this year's fetus to term, she would have been delivering her baby in February--not a good time for a newborn on the island. So all in all, I trust that the loss of this fetus was to Bella's benefit, despite the illness she suffered after the fact. And how great of her to show us that Hygeia is alive and well and overseeing the healing processes at Ravenseyrie!
20 comments:
Having had the experiences both of delivering babies in the hospital with a conventional medical staff, and at home with a doula or a midwife, I well know the negative effects of modern medicine. The psychological effect on the patient is particularly damaging - it induces a feeling of helplessness and passivity.
It's also true that people living a healthy, natural lifestyle can die of all sorts of diseases, especially in childhood, so although I totally agree with you about the way you handled Bella, I think there's a place for allopathic medicine. I just wish the allopathic medical establishment would cultivate a little virtue called humility.
I do feel sorry for horses, such as mine, who are confined to pastures with very little variety of plants to eat. It's great that Bella was able to find what she needed. I'm considering letting an area grow up with whatever grows up, so that the horses can have some choice about what to eat.
ps. Beeoooootiful photos of Manitoulin!!!!!
Thank you for this thoughtful and thought provoking article, Lynne. It is a huge topic -- enough to fill several books, I'm sure.
Certainly there are some things allopathic medicine does well -- reconstructive surgery, for example.
But eliminating symptoms of disease with drugs or surgery is NOT at all the same thing as restoring health. Take gallbladder disease as an example: surgical removal of the gallbladder is the standard treatment. With the gallbladder gone, the patient is considered "cured." That strikes me as a little insane.
The fact is, allopathic medicine does not study health... it studies disease and symptoms of disease. Anyone seeking health is well-advised to look to a different paradigm...
Thank you for this thoughtful and thought provoking article, Lynne. It is a huge topic -- enough to fill several books, I'm sure.
Certainly there are some things allopathic medicine does well -- reconstructive surgery, for example.
But eliminating symptoms of disease with drugs or surgery is NOT at all the same thing as restoring health. Take gallbladder disease as an example: surgical removal of the gallbladder is the standard treatment. With the gallbladder gone, the patient is considered "cured." That strikes me as a little insane.
The fact is, allopathic medicine does not study health... it studies disease and symptoms of disease. Anyone seeking health is well-advised to look to a different paradigm...
Dear Lynne,
This is an impressive story. You are so lucky to live with your horses in a place where they have access to so much plants and herbs. And your horses are lucky too, to have human friends that trust in them and their ability to heal themselves. I can imagine there are times when it is extremely difficult do decide whether you interfere or not.
You want to know something funny? When Rudolf gets a scratch or a wound I always want to “do” something for him. Most times I wash his wound with clean water and put some Green clay or Calendula on it. After reading your article I thought about this. His wounds always heal well, but maybe that is not necessarily because of my help but despite of it.
I think that I treat Rudolf’s wounds mostly to feel better myself. I hate it when he hurts or when he is uncomfortable and it feels good to be able to fuss over him a bit. I think it makes him feel good too. He always seems to enjoy my efforts very much. But frankly I don’t think he really needs my efforts to heal at all. These wounds/scratches would probably heal perfectly well even if I did not treat them.
Of course there are situations when you have to do something, but maybe not as much as I think.
Miek
Lynne that is a great account of what must have been an anxious time for you. How wonderful that the environment of Ravenseyrie provides such a wide variety of vegetation for the horses. I completely get why you connected with Bella through different meditative practices. I am absolutely sure they were of merit to Bella too.
My apologies to June and other readers who might get the impression that I consider allopathic medicine to be of no value...rather, I simply feel it is used far too frequently for things that really would do better under a different approach. It has made humans feel that nature is flawed, that healing comes from white-coated medical practitioners and direct acting, manipulative pharmaceuticals, rather than from our own innate capacity to recover and become stronger for having supported our bodies own natural capacity for healing.
If one of our horses comes to me with a gaping wound that will not heal without having a veterinarian stitch it up, you can be sure that Kevin and I will give the good D.V.M. our heartfelt blessing to work his brand of magic...though we'd likely not follow up with the prescription drugs he's sure to prescribe as essential to the healing process.
Misdiagnosis, medical errors and especially prescription drugs are some of the leading causes of death in humans...in fact, earlier this year ScienceDaily had an article about the damage this type of modern medicine is doing...here's a quote from the article: "Deaths and hospitalizations associated with prescription drug misuse have reached epidemic proportions," said the study's lead author, Jeffrey H. Coben, MD, of the West Virginia University School of Medicine. "
It's my hope modern medicine acknowledges it is causing more harm than good these days and comes to understand disease in a holistic way and educates, liberates and empowers patients to conduct their lives in ways that support natural health, instead of labeling most everything a disease and using medicine as a war weapon making patients dependent on vaccinations and prescription drugs-- then I will not be so suspicious of institutional medical practitioners.
June wrote:
"I'm considering letting an area grow up with whatever grows up, so that the horses can have some choice about what to eat."
I think this is a good start to empowering your horses to heal themselves, June. You might check out what naturally occurring medicinal plants are in your area, collecting seeds and scattering them among your own pastures. This however would be dangerous if the pastures your horses have access to are overgrazed...in a case like that, horses are prone to eating too much of medicinal herbs, simply because they are hungry and the stuff is the only thing left growing within reach.
The other option is to undertake a study of equine herbal medicine. There are a educative books and online sources for herbs to help in this regard. My hesitancy against equine herbal medicine is that one still is reliant upon a human determining what type of herb and in what amount a horse needs. I feel if all possible, it is best to allow the horse to choose for herself what "medicine" she'd like to ingest, and all the better if it is something naturally growing in her own environment, as opposed to some exotic plant from Asia.
And of course it is not just herbs that horses seek out, but branches, barks, roots, even soil.
We humans thought we could take horses out of the natural world and supply them with limited types of hay, grains, & minerals of our own determining and expect them to thrive and not be negatively impacted both on the physical and mental levels--but now we know a lot of the things we need veterinarians for are precisely because of the type of equine husbandry we were trained to employ with our horses.
I feel like an awakening is occurring and that good things will come of learning from our errors.
Kris wrote:
"The fact is, allopathic medicine does not study health... it studies disease and symptoms of disease. Anyone seeking health is well-advised to look to a different paradigm..."
I agree. And it has really made us humans become adulterated in how we feel about health. When we find ourselves feeling unwell, or we feel pain from stubbing our toe, rather than waiting for healing to come on its own, we go right to our physicians--first to diagnose us and then to medicate us so that we can feel that we have been properly taken care of by our medical god. We are in the habit of reaching for medications for every little thing and for not believing we are okay unless the doctor says we are.
But as strong as that modern medicine tree appears, its rotted inside and a big wind is sure to knock it over in time...
Miek wrote:
"I hate it when he hurts or when he is uncomfortable and it feels good to be able to fuss over him a bit. I think it makes him feel good too. He always seems to enjoy my efforts very much."
It's so true, Miek--and I am the same way, to be sure. I definitely believe our animals appreciate it when we try to help them feel better, even more so when we find ways to help them feel better that aren't unpleasant like so many modern veterinary procedures are.
Each time Kevin and I go through natural healing experiences with our animals (or ourselves) we realize that very little of what professes to be good medicine is actually good or necessary for one to be healthy.
Certainly all of us feel better just knowing someone in our lives cares for us and desires to help us feel good.
Love is, indeed, the best medicine of all.
Maire wrote:
"How wonderful that the environment of Ravenseyrie provides such a wide variety of vegetation for the horses."
We are ever thankful for this, Maire, and it is one reason why we do not want to chop Ravenseyrie up into separate pastures as a means of population control--it would limit the medicinal offerings, among other negative effects. All the horses go wide and far over the landscape seeking out specific areas to graze, sleep, play, etc. The bountiful offerings at the tips of their muzzles in all these different regions are not to be underestimated, nor is the impetus for movement throughout the day itself, which too, is part of their natural health regime.
Your track systems seeks to approximate this type of movement and variety and I think it can be very helpful in lieu of a wide open mixed habitat.
"I completely get why you connected with Bella through different meditative practices. I am absolutely sure they were of merit to Bella too."
Thank you for writing this, Maire. Surely cultivating mindfulness at the very least can do no harm...and like you, I believe it actually creates a beneficial effect even if it cannot be scientifically duplicated or explained.
Here is a book I haven't read yet, but the online ad for it sums up pretty well why I feel better not putting all my eggs in the allopathic basket:
"Death by Modern Medicine" was written by Dr. Carolyn Dean MD, ND, and Trueman Tuck, Rights Advocate, and goes far beyond the statistics of deaths due to drugs. It shows how the allopathic medical monopoly has created a Health Care system that fails to encourage good health, especially by prevention. "Death by Modern Medicine" documents the tales of propaganda, health care bureaucracy, and the focus on profits instead of healing. It shows, statistically, that the number 1 killer in North America, is in fact, one of the most heavily regulated products, services and facilities industry in North America - The Allopathic Medical Disease Industry.
Like Kris said, it is a"huge topic" and I'm not likely doing it justice...but I do think it is helpful to know that natural healing is still alive and well and can be trusted if allowed to flower in the right environment.
There have been some truly incredible studies done about the spiritual and emotional connections that humans share with their animals. Not that science need-be dragged into everything... just that those who think connectedness is a hoax could perhaps be proven otherwise.
I routinely take a few moments at work to sit quietly and think about my horses with love and health on my mind. Within about fifteen seconds of opening my eyes, my phone is always ringing. My husband calls, asking if I was thinking about the horses. According to him, they all look up, down the road, come together, and then resume grazing.
How powerful!
Again Lynne, thank you so much for allowing us this beautiful glimpse into your world.
I am sending thoughts of love and beauty to the entire herd... especially Bella. I know their inner strength and purpose can carry them through almost anything, but certainly some loving thoughts can't hurt. ;-)
I hope you are well also, Lynne.
Yes - have you read "Dogs Who Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home" by Rupert Sheldrake? (I hope I got that right)
You have the courage of your convictions and believe in the innate abilities the creator has provided for all of us. . . if only we could all believe in the knowledge our bodies have for self-healing! When appropriate, it is best to allow our bodies to heal, and to "get out of the way" so to speak!!
I am sending this today to friends and family who will be captivated by this exciting account of a very emotionally charged time for you, Kevin, and the horses. . . I am sure anxiety prevailed in the herd as well!
Thank you for sharing this.
Tanya wrote:
"I routinely take a few moments at work to sit quietly and think about my horses with love and health on my mind. Within about fifteen seconds of opening my eyes, my phone is always ringing. My husband calls, asking if I was thinking about the horses. According to him, they all look up, down the road, come together, and then resume grazing."
Tanya, thank you for sharing your thoughts and this anecdote.
I'm sure you've noticed this works the other way too, meaning sometimes the horses are thinking about us and provoke a response from us.
For example, on more than one occasion I have "felt" strangely compelled to quit whatever I might be doing in the house and go look out the window, only to find a horse (or mule) at the fence staring intently into the very window I now appear in. Like a summons!
Of course, this prompts me, the well trained human to reward such a summons with a delectable treat and a few itches.
June wrote:
"Yes - have you read "Dogs Who Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home" by Rupert Sheldrake? (I hope I got that right)"
Pretty close, June, its DOGS THAT KNOW WHEN THEIR OWNERS ARE COMING HOME. All those great stories of the connections via morphic fields indeed reveal so many natural capacities that we have been culturally shaped to ignore.
I'll offer this quote from the book which resonates with our capacity to remain connected even when not in each others presence.
"Whatever explanations turn out to be the best, there is no doubt that we have much to learn from our dogs, cats, horses, parrots, pigeons, and other domesticated animals. They have much to teach us about social bonds and animal perceptiveness, and much to teach us about ourselves. The evidence I have been discussing in this book suggests that our own intentions, desires, and fears are not confined to our heads or communicated only through words and behavior. we can influence animals and affect other people at a distance. We remain interconnected with animals and people we are close to, even when we are far away. We can even affect people and animals by the way we look at them, even if they do not know we are there. We can retain a connection with our homes, however geographically distant we are. And we can be influenced by things that are about to happen in ways that defy our normal notions of causality. -- biochemist, Rupert Sheldrake pg. 281
Such things gives us a huge responsibility to be mindful in our thoughts and conduct.
Janet wrote:
"if only we could all believe in the knowledge our bodies have for self-healing! When appropriate, it is best to allow our bodies to heal, and to "get out of the way" so to speak!!"
So much of this "getting out of the way" would begin with changing our eating habits and becoming more physically active. Our modern lifestyles have sabotaged our bodies' capacities to be healthy. And, this concept of humans being separate from the rest of nature provokes a learned suspicion/aversion of nature and an enhanced reliance upon synthetic environments, which also sabotage our bodies' natural healing capacities. Arrgh, don't get me going...
There does seem to be a trend to bring together the best of allopathic and hygeian approaches to health, which is nice to see.
Thank you for reading, Janet, and for leaving your kind reply.
Hi Lynne,
Like June and others here,I find your pictures are beautiful, not to say addictive (like "Top of the world)
And like Kris, this topic is huge !
Lynne said:
"It's my hope modern medicine acknowledges it is causing more harm than good these days and comes to understand disease in a holistic way and educates, liberates and empowers patients to conduct their lives in ways that support natural health, instead of labeling most everything a disease and using medicine as a war weapon making patients dependent on vaccinations and prescription drugs-- "
I found an interesting article that speaks about " the zero point field" see:http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/8/the_amazing_promises_of_the_zero_point_field/
Here is an extract: "When I pray for people, they get better. Surely, the reverse is also true. I realise that it is in my own interest to treat my environment with care and respect. One way or another, we all carry the responsibility for the field that connects us all. And for the reality that we create together."
I think looking at the "Quantum physics" aspect is quite interesting.
Monica wrote:
"Like June and others here,I find your pictures are beautiful, not to say addictive (like "Top of the world)"
The "Top of the World" spot at Ravenseyrie has a certain magic, to be sure, and I am so pleased that you and others enjoy the pictures of our island environment.
Monica I followed the link and read the article on the Zero Point Field. We have no small number of books in our library that talk about bridging the gap between science and spirit and the fascinating potential for a shift in human perception now that quantum physics is getting more "mainstream" attention. I've put Lynne McTaggart's book, THE FIELD on my list of books to order.
Thank you for your input, Monica!
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