"And the Horse Gallops On" © 2014  ~ acrylic by Carol E Fairbanks

"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."

                                                                            ~ Helen Keller

                           Galloping With the Horse

"Unlocking the Mystery" © 1996 ~ Carol E Fairbanks

After doing years of talk therapy, I knew that I wanted to explore a place deeper within me than I had been able to do with that traditonal counseling approach.  Shaken again, after another divorce, (sigh!) and wanting desperately to change the direction of my life, I signed up for an art therapy class.  Actually, I was just looking for something "fun" to do that would distract me from the sadness I was feeling about my present situation of aloneness and failure.

We were given crayons and paper, and after a short guided visualization, the art therapist instructed us to color any images that came to our imagination.  In that art therapy class, I learned that the images we created, from that nonjudgemental part of ourselves, were really symbols that had the potential to guide and illuminate our truer perceptions of self.   It was in that class, that the image of the horse first appeared to me, with its message of choosing action and finding freedom. In the midst of those "mountains of challenge", which were looming in my life at the time, I drew an image of a horse, as it galloped toward a red box that was curiously sitting in my past.  I learned that the symbols I created from that deeper part of myself were telling me that the keys to my "freedom to be" were inside that "red box".  The galloping horse was directing me to explore what was inside of it.. to discover what had been hidden away from my conscious mind that needed to be brought out into the open.  That focused "horse", with its ability to run, was affirming that I had the power to do so!  And red, being the color of the base or root chakra, suggested that it had to do with my physical connection to the earth and to all my relationships. As I unleashed the power of my inner "horse" with my art making, the images I created continued to give me insights about what was needed in order to be healed, both in my life and in my mind.

"The Power to Be" © 1996 ~ pencil by Carol E Fairbanks

In the art therapy class, I was also introduced to the sacred art of mandalas.  Because I was especially inspired by the luminous mandalas created by Judith Cornell, I decided to take a workshop with her.  I flew out to Seattle in the summer of 1996 and boarded a seaplane to Cortes Island, off the coast of British Columbia. Even though that was adventuresome, the real challenge was when the power of my horse totem was "introduced" to me.  At the workshop, I had been guided by Judith, both in visualization and movement, to be open to my totem animal that had a "message" for me.... and a galloping horse appeared in my mind.  I  followed Judith's direction to "become" my totem animal by playfully "galloping and neighing" around the room.  Immersed in that equine energy of my totem animal,  I then "danced" my horse onto the black paper with my colored pencils.  When that dynamic horse appeared on my paper, its unrestrained aura ignited a forceful movement within my life.  After I returned home to Ohio, I discovered a flood in my family room and art studio, that required a lot of reorganizing and a major letting go of things.  Also, that fall, I made a decision to retire from my unhappy teaching job and begin to live the life I was meant for.  Change was happening everywhere in my life, and I was breathless atop this wild galloping "horse", as I released my grip on the "reins" and soared toward freedom.

On Hall Ranch Park Trail in Boulder Co., Colorado - 2002

Several years later, after a bumpy "ride" through a life threatening illness, I made a move across the United States to live in Colorado. Out west,  I connected to the rocks, the red soil and the creeks in my exploration and hikes.  I spent a lot of time communing with the natural elements and began to feel "powerful" and healthy once again. The friends I made were in nature, and the lessons were taught to me by Mother Earth, herself.

I photographed and journaled and created art from my soul that year when I lived in Colorado.  My teachers were the color and form and texture of the land that I experienced.  And of course, the horse, or should I say, horses appeared once again to guide me.

Photo by  Carol E Fairbanks - 2002

On one of my hikes in a Boulder Co Park, near the city of  Boulder, I gazed out toward the horizon at the distant mountain range and noticed three horses  in the grassland.  That year I had been reading a lot of books about Buddhist and Native American spirituality, so I knew about the significance of a black, red and white horse.  And there they were offering their lessons of wisdom right there from the trail where I was hiking.

The black horse in the foreground, I know very well. He brings the "darkness" of the unknown with its teachings of what needs attention and healing.  There is no controlling this horse, as I "ride" him on my mysterious night journey. He asks that I trust the path of darkness and be open to its gifts.

The red horse in the background gets my attention quickly. He speaks to me through my pain, and there is no ignoring the ride on this stallion.  As his nostrils flare, I simply hang on, as he gallops like the wind on a hot, scorching day.  The lessons learned from him I will never forget.  I feel them too deeply in every part of my being.  His message continues to "speak" to me long after he is silent.

The third horse is the white stallion, with his promise of illumination and peace.  He stands motionless, frozen in the distance.  He waits patiently for me to be ready to ride him.  Unlike the other two horses that I know too well, he is like an apparition in the desert, seeming to exist only in my wishful thinking. He gently beckons me to explore new ways of perceiving myself in relationship to others. He invites me to be more than I think I can be, and he inspires within me the ways in which I can be of service to all.

Now, in the year 2014, the Chinese Year of the Horse has begun, and my horse totem once again appears.  As we transition from the Year of Snake, with its letting go of what no longer serves, we ride upon the" horse" to activate our individuality and creativity. Trusting our personal truth, we can set intentions for experiencing more freedom, clarity, community and friendship in our lives this year.  With the inspiration of our "horses", we are able to be guided into "purposeful action of the most elegantly simple and powerfully fruitful kind". After the two previous years of "scouring our subconscious insides and wringing our innermost being dry of our watery emotions", we might very well be happy to get on that horse and ride! ( quotes from Karen Abler Carraso)

With the largest shift in energies in the entire 60 year cycle of Chinese astrology happening this year, be ready for the light of truth and clarity to "gallop" into your life. If we can welcome this year of great change into our lives, our "horse" can help us to open to the truth of who we really are. Waiting patiently for us the bloom, the world will finally begin to be different, as it experiences our new found power.   For the good of everyone, may we all be open and be ready for what might be the ride of our life in 2014!  And as this year unfolds, may the "horse" be with you!

"The Promise of the Horse" © 1998  ~ pencil by Carol E Fairbanks