"Awareness" - we already have the answers - inside!

What is this 'awareness' that Essy and other animals speak about when communicating with those who can hear them? 

The dictionary likens awareness to being:

 aware, cognizant, conscious, sensible, awake, alert, watchful, vigilant

In more detail- Aware implies knowledge gained through one's own perceptions or by means of information.

Since Essy's clear message that humans need to 'get more aware' I have been doing a lot more gathering information for myself, from sources far and near.  (Part 1 of the definition underway)!

When I first heard Essy's message about humans needing to become more aware of horses needs, and how the feeling horses seek can't begin fully until we humans heal ourselves - and me needing to play a part in this quest for 'awareness' -  I felt worried to say the least.

I've always felt that 'a greater awareness' isn't something that ordinary people discover!  Even though I've been drawn to animal communication, telepathy, mediums, channeling messages etc, don't you have to be gifted, spiritual, telepathic, non judgmental or at least perfect to really 'get it'?  Awareness makes me think of Buddha and enlightenment!   At 48 years of age I often feel  I've wasted more time than have time left to discover the path to Buddha.

No matter how unworthy I have felt since Margrit talked to my horses and especially with Essy, it seems I am on an improvement plan whether I planned it out or not! At it's core is being more conscious of what's around me daily, cleaning out my ears and accepting each day for what it is.   (Getting better at the former; work in progress on the latter!)

"Conscious emphasizes the recognition of something sensed or felt" says the dictionary.  I love this meaning as it gives me permission to listen to my gut, or my chitter chatter, to continue talking to myself aloud, and answering my own questions... all the stuff that others might deem 'nuts' that I do all the time.  (Part 2 of the definition conquered - unless there's another level to be reached on intuition....!)

To be awake is to have full consciousness of something and Alert stresses quickness to recognize and respond.  This seems to describe our horses in a nutshell.  Being in the moment aka quick to respond is not my forte.  Ive had 3 falls from Grace (excuse the pun) in the last 18 months and each time I've remarked on how "I just sat there and did nothing".  I have decisions to make to improve the quality of my horses life but procrastinate, change my mind and am stuck in cerebral debate!  (This part of the definition I suck at!)

When Grace (my younger horse) talked with Margrit she talked of how horses need humans to understand their pain and how that reflects onto the way humans handle horses.  I wasn't really sure what that meant until simple every day examples started to jump out at me. Take the following one as an example: 

Last week as I waked past another horse's stable the owner standing inside said aloud "there's a real serenity to eating hay without a hay net".  Then she stopped.  I stopped too.

How wonderful it must have felt for her horse to be able to eat without constraint.   How wonderful that his owner noticed.  How glad I am that I tuned in and heard it too.

It's not rocket science.  How hard would it be for all our horses to be given hay without having to put up a fight to get at it?  Imagine how we would feel?

It made me  wonder just how difficult do we make the lives of our horses?  In fact how difficult do we make our own lives?  We don't mean to, most of us would happily simplify our lives and that of our horses.  We just get caught up in habit, tradition, doing what everyone else does, following, not questioning for ourselves - being busy etc. 

I believe that in that one moment of making an observation my livery neighbour was experiencing what horses have to offer us if we are open to receive it;

simplicity: truth: freedom: being able to respond to one's own needs

Awareness is about realising that inside each of us is a place where all understanding exists - we already have the answers.  Each of us.  This inner place is our kernel of peace!  Our horses try to plant it in us.  Think about all the moments where you are drawn to just watch your horse or someone else's.  Mostly we are drawn to watch them graze, sleep in the sun, nuzzle one another or gallop freely in a field.  These moments (and moments like the one mentioned above) are when 'we get it' and we find ourselves using words like 'serenity' to describe it.   Now that's got to be awareness!