Reverence for the Land

 

Just under two years and everything at Horse Woods Haven has come together. All the fields have a beautiful new fence, automatic field waterers, and an over-sized outdoor arena. The property boundary has been marked, trails are ribboned, two labyrinths, a garden, house in great shape, driveway weeded and refreshed. Next step, how to proceed? The two years as a steward has changed my life to have a spiritual practice in daily study while attending to the care and beauty of the land. 8 horses. Some are rescues. Moving towards not riding, but offering experiences with the horses, land, and being. 

East Meets West in Kentucky

 

Doorway from the indoor arena to the house. Pooja. 

Remarkable event to have at the farm. I was missing not going to India for the past two years because of the pandemic. The opportunity to have a Vedic Priest come from the Louisville Hindu Temple and bless the horses and the land arose. It was also an auspicious day, Guru Purnima. His father from India was visiting, his wife came, and a friend who is a priest. They loved having the 5 horses in the background which is symbolic of the 5 horses Krishna drove in a chariot.

 It feels like a new beginning. The farm is ready for the next step. Let's see what it is. The retired horses, retreats, gatherings, yoga, etc are all developing options. 

Ironically, I was never involved in the poojas in India. I would watch from afar. Fun to be a part of one here in Kentucky.

Waltzing Horses Wellness Center

 

Dusk

Updating and relaunching the website. Waltzing Horses Wellness Center

Welcoming horses in their golden years to rest, relax, and be reintroduced to life as a natural horse, but with complete care.

http://waltzinghorses.com

A Year Has Passed

 

Gracie and Sweet Pea

Incredible that a year has passed--almost to the day since the last blog. The basic farm is in order now. Fences repaired, painted, and a strand of electric added to prevent chewing on the fences. The indoor arena has footing. The base of the outdoor arena is set and ready for sand. Two labyrinths created. 5 horses in varying stages of life are living here: Nador, Lincoln, Harlan, Sweet Pea, and Gracie. 2 cats: Sofia and Corgi. Interior of the house is in order, but still very little furniture. All the borders of the fields and fences are cleared for walking and riding. Two big installations looming--fencing between the woods and the fields plus, four water troughs installed for rotational grazing. Forester assessed the woods and said it is unusual to walk into woods that haven't been logged for 60 years. He commented on my good fortune. Tractor and zero turn are the major work horses for keeping the place trimmed. Garden thriving. Time to start looking at the business and how to proceed. 

In the meantime, I am going to follow a new thread of learning about Devas, the vortex, and the energetics of being in a sacred space of such beauty and resonance. Someone suggested to start blogging about it as I learn and observe. A new chapter. 

Big Blue and mowing the grazing fields

Pre-mowing and the grass abundance

The ever present woods and their beauty

Capacity Building

 

Gurudev said that was my journey now (seven years ago)--capacity building. The caring of the land and knowing it from all of the exercises of weeding, weed-eating, and tree trimming has developed a sensibility like discovering each horse that I have had in the flow of my life. Magic carpet. Plastic pile removed, hay baled, and more. 

Chloe had just barked and warned me about a snake family that was under the last pile of debris to clean up. She had transitioned to being my steward and not just the reverse. Observing, shaping, and being part of the evolution of a beautiful soul was a privilege. Less then twenty-four hours later, she was struck dead by the neighbor drag racing down the street. Is it the contrast of life to death that is the deepest point of capacity building?

Steps of Effort and Change

 

What a measuring stick of change to work on a property. In two days, footing in the indoor, new gravel on the driveway, stall enlarged, pipes cut down in outdoor, grass mowed, fence panels moved, ceiling fans installed, and meeting new cool people. Grace.

Bookshelves

 

Morning view and light emerging

The outer details of the house, barn, and grounds are progressing rapidly. After assembling four bookshelves, I had a moment to start unpacking books, so they had a place to go. Very heartfelt to run across the books I studied while in India and photos of the ashram/Gurudev. Now, I have a place for a daily reminder visually as well as what is in my heart every moment. Pranam.