Posted by Dominique Mathison on 26th Jun 2014
We recently had a request from one of our flower practitioners, Dominique Mathison, in British Columbia to help with selecting essences for a horse labyrinth. Both horses and labyrinths have been used as a means of therapy for humans and animals suffering from emotional, mental and physical challenges.
The labyrinth (42m diametre 7 Circuit labyrinth) was designed by Dominique’s friend, Holly Letcher, an Occupational Therapist who uses labyrinths as a therapeutic modality in her practice. Land was provided by Halliday Walsh a Holistic Health Practitioner, a medicine horse facilitator and animal communicator. The community of Errington came together to provide the manpower for the project.
Over 7000 rocks were manifested to line this single winding circular path that is wide enough for two horses to pass and one kilometer long (in and out). Synchronicity after synchronicity occurred and everything came together quite magically.
Finally, the first weekend in May brought us World Labyrinth Day and the two day Equine Labyrinth Building Workshop. I made a flower essence gift for the participants ,“Co-creating beauty with Creator”. It is one of my favourite essences created to date. Keynotes are,” nature transcends with beauty and man transcends with creativity, both come into fruition with god”. The essence was very well received by all who participated for the two days. Some even greeted the essences with tears of gratitude. Clearing the land , raking , pulling up weeds and roots , making it even and putting all the rocks in place was hard work. We thought manifesting 21 tonnes of rocks on time, was going to be difficult, not one of us thought about the moving them! With cabbage supporting love in action every single part of the labyrinth was built with a smile and love. People were blissful, giggly, and filled with gratitude and joy bringing this project to the community.
On the last day during our blessing ceremony participants were swept with a condor feather, eagles were flying above in the sky, we walked the medicine horses around the labyrinth to open it with Koshi chimes tuning to the elements and the drum echoing the heartbeat of mother earth. After this, all participants who stayed to plant the essences, magically, were the exact amount of people and exactly corresponding to each zodiac sign with the elements and the gems. The elements were planted based on the Coast Salish Medicine wheel directions. With a spiritual blessing to the elements and devas, the planting was completed. At this exact moment a hummingbird flew in the east side, stopped at each participant, and hovered above my head close enough to land, and in front of the lady I was hugging. This was a profound moment for most, hummingbirds were not out at his time in May, it was fairly cold weather and it was the first one seen during the workshop . Not only was the community supporting this project but all of nature as well! Thank-you Findhorn essences! I used elecampane for receiving, spotted orchid for creativity, cabbage for fluidity of the group , harmony, and vision, elder for letting your inner light shine and beauty in the project, earth, ether and diamond, for tuning in to the essences being planted as well as divine connection ,service, spiritual alignment , power of synthesis, grounding and lightness. 2 drops of each and 1 of ether in a 15ml bottle.
The labyrinth has been used in therapeutic riding settings to support mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health for persons and horses of all ages and abilities. The idea of the Marion's seven rays and elemental essences planted in the labyrinth just seemed very natural. Some labyrinths use crystals to represent directions, we used essences. Labyrinth's have a cross which represents man and the elements. This labyrinth just happened to be a seven circuit (pathway) labyrinth corresponding to the chakras. So everything just fit together quite organically. All essences were planted using sacred geometry and in my research I actually found representations of the design in a labyrinth corresponding to the land of Lemuria which quite surprisingly has reference to it being along the west coast of B.C. and United states. Not only that we just happen to be in the Year of the Horse!
We are having amazing results! We were not sure of how the essences would affect the labyrinth, if people would feel them. What we are finding is that the medicine horses are actually stopping people where the essences are planted, meditating with them in these areas or mirror behaviour or balance energy in these spots in the labyrinth. Some testimonials in such a brief amount of time are of tremendous grief surfacing and the uncontrollable desire to cry in certain areas, horses stopping clients in areas and feeling pain in their heart . Some clients are having one to one sessions with medicine horses in the round pen, than walking with the horses in the labyrinth and a full session with Hal, a total of three hours , having complete life changing experiences and knowing their exact life path as they leave. Participants have written testimonials in regards to the labyrinth.