What is the "Field of the Horse?"

In constellations, we talk about the “Knowing Field’, a term first coined by Albrecht Mahr, M.D. to try to describe the energy arena we step into when we are in a constellation. We find that with just a little bit of coaching, we are able to sense a meaningful kind of energy within our bodies and/or between us and others in the constellation, that gives useful information about the constellation. That energy is always there to sense. We in the Western world have to re-learn to tune into it. Horses live in it all the time - it is a survival strategy for them. Can we at all understand what this phenomenon is for them and how we are sometimes able to join them in it?

Participants have told us about results from their constellations done in the field of the horse (by which we literally mean both being in a pasture with them, and also being allowed to become part of the herd in an energetic sense). One participant told us the following after a constellation in which horses were part of the field:

“By the time the session ended - after just one session (!), the issue was completely resolved.  The next day I took action, and the whole family dynamic was not just changed, it was truly transformed!  The relationship in my family that had been causing me much grief, and had led to me not talking to a favorite family member for two years, had disappeared.  In its place was clarity, forgiveness, understanding and a new sense of peace and ease. It is now almost a year later, and I continue to marvel at the potency of this method - the shift has stuck, and the relationship has grown stronger and stronger. “

What happens when we’re with horses? Sharon Blackie, author of If Women Rose Rooted quotes Sue Blagburn, owner of Adventures with Horses, in Tamar, Cornwall, England: “Over the years of working with horses . . . I began to see that horses can teach us a better way of being in the world. It’s about learning to find, or reconnect to, what has heart and meaning in our lives. Horses can help us with this. The horse asks us to become honest, authentic in our behaviour and emotions, because horses are prey animals and want to feel safe in our presence. When you approach horses, they’re not listening to your agenda, status or outer persona; instead, they’re watching your body language, assessing your emotions . . . they’re listening to your inner story, not your outer story.

‘Horses see through to our internal states. They reflect them back at us, make the invisible visible. They respond to who and how you really are, in your body, in the present moment. A horse can give accurate and instant feedback about what is real and truthful in us. And so they can become our allies and our guides as we explore our inner stories, and as we start to understand how they are tied up with our external challenges, ambitions or stuck places. All of this helps us to see our lives with new eyes, to shift and to become more authentic. Horses teach us how to re-align mind, body and spirit so that we can walk on into our future with courage, grace and integrity.’”

In the events we do, our colleague and equine assisted coach Kathy Boisjoli, will time with all of us, teaching us how to attune to the moods, energies and fields of the horse. For many, this is a brand new, amazing experience. It heightens our awareness of them, of this field and of ourselves, and gradually, they graciously allow us to become a temporary part of their herd, at least energetically.

It is in this context that we then do constellations. They lend us their heightened sense of the energy to whatever patterns we explore, sometimes from a distance, sometimes close by. They help us know by their behavior when it is we touch the issue’s core, a mysterious truth, and often come to aid us in the healing; their gentle presence egging us on to our deeper selves.

This summer/early fall’s events are a perfect time to explore what the Field of the Horse is all about, to learn new truths about your core self, and to generally have fun outdoors with other soulful friends, both equine and human. Look for information about this opportunity under the “Events” menu.