Mother Earth and all of Her creatures are facing intense challenges in this moment in time. Each will find their own path to survival.  It is my hope that you find the tools and skills in the teachings of Medicine Horse Way to also thrive in whatever the future holds for you.  Every Medicine Horse Way Instructor has traveled a long and powerful journey of their own personal development and learning to prepare to bring these tools to you, the new student.

“Teaching is not done by words alone; it is a chance to teach others what you are and what they are.  Teaching reinforces what you believe about yourself.  A teacher of authenticity does not see her interests as apart from her students, when she has come to this understanding her road is established and her direction is true.  A light has entered the darkness.”  A Course in Miracles

I read these words when I made my first attempt to study the Course in Miracles in the mid 1980’s.  The text goes on to say that certain pupils have been assigned to each teacher because it is the one who will teach the form of the universal curriculum that is best for them in view of their level of understanding. 

I spent the next 25 years or so searching out my teachers and mentors.  I had so much to learn and eventually my quest for teachers led me to Linda Kohanov and her first book The Tao of Equus ‘A Woman’s Journey of Healing & Transformation through the Way of the Horse’.

What I teach follows the trajectory of my own journey. During a Discover Your Life Path workshop I ask the participants “What inspired you as a child?” because I have come to know that the seeds to our life purpose were contained in what we loved as children.  For me it was horses.  I was fascinated by them from a very young age and even though I never had a horse of my own I was drawn to them wherever they appeared in my world.  I loved horses on television, horses at neighboring farms, horses across the alley from my grandparents house, horses in parades and at rodeos;if there was a horse involved that’s where my attention was focused.  Horses seemed to convey some mysterious message to me, they awakened a deeper awareness that somehow there was much more to life than what I could see or touch. I sensed that they knew truths that humans had long forgotten, I knew this even at the tender age of 5 or 6 when my only interaction with horses took place on television and in my imagination.

The Course in Miracles says that when we find our teachers we will then find what we’ve come to teach.  This was true for me with Linda Kohanov.  Before I had finished reading her book, before I had even thought about attending a workshop, I knew that my path was to include horses helping humans heal.

It was 18 years ago when I first met Linda and became one of her apprentices.  Those years took me into the 10,000 joys and the10,000 sorrows of my soul, guided by the horses who also claimed me as their student.  I found myself called back to an in-depth study of the Four Agreements, Eckhart Tolle and The New Earth, and the teachings of Abraham as presented by Jerry and Ester Hicks.  Working with horses and humans in personal development demands that I carry on my own personal development work.  The horses have let me know, repeatedly, that we are never done.   I’ve learned to embrace the adventurous journey, go where I am called, and receive the Grace that I am blessed with.

The work I have developed is continually evolving as I evolve and as my students/teachers evolve.  At the end of The Tao of Equus Linda describes a scene with Rasa, though I imagine she is speaking to me.

 “You’ve come into your power now haven’t you?”  We stood there in silence for awhile. Then I unlatched the gate and headed for the open desert.

I have lived many places and find myself traveling to teach more than I am home; but for me home is the desert.Wide open space, intensely blue sky, and all the hardy creatures that make their home here, inspiresin me an expansive view of physical, emotional, and spiritual, life on the earth.  It reminds me that to thrive we must constantly evolve in order to adapt to the calling of our creative higher selves.  The evolution of life is constantly in motion stated beautifully by Eckhart Tolle “Life is the dancer and you are the dance”

If you feel called to the way of the horse, I am eager to meet you, teach you what I have come to know, and learn of the wisdom you have gleaned from the path you have walked.

Much Love and Many Blessings,

Carol Roush, 2018

The time of the lone wolf is over, gather your pack and create your community. You will need the power of your tribe. Perhaps you have felt alone, perhaps you have chosen to go it alone.  There is a lot to be gained and much to be learned by those times, and you will revisit them as needed along the way.  In fact complete silence is necessary at times.

 But your challenge now is to find your community, who will take this journey with you?  Who is ready?  Who is asking?  None of us can truly gain enlightenment or evolve without all of us.  Find your tribe, there is great power in walking the path with those who are moving in the same direction.  Here is where we begin to learn from the animals, our first teachers and guides upon the earth.The complex social structures that exists in the majority of our present day human communities can, for some, make them a challenging, often confusing place to reside.

Being raised in a system that requires emphasis on cultural customs and social protocol as a means of acceptance has bred incongruence in modern day communities.  This leads to confusion, anxiety and vulnerability overload as people politely mask how they are truly feeling, to avoid causing discomfort to others, and to fit in.The problem is this form of polite society actually causes much discomfort as authentic feelings flood the energy field exposing the truth behind these exhaustingly maintained facades. It’s no wonder so many of us became lone wolves to survive!

Herd animals are experts at the skills it takes to get along together especially when it’s needed the most.   Horses demonstrate the value of sticking together regardless of personal differences. Horses clearly do not get along with all of their herd members all of the time; however in times of threat, exploration, and curiosity, all herd members know to quickly gather together for a united cause.The Horse wisdom around living together as a herd is so successful because the interactions between them are very authentic.  They do not experience shame the way we sometimes do regarding differences of opinion, differing desires, mistakes; or if they behave in a way that is not acceptable by some other Herd member.  However they absolutely learn from experience and recognize that actions have consequences as a direct result.  This likely makes certain behaviors less attractive to engage in than others (depending on the benefit/risk ratio).  They do not judge themselves as bad horses, just that some activities result in unwanted outcomes, which makes it undesirable to repeat that action in the future.

We can learn much from the herds, schools, swarms and flocks that inhabit our beautiful planet.Listen to the wisdom of the geese who migrate across great distances.  They do not go alone. The author of this little essay is unknown.

 In the fall, when you see the Geese heading south for the winter, flying in V formation, you might consider what science has discovered about why they fly that way.  As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following.  By flying in V formation, the whole flock adds at least 70 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.  People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.When a goose falls out of formation it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone … and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.  If we have as much sense as a goose we will travel with those who are headed the same way we are.

When the head Goose gets tired it rotates back in the wing and another goose takes the lead.  Isn’t it more sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs and trade leadership with the person most capable in the moment?Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.  What do you say when you honk from behind?

Finally … and this is Important … when a goose gets sick, or is wounded and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection.  They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly, or until it dies; and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation, to catch up with their flock.We must learn from the geese and stand by each other like that.

Till next time,

Carol Roush

We are programmed to resist change, to maintain the status quo, to not rock the boat, or upset the apple cart. The list of clichés about what not to do becomes overwhelming!

The reality is that life is about change and change requires taking action that will most likely rock the boat for somebody somewhere.  Society embraces some boat rocking, kids graduate from high school and leave home and new technology arises; we know what we are supposed to do with these kinds of changes.  But what about leaving a job that is no longer satisfying, or a relationship that doesn’t work anymore?  What about internal changes?  You realize that not setting boundaries is not healthy, how do you change that?   

What ends up happening is that we stay way too long, in patterns of behavior, jobs, relationships, or living situations that we’ve outgrown.  We become frustrated with ourselves, others, and the situation.  Then we have a sudden blast of energy and we throw ourselves off the cliff of radical change.  Often that change doesn’t last because it was too much too fast.  How many times have you repeated this pattern and found yourself right back where you started feeling even more disappointed?

When we can learn to embrace change as a natural part of a life fully lived, understanding that life itself is an ongoing process of transitions, we are able to make real lasting progress towards healthier and happier experiences.

Many people are surprised to learn that transitions begin with endings instead of jumping into an exciting new beginning.  When we jump into a new beginning without a proper ending, we eventually find that quite often the same old scenario has been recreated. 

What is a proper way to end something?  Ideally it is done with planning and thoughtfulness in a way that focuses on appreciation for what was once a good thing.  It isn’t necessary to make the thing that is ending a bad thing in order to justify the ending.  Simply acknowledge that it is something that once served a purpose in your life and now you have outgrown it.  When you take time to end what no longer serves you in a good way, even if you don’t know yet what the new beginning will be, whatever it is will be much more satisfactory because you didn’t bring unfinished business along to weigh you down.

Transitions will continue to unfold for as long as you live, so enjoy that new beginning but keep in mind that one day it too will need to end and make way for what’s next.

If you are ready to make some changes in your life but don’t yet have the skills or clarity to get going, consider attending the NOW program.  Here you will learn how to listen to your own inner guidance to find out what is waiting in the wings of your life, and you will gain the tools to make the transition from where you are to where you would like to be.

Carol ROUSH, founder of Medicine Horse Way, 2015