Spring is upon us and the flowering cherry and pear trees were near full bloom when we were recently in Dallas at the Texas Indian & Southwestern Art Market. Spring is a time for new growth, renewal and new beginnings. The week before Texas I gave my first talk at the Denver Mind, Body and Spirit Celebration on Rechampioning Your Inner Windhorse.

When I signed up to present I was in the flow of life, excited and had something I really wanted to share. When the day arrived I was feeling overwhelmed, shut down and ready to cancel my talk. What was I thinking ran through my head. I had lost my flow and enthusiasm, wanting to quit and cancel my talk in that moment. I came to realize FEAR had a strong hold on me and I could feel the familiar shroud of resistance.

Facing my fears, I mindfully thought about how I wanted to present horses to my audience  from a Mind, Body and Spirit perspective. People showed up and the talk went smoothy.  A whole new world has since opened up since I faced my fears and stepped up to the plate. I now have a new language to share with my audience at art shows and share how horses transform lives not only from their physical presence but through the art I create.

The windhorse is a Tibetan allegory. The horse represents one’s courage and agility to overcome life’s obstacles so we may navigate life’s river with grace and ease while the wind represents our spontaneity as well as life force energy, fire and passion.

My studio, windhorseOne, embraces the concept of the magical windhorse. Horses have transformed and enriched my life. I am learning that the equine fine art I create is  giving people meaning in their lives beyond collecting a piece of art to fill a void on their wall.

This art piece that accompanies this article shows two horses. The first is a dark horse with fear and uncertainty in his eyes. The paint horse on the right moves forward with a calm yet focused, self-confidence, intention and Courage. The floodgates of life have just burst open and unpredictable change is on the way.

It unexpectedly happened to me. Life changed rapidly and it was not what I wanted in my life however it woke me up. I became aware I was one of the people who was born to participate and create change in this blooming and evolving time of transformation.

How will you choose to navigate the river of life along with the unknown? What do you choose? Fear or courage to pursue the life of your dreams?

Along the way your personal power and presence will emerge and evolve by consistently using the gifts and talents you were given in synergy with doing what you love (which will also be in alignment with your core essence and values). You may find you will need to engage persistence!

I believe the spirit of the horse lives in each and every one of us and is waiting to be discovered as well as expressed. Each one of us has our core values and also our heart’s desire. When  we do not listen to or have yet to identify these essences we are bounced around the river aimlessly encountering rapids or stagnant pools or awash and beached where we get stuck.

To have the windhorse agility we need we must learn to go with the flow and not fight life by swimming upstream.

For those of you who know horses this is a medicine hat horse, depicted by the dark forehead and ears. These horses were believed to have great healing powers by Native Americans.

Meditative Exercise to Embody Courage

Here is an invitation to engage with the magic and the mystery of the horses in this image. It is your opportunity to embrace and embody the energy of the courageous horse.  Decide if you want to embody calmness, focus, self-confidence, intention or Courage. Or perhaps all of them! Lets get started!

Ground yourself first, lower your eyes and soften your gaze. Bring your awareness to the rhythm of your breath. Then bring your awareness into your body. When you are ready bring your awareness to your heart. When you feel calm, raise your eyes to the image of the paint horse. Feel the sensations of the energy you wish to embody and invite this horse into your awareness and into your heart to anchor these qualities. Sit and enjoy the presence. Feel free to ask this horse what gifts or insights he wants to share.When you feel complete bring your awareness back to your body and your external world. Whenever  you need to embody calmness, focus, self-confidence, intention or Courage return to to this embodied awareness and let it guide you!

People flock to Tarot readers and clairvoyants hoping somebody will give them the answers they seek. We want that special person who is going to tells what we want to hear or what to do next. To grow into our own individuality we first need to identify who we are otherwise we are giving our power away to others. What we need the most is to reclaim our personal power. We were all born to create and use our unique essences, values and gifts to engage in our lives.

Images are the languages of our soul. We are 75% visual by nature. Imagery/vision was humanity’s language before the first words were spoken and also why intuitives and meditations evoke great imagery and insight.

There are many thresholds and crossroads in life. I believe we live in a brave new world with a new dawn rising where anything is possible for those who are ready to step forward. Loving and embracing the mystery, the light & dark and all the polarities of life and finding your true essence and windhorse will help you navigate the chaotic rapids of the ever-changing world we live in.

Will you run and hide from the fear or will you find courage and determination along with comes the clarity about the direction to take? We need to keep moving forward, one step at a time! There has never been a better time for opportunities!

Allow horses into your world and feel the difference! To purchase this fine-art print contact us at susan@windhorseone.com. It is currently not available on our web site.

My warmest and bestest wishes to you on your journey,

Winter is a time where nature slows down to regenerate and prepare to Spring back into life. Days are shorter, bringing us more time at home to reflect on the new year and what we want to create. When I think of winter I see lots of white ~ white snow and white crystalline frost as well as time to slow down and regenerate and feel into what I want to create in my world for 2013.

White offers an inner cleansing and purifying of your thoughts, emotions and, ultimately, your spirit, refreshing and strengthening your entire energy system.

It is a great time to find “white space” in your mind. White space can be implemented to clear your mind of clutter creating a tabula rasa (clean slate). White clears and opens pathways for anything you can imagine; a blank canvas on which to color your world…. paint your dream……reduce your stress

Horses for me are nature at her finest. They give you freedom to take you away from whatever you wish to escape – at least briefly. It could be your current day-to-day reality or the clutter in your mind.

When you look at, admire, and engage with a fine piece of horse art  you become a part of nature. It provides an opportunity to attune to a multitude of natural senses providing a temporary oasis of uncluttered time and space.

Allow horses into your world and feel the difference! To purchase your print contact us at susan@windhorseone.com.

I welcome you to my new Blog where I will be posting new equine photography, artwork and projects! I am very grateful we share a love of horses and it is my goal to provide you inspirational equine fine art that speaks to your soul while discovering new ways of sharing this magnificence and beauty of the equine presence

I’m Susan Williams, equine fine artist and author.  My mantra is I portray the powerful and magical essence of the horse. I love horses, art, writing + technology! Oh, and ecstatic creative expression. Horses do it so well so why don’t we follow their leadership??!!

As an equine photographer and artist, I start with one of my horse photographs and create what I call equi-esse (short for equine essence!!)piece of equine fine photo art.

Horses allow us to attune to many desirable qualities through their presence. For example freedom, connection, community, beauty, peace and a plethora of others.

The art I create allows you to connect to the peace and beauty in your own heart. Or maybe its freedom for you.  Experience my work for yourself!

And while I’m at it – did I tell you I am passionate about making the world a better place for animals through my art? I am….. I plant my flag and am strongly committed to helping horse rescues raise money through the sale of my art as well as I want the mustangs to remain free.

Five Facts About Me

1. I wanted to be a horse more than a human when I was a kid. And no I never had a pony only a rocking horse.

2. I was born in England and crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary ending up in Brooklyn. My mom saw the Colgate-Palmolive sign across the Hudson and declared she thought CP was an English company because she used their toothpaste!

3. I was later a Sr. Research Chemist at Colgate Palmolive. 18 years of misguided torture but now I am FREE. My last real job was at Olympus America traveling the globe teaching digital camera technology. And FYI I did like my job it just burned me out. Yup, left brain right brain…that is me!

4. I didn’t own my first horse until I was in my mid-30s. Although I wrote business plans to my dad when I was in 4th grade in hopes of getting one. It never happened and that is why the movie The Secret always felt hockie to me. I couldn’t manifest my way out of a hat as a child.

5. Instead of a horse I had a pet rabbit called Snowball. It wasn’t the same.

So connect the dots and you can see how my story has become my self-expression and my passion.