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I have always been happiest
outside and surrounded by animals, and I have been very lucky in having being
brought up with dogs and horses as a big part of my life. I was put on a horse
before I could walk and have always had a deep love and respect for these amazing
animals. After finishing school, which wasn’t my favourite of institutions,
I had a year out to spend time riding, earning money and to complete my first
course in horse dentistry. I went on to do a degree in equine science and then
travelled around Australia and New Zealand for a year. After this I started my
horse dentistry business and continued on my spiritual pathway, learning Reiki,
travelling some more and spending as much time outside as possible. I have always
been drawn to the belief systems of traditional peoples around the world, ever
since I was a young boy mainly because of the way that they connect everyday life
with the spiritual and natural worlds. And their deep love and respect for the
world around them.
This has meant that my world view and spiritual pathway is basically an animistic
or shamanic path. The main principles of this being that everything is connected
and that everything has a soul or essence, whether it is a man or a tree. In order
to exist in harmony with the world around us and each other we need to respect
and work with these energies or spirits who help empower our lives as well as
those of our community in a loving way.
These traditional societies had to work in balance with all things in order to
survive, whereas western societies tended to take what they need without thought
of the consequences, one of the parts of the Iroquois peoples confederacy precepts
was to bear in mind the effects of any decision on the next seven generations
of the people. We don’t seem to care about the next seven years. I have
been lucky enough to have met some great teachers who taught me a lot and hopefully
will continue to do so, and find that nature itself can be our greatest teacher.
I now have a thriving healing practice for both humans and animals, especially
horses, and get to play music and run meditations and workshops on how to play
the flute as well as shamanic and animistic concepts and practice. I am very lucky
in that my spirituality is able to express itself and develop through the music
that I play, as well as through my healing and workshops. I endeavour to live
my material life with the spiritual aspect of life ever present in the things
that I do. This seems simple and it is, but it isn’t always easy by a long
shot! By sharing the way I see the world and whatever knowledge or understandings
that I come to with whoever I can I hope to be able to encourage people to do
the same. After all, the only person you have any real control of is yourself. |
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