Things change. They come and go. The world is in a constant state of flux. In their search for understanding of a seemingly random process, the ancient Chinese sages came to see order behind the chaos, and realized that Nature itself presents the secret of life’s mysteries.
Nature abides by the laws of the universe in which change is one of them. Our duty, then is not to change the state of flux, or ‘the flow,’ but to learn how to experience it.
An enlightened approach to living in this world is to get in touch with its sweeping movement. This means living lightly in the present moment, not grasping – accepting things when they come and letting them go when they go.
Accepting change
All change can bring one to a higher state. The key is to accept change, to witness it without judgment, to honour it, to go with it, and to see the perfection in it. It is seeing the events of your life from a larger perspective, seeing your life as a part in the grand scheme of things. For example, you lose something in your life – your job, your relationship, a pet. In the process of letting go, you discover your own resilience. After the fear or anger, or grief has subsided, your heart gradually opens with understanding and compassion. You have transitioned to a higher state.
Be aware, however, that accepting change does not mean being passive. It’s more like yielding. When we sense resistance building up, that is a sure sign that we are not ‘in the flow.’ Resistance to ‘the flow’ is any time we experience negativity – which often reveals itself in the form of an emotion such as anger, fear, resentment, anxiety. These emotions are useful as they alert us to the fact that we have a need that is not being met. With the exception of being in physical danger, if we look closely, we can trace unmet needs to an unproductive way of thinking – about ourselves, others, or a situation. We may discover that we are thinking we are not good enough, or others have violated our values and so on. This kind of thinking is resistance. We are engaged in judging ourselves and others rather than being present and yielding to the flow. This is where change can bring us to a higher state – when we take responsibility for, and examine our thoughts.
Horses reflect our thinking, beliefs and behaviours which helps us to see those parts of ourselves that are blind to us. By engaging with them, we accelerate our change – and growth to a higher state.