Black Pony - A relationship may be frustrating for both parties. What appears wild and untameable should sometimes be left so. Tact and great patience will be required to avoid loss of dignity. When an oracle card has a meaning or definition that long, you know you are looking at some deep layers of complexity. (I will also add a disclaimer here, for those who know me, that this card doesn't refer to either of the flesh-and-blood black ponies I happen to own, so if you know them, or stories about them, don't muddy the waters by adding them to the pot.)
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 | This card is about making wise decisions. I've been around horses for years. Mostly around recreational riding. I've helped out in riding schools, run a livery/boarding facility and been deeply involved with natural horsemanship. If you have been around those parts of the horse/human world you will have seen the following all-too-common scenario. Someone buys a horse. Often their first horse, and things just don't go to plan. Many people have chosen a horse that is just not "right" for them. They've been seduced by beauty, athletic ability, hard luck stories, dreams of glory, pity and sometimes downright lies. Some get seriously injured, but thousands more just get frustrated, demoralised and impoverished without having much fun. Often they find, even if they can already ride, that they can't control their horse, or that they feel afraid of it, even if the horse is behaving pretty well. Or perhaps they choose a wild, young, or otherwise untrained horse, and simply find that they are out of their depth. |
You'd wonder why anyone would ever want to own a horse at all, but they are so beautiful, so seductive and iconic. They are enormous fun to ride when things are going well. Like other domestic animals, there are also plenty who are "in trouble" and need rescuing in one way or another, and that is a very strong pull for some people - especially when horses are so, well, you know - beautiful and iconic, etc. etc. On the flip side, in most cases where the human isn't coping with having a horse, their horse is not having a great time, either. It may suffer from neglect or even abuse (there are a thousand kinds of unintentional neglect or abuse which befall horses) or may be afraid of the owner, or very confused about what it is being asked to do. It may simply be dying of boredom...
You may be getting an inkling of how all of this can be a metaphor for projects, and even relationships, that we find ourselves drawn to. I've mostly talked about the negative aspects of having a horse, here, but of course there are many potential positives, too, for both horses and humans. A successful horse/human partnership is a wonderful thing, where both parties are getting what they need, feel a strong sense of purpose, have fun, and find their lives enhanced. They are both happier and healthier as a result.
None of us has perfect judgement, and there is no universal formula for making right decisions. Many projects we look at are fairly safe bets. Either it's pretty obvious that we can get the job done, or it's something where nobody will get hurt if we don't. Then there is wild horse taming. If you're going to try that, I suggest that you take a long look at your skills and other resources. A long honest look. A long, well-researched, honest look. Then I suggest you take a long look at who might get hurt, and please don't forget the horse, or yourself, or your family - and I'm not just talking about physical injury here. Emotional and even spiritual damage is very real.
One horseman, Pat Parelli, has a very useful list, called "The Seven Keys to Success". The list is his, the comments in brackets are my own.
1 Attitude
(Positive? Persistent? Forgiving? Passionate?)
2 Knowledge
(Education? Training? Experience?)
3 Tools
(Have you thought about all the "stuff" you're going to need for this project? Do you understand the difference between great tools and poor ones?)
4 Techniques
(Can you physically carry out what you "know"? Do you have lots of options up your sleeve for when the first thing you try doesn't work?)
5 Time
(Not only the time to devote to the project now, but the willingness to be patient when other parties get stuck, and to keep on giving your time a long way into the future.)
6 Imagination
(When you run out of options, can you figure out more options?)
7 Support
(Someone to fill in for you? Someone more experienced than you? Professional help available? Emotional support of family and friends?)
I've found this to be a pretty good guide for getting things done in life, and a pretty good way to assess what I can do, and what I might be wise to leave alone. Even if you don't use this exact criteria, this is the type of thinking that the Black Pony card is urging you to apply to this crazy thing you're considering. There is no doubt that sometimes being strong on Attitude or Time can compensate for a lack of Support or Knowledge, etc. However, if you are in doubt about whether to go into something big, that doubt alone is a little warning flag, isn't it? Few of us naturally assess our abilities accurately. We either believe that we can do anything we are passionate about (or can afford, or that we can fake it a little, or whatever) or we are the type to have low expectations of ourselves, when we could actually do more than we realise. Either way, an honest inventory of what is needed and what we actually have, is going to get us closer to the truth.
What about following your heart? Fair question! I am actually a great believer in following your heart. Remember that this post is really about the Black Pony oracle card, and its meaning. So if you see this card in a reading, then I believe it is definitely directing you to consider the question from these practical angles. Even then, passion is definitely an aspect of "attitude" and is worth including in the calculations!
 | Meeting Rhiannon in May Come and join me for a half-day workshop about the goddess Rhiannon, and how Her story connects her to May Day (Calan Mai or Bealltainn). I'll be talking about Her story in The Mabinogi, about some special May Day traditions of SW England which might relate to the veneration of a horse goddess, and much more. For more information, or to register, please visit this link. |
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