The Myth of the Goddess & The Horse
Or,
For the Love of a Horse's Tale
(Note: The bolded text is the author's way of showing the major symbols used to tell this story. These symbols will be explained in the next chapter.)
Carole
: Ellie, Now that we understand a bit more about the essence of the Goddess and how She has been suppressed for so many centuries can we talk about how to invoke the Goddess again in ourselves today? Would you tell a story about how humans, who ride horseback, can invoke the Goddess in the Horse?Ellie : It feels right to want to awaken the Goddess of All Life now in these times of talk of war. The Goddess is not a warring deity. She is about compassion and that is how she rules.
Carole : We know there is a need to return to compassion in our society, but how do we learn to be more spiritually guided so that we can act with compassion? Would you demonstrate this by telling a myth about the Goddess in you?
Ellie : Give me a moment to immerse myself into those memories and feelings.
Carole : Yes. I would like to dedicate this myth to the children of the Earth so that they may learn to invoke the Goddess in themselves for our future, and learn how to heal human hearts.
Ellie : We begin.
T he world is new and fresh. It smells like spring grass, all green and lush with morning dew. I see my reflection in each dewdrop as I eat the green grass now. You too can come closer and you will see your reflection here. As we enter the Goddess through the dewdrop portal we are transported down a spiraling tunnel, deep into the bowels of time.
Around and around, we fall, deeper and deeper, until we come out into a meadow where I can see white unicorns grazing quietly. They are draped in soft light and the stillness of dawn. Some have red horns, some have blue, others have yellow and some have green. Pick one Ellie says, one to walk with us. And I do.
Carole : Lets walk with the Blue Horned Unicorn today. Where will she take us, I wonder, as we follow beside her. Her eyes, like sapphire blue jewels are set in gold. She smiles sweetly and our hearts open wide.
Can we follow you? I ask. Ellie and I feel clumsy walking near such an ethereal being of Light. The Blue Horned Unicorn looks at us and says, "Welcome. You may enter here. I am your gatekeeper. There are many gates to pass through before you can meet the Goddess you are seeking. Before passing through this gate, you must divest (sacrifice, symbolic of letting go of ego) yourselves of something you hold dear. You may think for a moment before choosing what you want to give up in order to enter."
Ellie : I love my tail, so thick and lustrous and shining black. It has always been my crowning glory, flowing freely as I run against the wind.
Carole : I see it go off with a flick. Her tail lies untangled on the ground in front of us, all black, shining, silky, long and thick. Okay, my turn. I close my eyes and agree to let go of the first thing that enters my mind. My right foot. I ask again in dismay. I know the left foot represents my foundation in the material world. My worldly grounding in three-dimensional reality. How, can I walk with only one foot? I know that my left foot is my foundation in the spiritual world, my connection to intuition. I am beginning to understand and so I trust the process. Off with my right foot. I see it land next to Ellie's tail on the ground in front of us. The Blue Horned Unicorn is pleased. Very pleased.
"Come this way," she instructs with her eyes. And we follow. It seems I can walk easily with one foot. Next we see two white glistening marble columns that look like ice but are warm to the touch. "Where are we?"
Blue Horned Unicorn : This is the waiting room where all souls who pass through here are prepared internally for their next step of this journey. You must give up all of your physical attributes now, clothing and body alike.
Carole : As we agree to do this, we are cloaked in white silk garments. Ellie's raiment is long and it covers her whole body. Mine is smaller, but I am able to see out of it through imaginary eyes. The silk robes flow and take on a shape of their own. We are floating across the marble floor now. "These are the mansions of the mind of the Goddess," the Blue Unicorn tells us. "Take a moment to enjoy the awe that She inspires."
Carole : The pristine, pure raiment of her mind cleanses us of the dross of our negative thoughts and feelings, and what we leave behind seems very far away. My silk Robe wants me to move with it. It feels like it has a life of its own. So, I go with it and float across the floor. Suddenly I am prostrating on the ground and I do so willingly. I look up to see Ellie is floating above me on the ceiling. Her Robe has taken her flying around the room. I hear her laughter and her delight. A bodiless joy fills both our hearts.
The Blue Unicorn calls to her friends and instantly the red, yellow and green Horned Unicorns enter the room.
Blue Horned Unicorn : "I am leaving you," she informs us. "Choose well your guides from here on."
Carole : It feels like a warning. Ellie and I both feel its pull. We come together in mind and heart, holding each other close. I turn to Ellie, "What should we do now?
Ellie : Follow me.
Carole : We then hear another voice.
The Goddess of the Horse : You are in my mind now. From here you can speak to me and I will respond. What have you come to ask?
Carole : I look at Ellie's shining Robe and she turns towards me. We hear a crackling fire and look to see a great hearth in the center of a marble floor and it has opened up. The heat is so strong it is almost unbearable.
The Goddess of the Horse : If you would enter here she says.
Carole : I remember the Blue Horned Unicorn's warning to choose wisely. I ask Ellie, "Do we dare?" Ellie reminds me.
Ellie : What are we doing here?
Carole : We are trying to invoke the Goddess in you.
Ellie : Yes. Then lets go. Let's do it.
Carole : So we go off into the red-hot fire, the both of us together. All our fears are purged and purified. We emerge as if like porcelain dolls into a chamber of black night sky with bright shining stars. The roof of this new chamber is open to the sky, and the stars and Moon shine down on us as if to hypnotize. We gaze up at the Moon, and another voice fills our mind. We hear the hooting of an owl in the distance. The Goddess of the Moon speaks again. "Why have you come so far? What do you seek today?
Carole : We seek to invoke the Goddess of the Horse. Are we in the right place?
Goddess of the Moon : The Goddess of the Stars and Moon created the Goddess of the Horse and I am the keeper of the key to her chambers. Follow me.
Carole : Off we go. Up through the opening of the chamber high into the night sky. Floating with our robes, like comets across the darkness, we race into the darkness, trying hard to keep up. She is very fast.
In a moment we are beside a white lake and there are hundreds of horses of all colors drinking around at the water's edge.
Suddenly we are in the center of the lake looking out at the horses, and we are aware of something overlaying the lake that looks like the spokes of a wheel. I start to spin and Ellie dives deep into the center of the lake. When she emerges my spinning stops and I am face to face with a beautiful White Mare. Only she is much bigger than any horse in real life I have ever seen on Earth.
"I have manifest the Goddess," I hear Ellie saying. " I am inside of her looking out at you now. Can you see Her power for love in my eyes?" The waves of the lake begin to ripple softly back and forth and I struggle to stay alert. "Is that you, Ellie?" I ask "Have we made it to center of the Heart of the Goddess of the Horse? "Yes. I am Her," she responds softly. "Let's begin the teaching of the Good Way of the Horse.
The quiet, steady gallop of the Goddess, that is Her rhythm, Her movement, she is covering ground, going far and wide, spreading out, expanding, reaching out more and more, reaching in more and more, opening to help humans feel answers to life's deepest questions. She does not react. Sit down, Stop. Become calm. Talk and then listen. Do not stir an eyelash. Close your eyes, open your mind.
Carole : How does the Goddess fit into today's culture? I am hoping to glean some wisdom from this very unusual journey. How can we work with Her in our lives right now?
Ellie : Simple steps are what you seek, but there are many dimensions to explore.
Carole : Can you tell us about the Goddess in the Thoroughbred?
Ellie : The Goddess in the Thoroughbred is in her movement. Her strides and how she strides. The small of her back is where the ride starts and is where the Goddess lives in Her, and in all horses. How you sit determines what happens to you. You must sit as though you are deeply in touch with me, the Goddess. As though the Goddess in me, meets the God/Goddess in you. In the spine, the supple spine, loose limbs, comfortable hands, soft-eyes. How does your neck feel when your back is touching the Goddess of the Horse? Feel your neck and shoulders. Are your shoulders soft and down. Is there any straining anywhere? This is The "Yoga of the Goddess of the Horse." Worship this Goddess with your whole mind and body. . . with the small of your back deep in your spine. See the Flower of the Goddess open in your spine. See the Lotus Flower of the Goddess of the Horse opening inside with you.
It is a feeling of freedom, floating, weightlessness and joy. Like flying. The body is free on Earth with your feet touching the sides of the horse lightly, the way the ripples on a lake fan out from the center. Small ripples, ride as if you are submerged in water. Become fluid, light and easy.
The Lotus of the Spine is many-petaled and it supports all of you. So let go now. Feel. Move into this flowering. Smile. . . and B r e a t h e.
My air is your air. I offer you my air, my many winds. If we are ready, we can take a jump. To jump, we must first balance our winds, or we will fall. So touch me lightly and advance your body-mind forward. And, I will follow. Slowly at first, then more and more. Do not let go of your Lotus Seat in my Lotus spine. Stay with me. Elevate yourself to the marble mansions of the mind of the Goddess and find the obstacle we will navigate together.
I see a water jump, a difficult stretch, a rock and a tree on the ground. No problem, she says. Hold on. Here we go. I feel the breeze through my hair, the wind in my face and in my ears. And then an explosion over the water. Wings of spirit lifting us up and up, then down again. The Earth meets our feet. We take the next jump without slowing at all. Over and over again, and again.
I am thrilled to the symphony of feelings that are evoked by this Horse Goddess. But, I cannot hold on any longer. I feel like I need to jump back into my body, and as I do I open my eyes. I am home again in my room, realizing how difficult it must be to stay in one's body when jumping a horse competitively.
Thank you Ellie, I love you very much. You have given me much to think about and I will come to visit with you like this again.
The artwork on this page belongs to Josephine Wall. Please see her website for purchase information at The Courtyard of Romance.
"Soothe" is an album of relaxing and soothing melodic/ambient music. Play this CD to relax, or as background music while reading this webpage. To purchase this CD go to the Bjorn Lynne website
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