That evening, the storm they had been talking about arrived, first in the form of rain, then in the middle of the night, snow. Several inches fell Monday night, continuing through Tuesday morning. I called June to let her know that I would be staying another day at least, depending on the storm.

I drove in the storm to see the chiropractor. He was very good, spending quite a bit of time working on the various parts of my body that needed the most attention. He aligned me, but I was still sore. After the appointment, I sat down to do some computer work and realized that even that was painful. So, I wandered around the town of Truckee, exploring. The town and its people are used to these storms. Despite the snow, life continued to move around me.

As I remembered things I needed to take care of, and moved from store to store, I felt like I was moving through molasses. Everything took effort and focus, and I didn’t have it. What seemed like minutes turned into hours. I didn’t accomplish much, although I was exhausted by the time I returned to the cottage.

After resting for an hour, I heard Bruce’s wife Cindy feeding the horses below the cottage, which is a full apartment above the barn, a lovely, restful place with all accommodations. I went down to talk with her about dinner and she asked if I would be willing to do a shamanic healing session for her. We made the arrangements, and I went back to the cottage to prepare. I had already set up my altar for my morning ritual, so spent some time calling in the spirits. I realized that I had been completely ungrounded, and that was why I felt so disconnected and unfocused.

Cindy’s session went very well, and I could feel myself reconnecting with myself and the spirits. I haven’t been out for a walk in days, and so my groundedness with earth has been missing. I can see how important that is!

More photos and videos to come!

Monday, I woke to severe pain in most of my body, specifically my neck and left hip and leg. Not sure why, but I think it was a culmination of everything finally settling into my muscles. I could barely move. Bruce recommended his chiropractor, so we made an appointment for Tuesday.

The sun was out, but the wind continued. Bruce’s wife Cindy explained that the wind was a harbinger of a storm. Despite the wind and my pain, I really wanted to work with Gino, so we went to the tree stump in the middle of the corral. I had brought my healing drum, made of horsehide. Cindy asked if I would be more comfortable with the other two horses stalled, but I told her to let the others stay and we’d see what happened. My plan was to journey with the drum to Gino to see what he might have to tell me about his pain.

As we sat there, the horses came up to us to see what we were up to. Magic, clearly the alpha of the three, moved toward me with specific intent, focusing on the drum. I had not started drumming yet, so I held it out to him to smell. His energy picked up and he became very intent, smelling, then licking the drum. Then he did a very strange thing, something Cindy had never seen any horse do. He rapidly rubbed his lips back and forth on the drumhead, only stopping to lick, then try to bite the edge of the rim. Then he would do it again. It was very interesting to watch.

Meanwhile, the other horses wanted to see what he was doing, and moved in to smell the drum, too. But Magic would have none of it, chasing them away if they got too close. Then he would come back and do the lip thing again.

Finally, I pulled the beater out and tried to drum as I journeyed. Magic went into a trance, staring at the drum, his nostrils flaring slightly. He stayed motionless. The other two saw their opportunity and tried to move in. That broke his trance and he chased them away again. Then he came back and wouldn’t let me drum anymore, biting at the beater and putting his nose in the way of my drumming.

We decided to try and pen Magic and RC so we could work with Gino, but that didn’t work. Everyone got agitated, so we let them all be. I suggested that I go to the cottage and try journeying to them from there. What I did get as I was in the pen with them was that Gino was having severe pain in his left hind-quarter. I mentioned this to Cindy. I also felt it in Magic, but not as intensely. Magic let me touch that area of his body to do some energy work, and when I did he yawned and stretched, releasing energy. Gino would only allow me to touch his nose, but beyond that, he would move away.

In the cottage as I journeyed, the first thing that happened was a horse spirit came to me. Over the years, he had often appeared in the east when I called in the spirits, but I had not worked with him as a healing ally. That was about to change. He connected me with Gino, assuring him that I was there to help, not hurt. Gino didn’t want to dwell on what had happened to cause his trauma, but did show me two images, one of a saddle that didn’t fit, and the other of him falling as a result of the weakness caused by the ill-fitting saddle. He had become so sensitized to the pain that he couldn’t tolerate anyone touching him, and no longer trusted anyone except Cindy. I assured him that Cindy and I only had his best interests at heart. He left any assistance open-ended, not wanting to commit to trusting me. I did not journey to Magic or RC. I decided to wait for another day. I was exhausted and needed to rest.

Since my plans had changed with the delay in getting on the road, I decided to go to Truckee to visit my client and his wife, then come back again to June and Joe’s before heading to Yosemite. Sunday held exquisite weather and after a walk with Julia, Justin, and Jack, I headed for the hills. Here is a short video of the horses that followed us on our walk.

My client, Bruce, is working on a book proposal for his manuscript, a story told from the eyes of his dog, Dodger. Bruce is a veterinarian and has incorporated his experience with the human-animal bond with his love of his now-departed yellow Labrador retriever. When he heard I was going to be in Sacramento, he invited me to come and stay in their “cottage” for a few days. I had never been to Lake Tahoe, a 15-minute drive from their home, so I accepted the invitation.

After I arrived, they took me on a tour of the lake, driving the 73 miles around the gorgeous mountain lake. The wind was blowing, so we didn’t spend a lot of time outside the truck, but did stop a few times to take pictures and read about the history of the area.

When we returned to their home, we spent some time with Bruce’s wife Cindy’s horses. Cindy and I had met at an Equine Facilitated Learning workshop taught by Kathy Pike in March of last year. When Cindy learned I was a writing coach, she encouraged Bruce to contact me about his manuscript.

Cindy has three horses, all rescues. Gino, a beautiful red gelding, walked right up to me, which surprised Cindy. He is usually very distrustful of anyone new. He had thrown his owner and after a series of trainers, was deemed crazy. Cindy was contacted to see if she wanted to take him, or he would be put down. She has been able to touch him and eventually ride him, but he does not like it and Cindy doesn’t push it.

Magic is a large black gelding, a Thoroughbred cross. Lots of energy, with a cribbing problem (chewing on the wood of the stall). Cribbing is like smoking… a hard habit to break.

RC is the baby, a Premarin 2-year old rescued from North Dakota. Premarin mares are bred only for the urine they produce during pregnancy. The urine is used to produce medicine. The babies are taken from their mothers immediately after birth and put in pens, never having any connection with the herd or humans. He had never been handled before Cindy. He is now a very friendly, curious colt, always looking for attention.

That night, as we talked about my shamanic work and my search for how it fit with horse work, Cindy asked if I would be willing to do some work on Gino. We decided to go into the pen the next day and see what might transpire.

Here is a video of my trip pictures so far. Enjoy!