by Dr. Penny Lloyd

I heard him shuffling towards me, before I felt his breath on my cheek. Even with my eyes closed, I knew who it was, and smiled. With a knee swollen from arthritis, he had an obvious limp and dragged his toe through the dirt. But it was not his gait that gave away his identity. It was his steady, warm, grounding presence.

Some thought that it was cute that this horse left his herd to join our meditation group. Many giggled when they felt his breath tousling their hair. Others broke their meditation to stroke the velvet softness of his nose. But this wise old soul was a teacher to the very core of his being. And he was on a mission.

At first, I too was curious why he had joined us. His huge body was only inches away. I could hear the flutter of his nostrils as he exhaled one deep breath after another. After awhile, I did the only thing that occurred to me to do. I relaxed even more, slowing and deepening my breath to match his. When I stopped trying to understand why he had joined our meditation group, it became clear.

Soon I was adrift in a beautiful world without thought. It was that feeling like just before you drop off to sleep. Where you are so tired that you completely surrender. Only I did not fall asleep. Such a deep healing love was bathing me that it seemed unnecessary to sleep ever again. You could simply bask in it and feel the ache of being tired turn into a form of deep contentment.

It was a place that held all of the answers to life's big questions. Yet formulating a question caused a separation from the stillness. It lifted you out of that deep well, somewhat like waking out of a deep sleep. Thinking compromised the blissful feeling. I had entered a level of being that was so completely satisfying that there was nothing to do. Doing anything, using the mind in any capacity, detracted from it. I was adrift in a sea of peace, love, and contentment. Simply "being" was way more than enough. I wanted to stay there forever.

But the chimes rang, bringing me back to my chair. And I sat basking in the peaceful remnants of the experience, staring at the big old sorrel horse. There he stood, eyes glazed over, licking and chewing in contentment. He seemed perfectly at home in a meditation circle. I wondered if that is what animals did, when they were not playing or eating. If they spent their quiet time where I had just been, boredom was not an issue. Standing under a giant oak tree swishing flies was a pretty pleasant pastime, if you could visit deep being.

I had been gifted with a brief glimpse into the world beyond words. It was an inkling of the place that we come from and return to. It was a sampling of the magnificence of which we really are. Through this experience, my smaller questions were replaced with a larger understanding. After a long quest to understand purpose, I knew that to "be" was the ultimate thing to "do."

Ask yourself: Are we the only species that is conscious of "being" and oneness with the whole universe? Who is to say? You decide as you watch horses interact with people. Are they bringing consciousness into all that they do? Have they picked up a new awareness of what they do from us? Is it all about being, doing, or is it an exquisite blend of the two? Is it possible that as a species, horses are already living heaven on earth?

Dr. Penny is a veterinarian and nature guide, teaching the skills to connect deeper with animals and nature for mutual healing benefits. She may be reached at ConnectionTheBestMedicine.com