Horses, Buck and My Animal Connections

I was watching the documentary once again about the horse whisperer.  The title of this film is "Buck" and is about the life of Buck Brannaman as he teaches horse clinics and people about the greater truths in life.  I've hardly ever ridden a horse, but I can tell just how much Buck understands the finer parts of life.

Growing up most of my life I have been around animals from dogs, cats to chickens, sheep, and pigs.  My college undergraduate degree is in Animal Science and at one time I wanted to be a veterinarian.  Due to grades not being quite high enough in my undergraduate and financial limitations, I did not pursue this area.  However, I spent considerable time working on and managing big farms.

To this day I still love the animals, although I don't live in a situation where I can be close to them.  There is nothing more rewarding and joyful than to have hundreds of animals that can't wait to come up and greet you.  There has never been an animal that I was afraid of or could not be around.  Somehow I always found a way to make friends with them and do things that most people could not do.

Buck Brannaman And The Horse Knows

In a recent interview from the website, www.cowboysindians.com, some great insights about horses were given that apply to people in so many ways.  Buck Brannaman is known by many things, but the thing that I enjoy seeing is just how real he is.  Yes, he works with horses and he understands horses like few people do, but because of his life's experiences, he knows how to be true, real and honest.

When a horse wants to be around you, that is when Buck feels safe with the human.  It is amazing to think about, but since I come from a farm background, I understand what he is saying.  We had sheep growing up and if you weren't a safe person, the sheep did not want to be around you.  I remember trying to get the sheep to go in the barn one time with my father.  They would just run around scared, confused, nervous and doing anything but what we wanted.

Finally I realized that it was my father who was causing the problem and asked him to go to the house.  He did not like that of course, but deep down I knew that the sheep didn't trust him.  Once he went to the house, they almost walked in single file like it was no big deal.  Animals can tell instinctively what a human is like.  They react to what they sense and see, not what the human tries to portray.

Buck The Movie

I finally got a chance to see a movie that had been recommended to me.  The movie documentary, Buck, is an excellent one to see.  Essentially Buck Brannaman, the horse whisperer is able to get horses to do things that most people could never dream of getting them to do.  It is a story about his life growing up in some very difficult circumstances and ending up living a life that makes him feel fulfilled.

In the movie, it shows how Buck is able communicate with horses and observe the smallest things in them that most people do not observe.  Through his closeness and ability to understand the horse, he is able to be one of them and accomplish so much. I am seeing the same thing in Unified Therapy that I have experienced and am using to learn to heal others.  It is those subtle moments that most people do not see, but if you can notice them and work with that, you will find a way to unlock so much trauma in a person and release it.  It is life changing, just like what Buck does with horses.

Horses In Dreams

In the blog post of May 19, 2011, "Dream Of Bears And Horses", I decided to investigate and see what it means to dream about bears and horses. Yesterday (May 20, 2011), I talked about what a bear means in a dream and today I will discuss what a horse means.

According to Dream Moods.com, a horse symbolizes strength, power, and endurance. It may also represent a strong physical energy. In addition to these things, it could indicate that your are horsing around or you need to get off your high horse.

In the Dream Dictionary website, riding a fine bay horse, denotes a rise in fortune and gratification of passion.

On the website, Dream Forth.com, horses symbolize strength, speed and endurance. They also indicate having control over things and directing them towards your aim.

According to the website, Dream Lovers Inc.com, horses are a noble and powerful animal in dreams. Horses can symbolize freedom and power. They may be considered to be messengers relaying information from the unconscious to the conscious or from the spiritual to the physical. Brown horses are associated with mental pursuits.

I'm sure that I could go on and on, finding various things about what a horse means in a dream but what I've included here seems to match up in my mind to the dream I had and posted about on May 19. 2011.


Further Reading:
1) Dreams Of Bears And Horses (May 19, 2011 Blog Post)
2) Bears In Dreams (May 20, 2011 Blog Post)
3) Horses In Dreams (This blog post May 21, 2011)



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Blog Post & Images (c) 5/11/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/
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Bears In Dreams

In yesterday's blog post (May 19, 2011), "Dream Of Bears And Horses", I decided to investigate and see what it means to dream about bears and horses. Today, I'll discuss what I found regarding bears and tomorrow, I will talk about horses.

According to Dream Moods.com, a bear can symbolize independence, the cycle of life, death and renewal. It is stated that you are undergoing a time of introspection and thinking. If you are being pursued or attacked by a bear, this denotes aggression or overwhelming obstacles in your life. It could also mean that you may find yourself in a threatening situation.

In the Dream Dictionary website, a bear has much to do with overwhelming competition in pursuits of every type.

On the website, Dream Forth.com, when being attacked by a bear suggests that there are mounting barriers in your way. You might be in a dangerous situation. Bears represent the cycle of life and this could be a moment that requires self-analysis and deep thought.

According to the website, Dream Lovers Inc.com, bears are more solitary animals that generally are not predatory which matches up to what I was telling the people in my dream. They may represent introspection and depression. In the case of dreams with bears, it may indicate that the introspection and depression is the part of the healing cycle where the dreamer has retreated into himself to find himself. Bears are usually associated with danger and aggression, but this is a very narrow view of this powerful dream symbol.

In the dream I posted about on May 19, 2011, the bear seemed to startle me but yet I felt as if i expected it to happen. It was like, I was speaking about it and lo and behold, it came to pass. The screaming out in my sleep was more of a startle I think, than feeling like I was in danger.


Further Reading:
1) Dreams Of Bears And Horses (May 19, 2011 Blog Post)
2) Bears In Dreams (This blog post May 20, 2011)
3) Horses In Dreams (Blog post on May 21, 2011)



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blog Post & Images (c) 5/11/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/
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Dream of Bears and Horses

In a dream I had recently, I have recorded it on the blog and did some research into what some of these things mean. Here is the dream along with links at the bottom of the page for the following blog posts that detail some of what these dream symbols mean.

In the dream, for some reason, I was taking a group of people out into the woods for a nature excursion. We went to this log cabin that had brightly colored tan logs and a high pitched roof. It had a beautiful porch in the front and I believe there was a lake nearby out in the front yard maybe a 100 yards away.

The trees were tall thin pine trees with most of their branches toward the sky and it was a bright sunny day. I could see the clear blue sky above the trees with an occasional small think white cloud floating by. The wind was gently blowing through the breeze.

There was a small group of people on this excursion and each of us had come to the cabin by horse. The horses were a medium shade of brown. Our horses were loaded down with everything we needed including food. As we were gathering that morning, I was telling everyone that there were bears in the woods.

I remember telling everyone that the bears would leave us alone most of the time but if they were hungry and smelled our food, they might come after us. I told them that if the bears came after us, the best thing to do was to climb up a tree and let the bears have the food because our safety came first.

No sooner had I told them this, there were at least two bears, maybe three that came around and went after the food we had saddled up on the horses. I saw one bear with his hooves upon the horse tearing the food pouch to shreds to get to the food.

The horse was scared but with the two other bears around it, there wasn’t much it could do. All I could hear was the sounds the horses were making as everyone hurried into the cabin. We all watched in horror through the window and at that moment, I screamed out with a one syllable word, waking myself up from sleep.

I had to readjust myself to the room and convince myself that the bear was not roaming through the bedroom so I could go back to sleep.


Further Reading:
1) Dreams Of Bears And Horses (This blog post May 19, 2011)
2) Bears In Dreams (Blog post May 20, 2011)
3) Horses In Dreams (Blog post on May 21, 2011)



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blog Post & Images (c) 5/11/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm In Denial

I see ten horses running at full gallop toward us. I'm pleased they are coming to say hello, but everyone else runs for cover. They claim I'm in denial; I compare myself with them and wonder what is wrong with me. Alternatively, they stay and I run, and we all understand I'm a coward. If our experience has led us to think the horses would hurt us, running is sensible. If our experience has led us to think horses are friendly, we stay to greet them. Some of us have learned one, some the other, and so we behave differently. By presuming my behavior doesn't make sense, you don't get to learn that horses may be friendly. - pg 57, On Becoming An Artist by Ellen Langer

A special thank you to Marilyn Brown for the photo of the horses!