Seeker Magazine
 
 

         Straddling the Horse
 

By Susan Kramer


We gallop along through life
and using courage to proceed
become more proficient as we go
 
'First, we practice mounting the horse
Then walking, trotting, and at last galloping
The wind rushing by
invigorating, enlivening'

 
 

We have more energy to enjoy life by maintaining our balance. And following the directive of our conscience keeps us steady in the saddle of life's galloping horse.

In order to hear our conscience, we need a healthy body, calm mind, and positive loving attitudes.

Living should be a balance of work and play, incorporating caringness. By maintaining our balance, we most easily hear our conscience telling us the surest, safest routes to use for the many adventures we take down the road of life.

We feel best, happiest and satisfied by keeping on course while journeying.
 

Straddling the horse of life
happily well-seated
by following our conscience
beginning to end


Relaxed and Safe

Feeling relaxed and safe in our body allows us to confront any issue or person who disagrees with, or threatens our values. Everyone and everything influences us, but we have free will to choose our reactions.

We fear an encounter when we feel we will have to give up our position or attitudes, or be coerced into doing what feels uncomfortable to us.

Before confronting a conflict we need to remember what our body felt like when we were enjoying an activity--relive again the warmth circulating throughout us. We are in control and master of our actions and reactions. We can practice feeling this way by just bringing a happy thought to our mind, while in a safe setting.

When a potential conflict threatens, we need to remember what our body felt like during our practice session, and then relax into that state of consciousness--feeling whole, complete, and safe in our body and in control of our mind. No one can influence us without our permission. We are entitled to our own ideas and values. We do not have to take on uncomfortable or unacceptable ideas. We must use courage to preserve our ideas and integrity.

Bravely, while feeling safe and secure in our body, we should confront those issues holding us back from freely expressing ourselves in the world.

We each can and must learn to be courageous in order to expand and experience our humanness within humanity, fully.
 
 

Courageousness reborn
when we accept our birthright
to fully Be


Courage to Live our Convictions

Children show courage from infancy--putting forth great energy in their struggle to reach adulthood.

It takes courage to do anything new--to keep expanding. Sometimes, as adults, we reach a level of comfortableness, coping with life sufficiently well to just stop putting forth more effort into growth and expansion. But why be content to live short of the mark?

Courage requires a positive attitude--opening us, exposing us to the vibrant energy of our inner Source. When we feel this vibrancy energizing our body we feel we can soar. We feel the strength of will to overcome what we have been resisting. Positive attitudes bring up the energy within us to again be courageous, as we once were as children.
 

Life is for living and experiencing fully
in the highest way we can


As adults we have learned the keys to survival. We now have time to reach for the fulfillment of inner awareness--time to search out our roots of existence and human-beingness.

Courage. Let's use its energy to search out and discover more profound levels of consciousness by becoming an inner explorer.
 

For inner discovery we were born
Let's have the sincere courage
to discover our Self


Developing Sincerity

Sincerity is having the full intention of carrying out our words as promised.

Sincerity--a rarity
We often shade our feelings and thoughts--it requires courage to say and act upon our convictions, but sincere communication achieves our goals most expeditiously. We avoid roundabout explanations. And others see us as stable and trustworthy.

In our words and actions, sincerity allows us to relax, because we are acting from our true Self--our Self that knows and acts on truth. And when we are relaxed into the saddle of life, firmly mounted in the seat of our Self, others around us relax more, too.
 

Sincerity a rarity
Harmony of words in action
Allowing peace
Relaxation

 

 

Masters of our Destiny

No matter what our age
we are students of life
till we--by being courageous
maintain our life harmoniously--
Till we choose for the best resolve
in each situation
regardless of temptation for self-gratification
Mastering our destiny
when we act consistently on what is best
for all concerned--
self-centeredness surrendered
Consciousness rendered

Straddling the Horse ã Susan Kramer 1999
Leaf Artwork from the 'Leaves of Finlandie...'collection ã Susan Kramer 1999
Bibliography