In this video, you’ll see yet another example of how what we think is happening in or with our bodies may not be what is actually happening. We use practices like meditation and yoga to help us go deeper into our bodies, but there’s nothing like the energetic mirror of a horse to reflect back to us the real story our body is telling.
Although I was nervous about having a whole group of horse newbies out with my young, lively herd, I also felt compelled to create and offer this space for connection and exploration. Enjoy the video and see what happens when the horses decide there is something far more important than meditating that needs to happen…
The full story of how Montaro taught me the As Above, So Below energy technique in the vid, can be read here.
Thanks to my brave friend Katie Hess (founder of Lotus Wei flower essences) and her crew for opening to this powerful experience. One thing you should know, is that Lisa Reinhardt – whose sweater Montaro nipped, and who spoke about the experience of practicing As Above, So Below at the end of the video – spent 11 years meditating with the monks in the Himalayas. She is no newbie to meditating! And I’m sure she will continue to experiment and play with this technique as I have; discovering its breadth of power and applications in various circumstances.
It was so wondrous and special for all of us when Audelina came into the middle of the circle, and Juno joined her there to nurse (at 2:07 minutes in the video).
My friend Güliz Ünlü was already holding regular Sitting With Horses meditations at her place, so it was great to have her come and lead the meditation; which left me free to take photos. Luckily, fellow Horse Listener Kera Willis happened to be hanging out with Güliz on that day, so she came along too – and as you can see, we needed her gentle, respectful guidance to move the young ones along when they got a bit too nippy with the participants.
These horses! They just keep taking me deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole. And I’m so thankful to have things like video and the Internet so I can share these experiences with our wonderful community of Horse Listeners here 🙂
Jini Patel Thompson is a natural health writer and Lazer Tapping instructor. She began riding at age 2 in Kenya, and got her first horse at age 8 in Alberta, and so continues a life-long journey and love affair with these amazing creatures.
great experiment! I just love the footage of the horses here. so much going on.. and a great lesson!
Thank you for sharing. I just love how the horses are free to engage or not engage however they want. One thought I had about the music is that I liked it at the end when people were sharing their experience, but initially I found it distracting because I wanted the silent experience that everyone in the video was having and the only sounds that broke that silence was what was happening in the moment (i.e., hearing the horses breathe, hearing them move, etc). (For a brief moment I thought maybe there was actual music playing at the beginning of the circle in the woods). My experience of silence is that is where the magic occurs. Later I will talk about it, make music about it, etc., but the whole experience starts first with silence and an openness to whatever is happening. I also know I’m a silence lover, and not everyone is. Even when I watch posted horse videos and there’s a song attached after the fact I mute it. Horses are so fascinating in their own silence that that’s all I want. I also love hearing about your relationship with Montaro. I wonder what it is like for him to have a human he can actually communicate with. He must be thrilled.
Mary I just found your 1st comment – for some reason it got put in the Spam box! I do like what you say about silence though – we will definitely keep this in mind for future videos. I’m working on one now and it’s almost all natural sound 🙂
Very interesting to watch this. I often feel the same nervousness when I have non horsey guests at our house visiting. My horses have access to everything and for some people the in your face stuff is to much. It’s mostly Bullet because Dreamer and Banner are much less intrusive but they still like to get up close and personal they are just more gentle about it. Your energy above and below technique is amazing I need to explore this more as I can see so many benefits and deep emotions it can help you explore and balance. I will say again Jini I am so thankful that you are tech savvy and willing to capture and put all these wonderful experiences out there for all of us. You make the world a better place. ✌?️❤️?
Awww thanks Michelle 🙂 Perhaps you – and anyone else who sees this – can help me out here: I’m wondering HOW MUCH of the processes we’re walking through to show? How much would be enjoyable, useful, thought-provoking etc. And do you want to see things in real-time? Or edited down? It’s a difficult judgement because I want to show the truth of how much time a horse spends thinking, or processing, before moving to action – so they don’t look like ‘trained’ circus ponies who just do what I say. But at the same time, I’m wondering if that would also get boring??
What do you prefer? An edited video that is just an idea or rough outline to serve as a springboard for your own ideas? Or a more real-time account that shows the nuances, the timing, the questioning, etc.?
I guess it would depend on the topic & the person who is watching interest level. Some things really strike a deep connection with people and they would want every tidbit. I also think that the cut down version may attract someone who is not as interested in a particular subject because they are more condensed and to the point…there for reaching someone you might not have…with longer editions. I know I am not helping at all. It’s just so hard to say because not every person has the time or interest to commit to 1/2 hour or hour long videos or even longer. I myself love all the detail you put into your explorations and I appreciate every moment I get to witness. I am however gifted with an abundance of free time because I work from home and have the luxury of not having to devote so many hours everyday to a 9-5 job (including commute time) I guess what I am saying is as you probably already know…you can’t please everyone all the time. You of all people are probably one of the best at using your intuition and inner guidance to determine length and content. If you ask me you are doing an amazing job and I have learned more from your and Kesias blog then almost all my other sources combined. So In my eyes I am one happy reader. ✌?️❤️?
My opinion on that Jini is to go with your gut. I really appreciate your real time things like the trailer loading or halter training. But at the same time, I have limited internet Data allowance for the month (Rural Australia!) and I think this video beautifully captured the essence of what happened, without being in real time! Maybe you could email or have the full event on Youtube as well for those who want it? Just my opinion though!
This is soooo beautiful Jini! Thank you for sharing! Of course it’s always perfect timing, for me anyway as I am about to embark on a career working with the At Risk community at large. Also, I am a healer with horses but have struggled to understand how I could work with strong personalities in a positive way – so I haven’t!. I am filled with Joy, Love and have been moved to tears with this video – I really can’t thank you enough for sharing it! THIS is the way forward with all the world! Your love is permeable even on the other side of the world! Thank you Thank you Thank you!
Ah Tamara, you move me to tears. THIS is what the horses are here for and why this herd came to me (when I only wanted one!) knowing I have the online, filming, etc skills to spread their messages. Once people learn this technique (As Above So Below) and begin practicing it, they realize it has SO many applications!
I recently went through a VERY rocky time with a 17 year old – behaving in many ways what you will encounter with an at-risk youth, but perhaps even worse because the line was not drawn at physical violence/attack – as we were not in an ‘official’ or therapy setting. There were times where the only way to contain his rage was to run As Above So Below for HOURS and then when I flowed it out my heart, I flowed it to him. So I wasn’t depleting my energy at all – all the help/energetic love and containment was coming from the divine, mother earth etc. BUT. If I had not practiced this technique with Montaro drilling me repeatedly on it in fearful situations, I would not have been able to hold it (the imagining) during this high stress, high fear, high risk time. So it’s best if you make this a daily practice, run it several times a day if you can. Run it whenever you encounter a difficult co-worker, boss, friend or family member. Run it when you’re impatient, stuck in a line, etc.
We have also discovered it has many applications for healing, or releasing blockages in the etheric and physical body – instead of swirling the 2 streams in the torso, you can swirl them wherever the spiral is needed (the shoulder, the hip, the ankle, etc). A friend of mine has been playing with swirling it into her fingertip and then releasing it – like a laser – wherever she points or presses her fingertip. She used this (applying to the head) to relieve a migraine in a family member, and they drifted off to sleep. When they awoke, the migraine was gone. And so on.
It is truly a gift of mammoth proportions and once you start using it, you will realize how many applications it has. One more I will tell you about, since traumatized kids who come through addiction (theirs or parents/caregivers), may have negative energy/entity attachments: If you feel one of these forces at work, you yourself might start to feel dizzy, or frantic, or fearful. Immediately start running As Above So Below until your own being is stabilized and you no longer feel any ‘symptoms’. Then you either teach the client how to run As Above So Below, or, you start flowing it to them.
I’m sure all of us here offer you support and hold space for you as you move into this challenging pathway. I SO look forward to hearing from you as you go along. Much love xo
Thank you so much Jini for your advice and help! It is greatly appreciated. Please tell Montaro thank you – I feel deep and loving gratitude for his role in my life also! I have been deeply called to this and have one particular horse who has been born I think to work with me in this way! I am constantly raising my expectations of myself when communicating with all my horses – soon I hope that I am much more cognisant with her messages, much like I imagine You and Montaro are.
I have told my husband the ‘As Above, So Below’ techinque and he immediately understood the worth of it also. So Montaro’s message is spreading, as I’m sure he wanted!
Thank you again! I will remember your advice and practice several times every day. I will keep in touch!
Love from the centre of Australia
I thought I did a reply a few days ago, but it looks like I must have clicked the wrong button. Jini, since you asked about how long of a video, editing, etc, that was actually what my comment was about. To answer your question, I love the raw footage with all the quirks and no overlay of music, just the sound of the horses, etc. as it’s happening. For me, I’m at a point where my preferred teachers are the horses themselves in their raw footage. That’s where I can scrutinize the nuances of their body language. I do realize that could very well be an hour long video. If you do any of those, you might just give a disclaimer. And then you could have the edited version for the quick snapshot. When I have time, I will watch hour long videos of horses doing “nothing”. In all seriousness, the hour long “nothing” videos is where I learn the most. It’s unadulterated by humans and full of rich information.
My original comment was I preferred no music at the beginning because it was a distraction for me. I wanted to hear the horses move, breathe, etc. in real time. Later when people where talking about their experience I didn’t mind the music because it was a commentary much like how the people were commenting.
No matter what you do, I enjoy your videos and reading your blogs. What a wonderful relationship you have with Montaro. He must be so thrilled that a human can speak his language.
Thanks so much Mary, Tamara and Michelle for the feedback. And I agree with you Mary about being able to hear all the sounds – often when I watch my own footage I notice a bunch of things I did not notice when I was in the middle of it! The horses are often communicating so much beyond even what I can take in, or be aware of, at the time.
I think what I will do (also depending on time available) is to offer a mix. So for this video, for example, I felt there were 2 essential stories/messages that needed to be communicated. Although 8 minutes is considered too long for “sharing” on social media, it was also the time needed to show what needed/wanted to be shown. On the other hand, not many people would have sat through the 1.5 hours of total footage and much of it was repetitive behaviour.
But I have also shot a few more videos since, just with my own camera, more along the lines of a, “let’s hang out and see what happens or what wants to happen” vibe. And I think I will leave those as much in real-time, with natural sounds.
And yes, of course, for each video, I must follow my own gut and also what I feel the horses want to communicate. But thanks for giving me permission to do the longer, real-time videos too and for letting me know they are not boring, but valuable!