Written by: Dannie De Novo, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Horses are mystical beings. I grew up riding horses (and still ride today). I started out on ponies and slowly graduated to bigger animals with more and more physical ability. Each horse had its own talents, its own personality, and its own way of connecting with me.
These experiences over a lifetime have given me immeasurable value and taught me lesson after lesson. Horses are great teachers, just like the Universe.
Reflecting, I see how horses have mirrored the Universe in so many ways. I’d like to share with you three simple pearls of wisdom that both horse and Universe have imparted upon me.
1. You have to get on to actually ride
I can admire my beautiful horse as much as I want to from the ground, but I can’t actually go for a ride until I put my foot in the stirrup and mount up. The same goes for life.
You can be a spectator, sure, but don’t get mad when nothing ever seems to go your way. When it comes to the Universe, it’s pay to play, and the price of admission is to get your butt in the saddle.
You can also see a lot more from the vantage point of being on top of the horse rather than standing on the ground in one place.
Simply put, don’t just show up for life expecting things to go as you desire. Interact with it. Engage with it. Dance with it. Become a part of it. Ride it like the wind.
2. Keep fear and negative emotions in check
Horses are flight and do not fight animals. That’s because in the wild and on the open range they are prey, and their only defense is to run away. Because of this biological hardwiring, they are very sensitive to any negative vibes around them. This means that when I tense up, my horse tenses up. When I am afraid, my horse becomes afraid. When I’m anxious, my horse automatically becomes anxious just because he senses my worry and fear. He doesn’t know what he’s afraid of he just knows that there is a negative vibration present, and he’s wired to keenly pay attention to it and react to it. How will he react? He might become difficult to ride. He stops listening. He runs away. He freezes. Horses are all about energy.
Everything around you is the same way whether you see it or not. The Universe is energy and reacts in a similar way as the horse, so be careful not to constantly infuse your environment with anxiety and fear. When you live in this state, everything else around you will tense up, slow down, run from you, or eventually just stop.
When I am relaxed, my horse is relaxed and happy. If you want life to flow calmly and easily, find ways to bring calm and serenity to yourself. Let go of fear. Release the worry. Allow the good energy to propel the ride.
3. Trust that which you cannot control
When I’m riding my horse, yes, I am in “control” of the horse (at least as much as one being can be in control of another being, but I digress). However, there are times, I have found when it is best to trust the animal and its own instincts. When I’m riding in unstable terrain, it’s best to let the horse find its way and trust the outcome. That means not gripping the horse with my legs nor holding onto the reins for dear life, rethinking every decision, and trying to redirect every movement. You have to let the horse have its head freely so it can find its footing.
When I’m up in the saddle, I can’t feel the ground below me, but my horse can. When I’m up in the saddle and I’m stuck in the branches, I can’t see what’s ahead of me, but my horse can. I don’t have four legs and I wasn’t created specifically for the endeavor of covering long distances and hard terrain, but my horse was. And because of that, I trust his innate abilities.
The Universe sees and feels what you do not. It sees ahead when you can’t. It has a rhythm and a cadence, and when you try to constantly direct and control, a battle that you won’t win regardless, you miss important information. Control what you can, which is yourself and your thoughts and your beliefs, and leave the rest to the energies that know far better what they are doing than you ever will.
Letting go of that need to control is hard for us to do but necessary to let life play out in harmony. When I trust my horse, we are safe. When I have faith in the ride, I always have a good one. When I lean into the flow, I have great joy.
It’s been said that no one can teach riding better than the horse. Well, no one can teach you life better than the Universe. Trust them both. Happy trails.
Dannie De Novo, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Dannie De Novo is a happiness coach and international bestselling author. After having battled depression and anxiety for most of her early life, Dannie set out on a course to learn what true happiness was for her and for the sake of her baby girl. Now, Dannie regularly appears on ABC, Fox, NBC, and CBS TV news and talk shows as an expert on creating happiness, combating loneliness and depression, and managing anxiety. For more about Dannie De Novo, visit www.DannieDeNovo.com.
