SO…the June Solstice has come and gone. Already our beloved Earth is beginning the slow tilt of her face away from the Sun … but there are many weeks left of this Summer! HeartShore has been busy!
In May we held our first drum-making with Louisa Shorney, a very gifted wisewoman, rich in Earth lore. Six women came together to birth six horse skin drums, in the presence of the HeartShore Herd. The horses – in particular Oak and Simba – stepped forward to guide the participants towards their skin, and held space
for the whole Process, culminating in the Naming Ceremony, when the names of the drums were spoken aloud. Drum-birthing in this way, held by the energies of the live herd, is powerful indeed, and we will offer another soon. Watch this space!
Also in May, Clare Cracknell and I facilitated two women at a two-day Embodied Coaching workshop; and, with Nick Oakley-Smith, a one-day Leadership Training for Bristol Care Homes.
In June I facilitated a two-day workshop with Anna Saqquara Price at the Avalon Priory in Glastonbury – “Walking the Grief Road through the Way of the Horse”. Four women came together to explore Grief, and their relationship with their personal griefs, guided by Sox and Acorn, of the Priory HeartShore Herd. This was a profound journey in the magnificent Avalon Priory Chapel for its inside meeting place. We will most definitely be walking the grief road again accompanied by Sox and Acorn! Watch this space!
Also in June I headed into West Wales to co-facilitate “The Road to Recovery”, with Jackie Turner and Chris Paling, at Equus Ferus. A group of eight individuals, who are “in recovery”, came together to share their experiences of addiction and recovery, with us and the Equus Ferus Herd. Again we travelled far and deep, with the humans, the horses, the buzzard and the hare, and the nearby sea estuary. Beautiful and inspirational to hear of the struggle and the gifts of addiction and recovery. What is addiction, other than the soul’s search for the corrective emotional experience for the first circle wound?
June has been the busiest month. We have just finished this year’s Equine Assisted Soul Experience (EASE), a five-day soul dive. Wow! What a magnificent offering this is evolving into! There are no words to adequately describe the profound journey our eight participants took with the Herd and with Soul. In its third year, the EASE is becoming a unique modality, combining authentic community with a very real, deep soul Journey, facilitated by our experienced team of Soul Recognition facilitators and, of course, the horses, who showed up in their unrivalled magnificence, to bring the most profound and unexpected transformations.
I cannot emphasise enough the power of this offering … places on the EASE 2024 are already filling. If you book between now and the end of September, the fee will be the same as this year. A deposit of £250 will secure your place, find more information here.
The Empowered Herd Book Release
Another huge piece of news that occurred in June, was the publishing of my book, “The Empowered Herd, the Role of Horses in Therapeutic Journeys”. It is available on Amazon, and Kindle, and directly from me, signed! There will be a formal book launch at HeartShore on 5 th August (details to follow).
I owe deep gratitude to Flo Aeveia Magdalena for arranging all things to do with the printing and publishing (through her All Worlds Publishing company); and to Chloe Luis for all her hard work also. The glorious cover photo is by Natasha Scott, and is of Skylark, daughter of Moth.
It was an indescribable feeling to hold the hard copy of the book in my hands, and my Prayer is that it goes out into the world, furthering and deepening our human understanding of the inestimable value of our sacred relationship with Horse.
For upcoming events visit here. There are more events planned for the Autumn, and HeartShore is of course looking forward to hosting the IFEEL Level 5 qualification’s on-site training modules.
For now myself and the Horses look forward to seeing many of you at our Summer events, and to welcoming new members of our growing authentic community …