Mares and the Divine Feminine Energy

Diva the Mare. The Mother. The Space Holder. The Divine Feminine.

 So often, I write about Moon, my thirty-three-year-old buckskin, first horse, and partner in working with thousands of people to heal various emotional traumas and negative patterns and uplevel their consciousness and beliefs.

And there is Diva. I have written the least about her, yet she is the one who seems to be steady, especially these days when Moon reaches his elder years, his arthritic legs are not as stable, and his mind is not as agile.

Last year, I found myself at a crossroads and needed to make better choices for my well-being. After thirty-plus years of supporting others energetically and emotionally, caring for herds of horses, helping traumatized dogs to heal, and reviving and healing angry land and neglected houses, my health became comprised, my strength diminished, and I had numerous accidents, trips to the hospital and lengths of time in bed, joy became an unknown experience. The universe threw me every sign possible that I needed to make a significant lifestyle change. So, I did.

Even though I had only lived in Mancos, Colorado, for three years and had a beautiful ranch with green grass and stunning views, I sold the ranch. Luckily, the horses stayed at the ranch while I figured out my next step. In seven months, I moved house three times, with the last move being the final. I now find myself in a small home with a small yard, and my horses live nearby at a facility—a significant change for me that will enable deep self-care and rejuvenation.

It is also a significant change for the horses.

Both horses traveled like champs. It was a lot to ask my elder horse to get onto a trailer for five hours and land in an unknown environment. When they unloaded, they both looked healthy and strong. I arrived two days later.

Emotionally, the change was traumatic for Moon. The facility could not figure out a way for them to be next to each other at night, so even with just a 20-yard distance from Diva, Moon paced with anxiety. Every time someone would move other horses out to the pasture or back to their stalls, he paced. Luckily, during the day, he and Diva were side by side, and he was quiet.

Diva, with her copper penny-colored chocolate palomino coat, has quietly shimmered through the entire process. Her mellow demeanor and temperament give me relief.  She has taken so much in stride. Nothing seems to sway her one way or the other. She is fully present, accepting, adjusting, and relaxing in the new environment.

Diva and Moon are like an aging married couple. He once was the bold protector. However, the tides have turned. And Diva has stepped up with grace, much like my mother did when my dad was diagnosed with dementia.

Moon is now more like a foal. He is unstable physically, unsure of himself emotionally, and anxious about what is to come. It is as if his entire way of being changed overnight.

He follows Diva around relentlessly in the early summer green pastures. Their bodies move as if they are performing ice skaters; they become one entity, flowing in unison, their steps in perfect harmony. If distance comes between them, he moves in, close and intimate, grazing.

Mares often get a bad rap. It is not fair.

Diva has taken Moon under her wing as any protective mother would. She keeps her eye on him. Sometimes, she tires of his insistence on closeness, but her loyalty to his well-being is apparent.

When integrating into the herd of mares, it was she who flung her head to an approaching horse, requesting a boundary. Moon stayed quiet and close to her. Conserving energy, knowing his current limitations. He is very unlike the expressive and firm boundary-setter that he has always been.

I have not given Diva enough credit. My focus and attention have been entirely on the Moon. Getting him emotionally and physically comfortable has consumed me.

So, I made a subtle change. For the last six weeks, I have checked in with Moon first; now, I approach and groom Diva first. I remind Diva of how much I appreciate her and how much I see what she is doing. I thank her for being an amazing space holder and bringing her divine feminine and mothering energy to Moon. I apologize to her for not seeing and acknowledging her gift earlier. I ask her what she needs, I rub her favorite spot, and I send her light energy of gratitude from my heart.

It is so easy to overlook the subtle ways that horses care for each other, especially mares.

We have all heard that mares have “too many opinions” or that they are “difficult.”

But that is not true.

Mares GIVE. It is our bad when we fail to see the generosity of their spirit. We are unconscious when we fail to recognize the monumental ways that mares are holding energetic space. It is a missed opportunity when we do not see and hear their critical communications. And shame on us when we dismiss the generosity and wisdom of feminine energy that is a vital part of our existence and the survival of all.

Without recognizing the feminine and honoring what it contributes, we are not whole in ourselves, our community, and our cultures.

Thank you, Diva, for all you have given to me, Moon, and many others, and for the quiet way you carry the knowing of your value to the greater whole. Your golden coat shimmers and brings deep love to my heart.

In reflection:
What divine feminine energy have you unconsciously dismissed?
Where have you allowed the masculine energy to become more important than the divine feminine?
What mare in your herd is doing more than you are recognizing?
Are you willing to slow down to see the subtle communications?
Do you fully recognize the divine feminine energy within?

Are You Ready to Explore New Ways to be with Horses?