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What: Medicine Wheel Model to Natural Horsemanship
When: Saturday and Sunday
Where: Cedar Ridge Ranch, Carbondale
More information: 970-390-4227 or SacredTree.com
When: Saturday and Sunday
Where: Cedar Ridge Ranch, Carbondale
More information: 970-390-4227 or SacredTree.com
Many people and organizations today are using horses in the healing process. Individuals challenged with physical disabilities, children with autism, adult survivors of physical and emotional trauma, and adolescents at risk for drugs, alcohol abuse and suicide have all experienced the healing benefits of working with horses, sometimes with profound and “miraculous” results.
For at least 6,000 years, patriarchal civilizations in Asia and Europe viewed the horse as a means to build empire through increasing agricultural productivity and to wage war for the purpose of conquest. The relationship between humans and horses was one of domination and submission: the spirit of the horse had to be “broken” and then “trained” to submit to servitude. Still used in today's natural horsemanship and “horse whisperer” models, these terms attest to that legacy of patriarchal domination and the overemphasis on linear thinking.
In North American indigenous cultures, the relationship between the human nation and the horse nation was quite different. Long before the European conquest, the great teacher and prophet of the Cheyenne nation, Sweet Medicine, foretold the return of the horse as a gift from the creator that would help people survive and would bring healing and spiritual renewal. In matriarchal cultures, human beings see themselves within the circle of life, where all things are connected. There is no concept of “eminent domain,” whereby humans have the right to dominate and conquer other nations, other living beings, and Mother Earth.
This worldview naturally led to a different relationship with the horse. Natural energy and the language of Mother Earth, indigenous cultures, and the horse nation moves circularly, from the ground up and from right to left. Learning this language creates a cultural bridge enabling a true spiritual connection to take place. As the Medicine Wheel reflects the universe, a horse mirrors truthfully a human's emotions, state of mind and what one is putting out to the world. The creator gave these gifts to the horse nation to help the human nation with healing.
Most people who work with horses, even those involved in the equine therapy movement, consider the horse to be “two-sided,” a lingering effect of linear thinking. Horses that haven't been “broken,” “trained,” or “institutionalized” with a linear approach and have retained their self-preservation instincts actually have four sides, reflecting the four stages of development shared with humans: the child, adolescent, adult and elder sides. The shift from one stage to another is a “rite of passage.” This model can be illustrated conceptually with a visual Medicine Wheel and demonstrated energetically in a round-pen with a horse.
Most people who work with horses using natural horsemanship models don't realize that their roots can be traced back to native horse cultures, especially the Northern Cheyenne. Phillip Whiteman, Jr., a Northern Cheyenne elder from Lame Deer, Montana, is a keeper of this tradition, handed down through generations. He and his life partner, Lynette Two Bulls, a Lakota from Pine Ridge, South Dakota, will deliver an introduction to “Medicine Wheel Model to Natural Horsemanship” on Oct. 24-25, in Carbondale. Combining traditional storytelling, grass dancing, native flute music,and demonstrations with overo paint horse Sioux Boy and untrained colts, they promote cultural sensitivity, respect for diversity, and the spirit of the horse as a catalyst for health, well-being and spiritual renewal.
Space is limited for this event; reserve your space by calling 970-390-4227 or registering online at SacredTree.com, where you will also find a detailed workshop description and schedule.
Joel Proctor is licensed acupuncturist and educator of martial and cultivation arts. He is the founder of the Mystic Warrior School of Integrative Arts and co-founder of Sacred Tree Integrated Healthcare. E-mail comments about this column to cschnell@vaildaily.com.
For at least 6,000 years, patriarchal civilizations in Asia and Europe viewed the horse as a means to build empire through increasing agricultural productivity and to wage war for the purpose of conquest. The relationship between humans and horses was one of domination and submission: the spirit of the horse had to be “broken” and then “trained” to submit to servitude. Still used in today's natural horsemanship and “horse whisperer” models, these terms attest to that legacy of patriarchal domination and the overemphasis on linear thinking.
In North American indigenous cultures, the relationship between the human nation and the horse nation was quite different. Long before the European conquest, the great teacher and prophet of the Cheyenne nation, Sweet Medicine, foretold the return of the horse as a gift from the creator that would help people survive and would bring healing and spiritual renewal. In matriarchal cultures, human beings see themselves within the circle of life, where all things are connected. There is no concept of “eminent domain,” whereby humans have the right to dominate and conquer other nations, other living beings, and Mother Earth.
This worldview naturally led to a different relationship with the horse. Natural energy and the language of Mother Earth, indigenous cultures, and the horse nation moves circularly, from the ground up and from right to left. Learning this language creates a cultural bridge enabling a true spiritual connection to take place. As the Medicine Wheel reflects the universe, a horse mirrors truthfully a human's emotions, state of mind and what one is putting out to the world. The creator gave these gifts to the horse nation to help the human nation with healing.
Most people who work with horses, even those involved in the equine therapy movement, consider the horse to be “two-sided,” a lingering effect of linear thinking. Horses that haven't been “broken,” “trained,” or “institutionalized” with a linear approach and have retained their self-preservation instincts actually have four sides, reflecting the four stages of development shared with humans: the child, adolescent, adult and elder sides. The shift from one stage to another is a “rite of passage.” This model can be illustrated conceptually with a visual Medicine Wheel and demonstrated energetically in a round-pen with a horse.
Most people who work with horses using natural horsemanship models don't realize that their roots can be traced back to native horse cultures, especially the Northern Cheyenne. Phillip Whiteman, Jr., a Northern Cheyenne elder from Lame Deer, Montana, is a keeper of this tradition, handed down through generations. He and his life partner, Lynette Two Bulls, a Lakota from Pine Ridge, South Dakota, will deliver an introduction to “Medicine Wheel Model to Natural Horsemanship” on Oct. 24-25, in Carbondale. Combining traditional storytelling, grass dancing, native flute music,and demonstrations with overo paint horse Sioux Boy and untrained colts, they promote cultural sensitivity, respect for diversity, and the spirit of the horse as a catalyst for health, well-being and spiritual renewal.
Space is limited for this event; reserve your space by calling 970-390-4227 or registering online at SacredTree.com, where you will also find a detailed workshop description and schedule.
Joel Proctor is licensed acupuncturist and educator of martial and cultivation arts. He is the founder of the Mystic Warrior School of Integrative Arts and co-founder of Sacred Tree Integrated Healthcare. E-mail comments about this column to cschnell@vaildaily.com.
