“A deeper integration of body, mind, and spirit sometimes emerges through an illness or accident. Healing requires accessing the wisdom behind the wound.”
The Way of the Horse by Linda Kohanov
A few weeks ago, during a heartfelt photo shoot with Joy Coach Jillian Schecher, the Chiron archetype showed up when pulling cards from Linda Kohanov’s Way of The Horse series. The cards center on equine archetypes for self-discovery and revealing what needs to be known here and now. Chiron is a mythical centaur known for holistic healing of body, mind and soul. He is often thought of as a wounded healer, i.e. someone who transmuted his pain into deep gifts for healing others.
The healers, counselors, therapists and care providers in various forms – all of you light workers – probably felt a surge of energy reading these words. In the chaos of COVID living without the familiar certainties, some of us slowed down, looked inward and maybe uncovered some personal truths. The shifts granted me space for true intention setting, soul growth and reconnecting with what mattered. Mindful Mare Wellness was birthed from my wish to share mindful presence and horse medicine with those who need it. It meant taking a deep breath in and speaking my truth, to be seen in this way despite the self-doubts threatening to sabotage the process. And it then meant living my truth in every moment, including with patients and clients.
Take a moment to lean into how you feel when you are with clients. Do you feel authentic, centered and speaking from a place of alignment with your values? Do you need to lean in further or pull back? And as you venture into the shadows of client worlds, you make a choice about whether you are willing to do your own inner work. Are you willing to “(access) the wisdom behind the wound”? When you can explore your hurt and triggers, that inner light expands so brightly it is impossible to dim it down completely ever again.
What does accessing wound wisdom look like for you? Is it listening to your feelings, gut instincts about a situation or that muscle twitch that won’t go away? Is it accepting that you feel drained or an old trauma memory is being reactivated for you? Is it being kind enough to rest and replenish? Horse medicine can help you access this wisdom.
Horses offer us their medicine in many ways, including helping you feel safe enough in the Equine Presence to lean into your wounds and vulnerabilities when the time is right. Horses don’t let you lie to yourself. They sense your body language to read your truth. Your projections, strengths and wounds are accessible in their presence if you are ready to receive this knowledge. They don’t judge or turn away from you as you discover these things, provided you honour their dignity and sentience during the process. Safeguarding horse dignity is just one of the responsibilities of the equine facilitated wellness practitioner facilitating you on this inquiry.
In fact, horses can teach us how to appreciate the strength of wound wisdom in their own stories. You may encounter horses who have their own emotional and physical wounds and have transcended them. Stella, a senior horse in our program, is an exceptional part of the therapy program at Mindful Mare because she radiates dignity and strength despite her share of health struggles. As Linda shares in the Chiron section of her book, “when we recognize and nourish the gifts behind their wounds, horses reveal themselves to be strong, capable, whole – and we can’t help but be transformed in the process.”
Sitting with your shadows, and recognizing your gifts as you bravely explore the wounds, sometimes takes a village of like-minded healers. Maybe it involves reaching out to someone you trust and saying those words, “I need help right now, please help me.” Or maybe you need to be on your own for this phase of the journey. Sit with yourself, lean into the feelings and know what is needed right now. Holistic healing on emotional, spiritual and physical levels is a gift all healers deserve to give themselves.
If you hear this call and want to get more grounded, or take the next step on your healing journey, remember Chiron’s words: “where you are deeply wounded can paradoxically hold the seeds of (your) greatest gifts.” Take a pause and listen. Receive what arises and hold it with kindness, bringing it up to the light and remember you don’t have to do this alone. If you are curious about partnering with our herd to access these insights, we welcome inquiries at mindfulmarewellness@gmail.com. Perhaps our journeys will align!
Love,
Shreyasi
Founder and Lead Mental Health Therapist at Mindful Mare Wellness
