Tell the Truth

What’s to be done when the world is not treating you right? When the day is full of bumps and bruises, impediments to reaching the goal, the result, the state of being you are after?

Pushing forward seems to be the expected way – buck up, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, carry on. Oh, and hide your feelings while you’re at it ‘cause no one likes a crybaby, a loser who can’t keep their stuff together. Do you ever notice these programs running you when wrestling with struggle? I find them so ingrained in me that even though I know better they are still the initial inner voice I hear, the big brother of society’s sub-conscious sitting on my shoulder whispering to keep me safe and approved of.

What if, instead of hiding and pretending, what if we said, “It’s been a rough morning. For some reason I woke up every two hours in the night and then found my car broken into and my new I Pod stolen. I’m really feeling violated and bummed out.” I tried this approach the other morning. I told the truth amongst colleagues and clients, other career women at a monthly networking meeting. I let my heart be seen and felt and told the truth.

At first I was afraid of being judged or glossed over – of getting a cheer up girlie sort of response that usually side-swipes my feelings and ticks me off. But I did not. Instead I received many genuine ears to listen to my succinct, honest response to How are you? acknowledging the bummer of my morning. I was greeted with compassion and some great hugs too. Unfortunately, many of us know what it is like to be violated, in one form or another, and it can be freeing for the person sharing and listening, both, to exchange that open truth-telling. I’m not recommending a joint therapy session in the midst of networking, rather the simple honest facts of events and primary feelings.

What if we let ourselves do this, to tell the truth and receive compassion from others? What if we were not hooked in the loop of the façade of perfection? What if we trusted others to listen and have empathy rather than judgment? What if we really understood that we all have our up and down days and moments and that accepting this turns the peaks and valleys into rolling hills? What if?

I believe there would be a lot less stress and illness – cancer, heart disease, obesity, alcoholism, drug and sex addiction, anxiety, depression, etc. I believe we could become a more cooperative community again, the kind that could be depended upon. I believe social responsibility and creative solutions, on behalf of our selves, others and our planet, would flourish.

We need each other. Not to be the perfect image of those we see in the movies and on TV, in magazines. We need each other to be real, to be all of who we are in this beautiful human imperfection. We need the connection, the love, the listening, the honoring. We are feeling human beings – we have feelings for a reason – and we need to live in the safe space of honesty, recognizing them, responsibly expressing them, and allowing ourselves to be empowered through them.

Try it. Try being honest – whether elated or infuriated. The next time someone says How are you? tell the truth.

to Living Sensual! 
Live in Love with Life
xo Piper

Magic Horses

Just Trust.  What I want from you is to trust me. Words from my inner self to me, spoken into the open air of the horse arena.

As if heard by Life, by Spirit itself, Rohan then nuzzled me with his large, soft nose in a repeated, gentle up and down motion while my eyes were closed, deeply engaged with that discontented part of me that was speaking its need. He followed with a sweet tickling of my face, grassy-breathed, big, warm-winded sigh, an intimate gift of release as if to say, Yes, just let it go. Let all your worries go. Yes, you can trust.

All throughout my guided exploration in the arena I could feel Rohan’s conscious, strong presence. I so appreciated this four-legged creature of wisdom who leads his herd from his intuitive, male power. His example, his clear reassurance helped me let it all down, all the strife, and I did so with small tears of deep appreciation cleansing my vision.  Thank you Rohan!  You are the reminder I needed.

All weekend long each of the horses lovingly participated in synch with our energy, guiding and moving us to greater awareness, to our next best steps, individually and as a group.

Earlier in the morning, in the midst of calling in the directions, creating sacred space, Jewel lay her body down to the earth of the arena while the other horses stood protective watch – the ultimate act of submission to Spirit, to the work we all were about to adventure into. 

Later on in the day, one of us was trying to release a pain carried in his left lower arm, a pain that had appeared in connection to his fear of rejection, opposing his longing to belong. During his work in the arena, Dijon, the oldest of the geldings, tall and white, kindly sidled up on this man’s left side, rubbing his arm with his neck in a slow, soft, long bowing motion, committed to helping him release his pain, shedding his long white coat, a beautiful leave-behind that made us all giggle.

How do these amazing horses know exactly what to do and when to do it? How do they connect with such gentleness and care? How do they hold the heart of each individual and move it toward its purpose?

It truly is Real Life Magic! The horses, these special therapy horses, they are the wise, unspoken tending to exactly what you need. This is their work, and they are so gifted at it.
 

Feeling so supported, we stepped richly into the desire of our heart, the vulnerability, the excitement, the fear, the hope, and were met with encouragement, with answers to our questions, with compassion, and with opening. Healing was alive in us, Life was showing up in all amazing ways through the farm, each other and the horses.

As we closed the workshop, Grace, lead mare, gorgeous red presence of female stature and nurturing, having just finished championing one of us to step in and feel the presence of her feminine power, trotted with focus to advance to the front of the herd, ahead of Rohan, the lead gelding, to receive her hay-dinner. There was no fight, simply a bit of super-charge to take the point home. Grace was a stand for what was called forth, that it was now time for this person to allow and trust the feminine to take the lead. 

Just Trust.  What I want from you is to trust me. I think we all had a bit of that message running through our explorations at Red Tail Farm. And I believe I got it this time.

Taking my cue from the sage Jewel at the start of our magical weekend, I am choosing to surrender and follow as I am called. Jewel made sure I got this message with a pleasant grazing of my face, her cheek against mine, as I sat in our human circle sharing my big take-away from our time together –

Lay Down (my ego) and Do What’s Next.

Can’t wait to offer this wonderful experience in the future.  Watch for its next offering in our Upcoming Events.

to Living Sensual! 
Live in Love with Life
xo Piper

Confirmation

We are here.
Do you feel us?
We are here.
Do you hear us?
We are here.
The energies
of breath
fire, flow,
growth.
We are here
in the hum
with your body,
for your speech
of your mind
through your heart.
We are here
when you call,
from the feeling
place within:
earnest, open,
wanting Life.
We are here.

to Living Sensual! 
Live in Love with Life
xo Piper