Walking on Water.......
It has been awhile since my last post. Along with Winter, came days of unpredictable chaos. There are things in our life which can set us back and create a chill to our bones which result in wanting to hide under a proverbial blanket for comfort and warmth. The beginning of 2023 was one of those seasons.
I often think when I am walking among wildlife in nature, if they could whisper to us their deepest darkest secrets, would they? Or as wild animals would they choose to keep troubling times close to their heart and move forward not looking back the way they do. This keeps them safe, maybe as humans we would benefit doing the same.
There was a revelation I had a few weeks ago as I've tried to process grief. During this time I was seeking the fasciation of Wild Horses by mostly us women. The majority of wild horse advocates are women. This is not to say those who love or follow are not male or younger, but advocacy if often fueled by the breaths leading to screams of women who have learned not to take a back seat . Wild horses seem to elicit something in women between the ages of 35-65. Whether its a strong need to connect or fills our heart and soul with a belonging, much like the bonds of horses in the wild. I began to analyze and play in my mind, going back to my younger years to search for an answer. All I have to go on is my personal experience and observations.
You may laugh when I say that this all started watching a very light hearted movie,, one which has a total of 4 in the series. The premise of the movie unlike the first three, is that women "want and deserve to be respected, want to feel sexy as they age, want to feel wanted. We also yearn for men in our lives to allow our newly felt power in life (which up until the past decade or so was only the stage for men). When we in our minds imagine the perfect life, or scenario - for me anyway, its to be free while at the same time,,, feeling a part of something I help create, and to have respect.
I want to choose what to do, when I can do it and without having to ask or seek permission. Also important is for my strong personality yet inner child not be at battle with one another but to support one another. The dream as a young girl of finding my soulmate who would celebrate all of these things which made up my personality while at the same time having that soulmate being a sounding board and strength at night when fear interrupted my dreams and became nightmares.
If we look what the Wild Horses depict, it's more than the iconic nature in a historical sense. What they represent is every girls dream. They are freedom, they are independent, they live for their families. Stallions satisfy our yearning for our men to be strong, yet at the same time allow our softer side to be part of who we are,,,,,,and on occasion take turns on who is in the lead.. Much like a lead mare, the Stallion is in the back allowing his beloved to walk ahead of him and make the decisions of where to go,, except when it is in the line of sight of another strong mustang. Then, all hell breaks loose and that mares Stallion who often allows her "free reign" so to speak,,,,,,is in the battle of his life. He will fight for her, his band and her honor. He will at all cost protect her and "save her", while actually saving himself from losing her. If for some reason the other Stallion wins, for days, weeks and even months, he will follow the band sulking. He does everything to earn her back. Somedays he does and others he does not, only then will he unwillingly move on. If he is old, age often makes his choice for him,,,,he may walk alone without ever taking on another.
This romantic notion of the history of the dynamics of relationships between men and women draws us in to their world. We do want to be independent, but we also want to feel like a woman -that our man has our back. We want our partner to walk alongside, lead, step back and yes in a sense- fight for us. In our modern world - respect is fleeting, men and women may find it difficult to navigate. We at times expect too much too fast - we want our cake (independence/freedom) and to eat it too (a nurturing relationship), which often is not possible.
We watch these magnificent stallions and mares living in a time warp. It's as if the old days (idealistic side of history) when we knew how to listen to one another, respect one another and support without question. The modern version we yearn for, is where we have the freedom to choose. We are at odds with old vs new. We don't want to repeat history and go back, but the present and future are also fearful. We feel lost at times.
When I am in the wild, everything seems much more simple and all my anxieties melt away. Watching the bonds, their dedication to family,,, that bond is cohesive, strong and never wavering. Each mustang in the band know their place, and their responsibility to one another. Its romantic, beautiful and freeing. At the end of the day, to watch the beauty of fluidity and magic of wild horses is like living a real life fairytale.
It is when MAN - (humans who are taking this away) - much like our freedoms as women were crushed in history the fairytale is in jeopardy. When we have no ability to choose or use our voice, in this sense humanity is going backwards. We are told then shown no matter how much we fight to save them, we will not prevail. Fighting for them in a way " we save ourselves". It is that journey and how far we have come,,,,,,,,,,watching someone robbing them, (and in turn us) from every freedom we did and continue to fight for and the freedoms we won.
I get back my strength and footing each time I hit a snag or time of trauma when I walk in their presence. Whether it was loss, or other, I gain security as I step into their home. It's like hitting a reset button. I ache to spend more time in nature and revisit the historical sense of simple times. These times life was in the moment, there were no internet, no cell phones, no digital footprint. There were also no confining or societal restrictive rules to follow as long as we respected others and their home.
Next time you find yourself wondering why we obsess and revel in the romantic magic of wild mustangs think of this journal entry. Next time you are lost, alone and hurting, or feel vulnerable, leave your appendages of technology at home.
Reset, step back into the past, inhale free, see with your heart and hear with your eyes. Respect this is the BEST medicine for your mind and soul. Then in that moment, ask how we can continue to fight for them. We can advocate to make sure that NO MAN takes away from us what we have fought generations to earn and protect. The ability to choose, to insure at all cost,,,,,,,,,our freedoms are not stolen, crushed and thrown away like garbage. We can together illicit and inspire others to fight for the freedoms of Wild Mustangs of the world.
Our own real life romance novel should always give our heart and soul that happy ending. But just like the pages of a book, if we leave it in the closet on a shelf - the pages become brittle. Words fade, the book becomes obsolete leaving us with a cold, modern box. The "box" we as independent free thinkers, are put into prevents us from experiencing all the senses that the author, the story and our emotions gift us. Think of Wild Mustang Herds as a book, the pages are the family bands woven together telling a story, their hoof prints are the melodic text which imprint on our hearts for eternity. This is priceless and a free generated, raw gift worth saving.
We are mere mortals - the fight has been excruciating and increasingly difficult,,,,,,,but it is not impossible. We have to believe and hope. We sadly do not Walk on Water...... But we can choose to step up and create a new narrative for Wild Mustangs - they belong to "WE THE PEOPLE" - on "Our Public Lands". Let's write a novel where in the future, we will not only have books to see the wild horses Mother Earth wrote about in her life novel. The proverbial one written which documented wild mustangs introduction to this continent centuries before modern man settled here.
To "Walk On Water",,,,,,is to navigate its rocks and sand bars where as we create a bridge for a better tomorrow. It is then and only then,,, we as a group of all coming together as the bands we cherish,,,,,will change how the story ends. Let's rewrite this pending history before they become part of the past. Please
