May/June 2003 Cosmic
The Reluctant Horse Whisperer

by Ruby Gallagher

Sometimes all that’s required is to show up, be present, and experience the richness of the Universe as it spills and drenches and gurgles all over you. The gorgeous Deity of Prosperity greets you with open arms, collects you to her bosom and bestows gifts and goodness on your fine self.

Other times, the Universe glances at you over the top of her glasses and says, "Sure, you can have fabulous bounty beyond your wildest dreams; but first you got to learn to accept it, and second, you’re going to have to do something that scares the pants off of you and then you can be successful. You got a problem with that?"

It was the latter that caused me to become the Reluctant Horse Whisperer.

My life as a healer, psychic and light trance channel evolves when I am asked to do something which I don’t consider to be one of my personal skills.

I was startled when the body work clients started asking for readings, and dubious when the people far away wanted to receive readings on the phone. But I was fully dumbfounded when the email arrived asking, "What would it take to get you to a stable in Salem to do readings on some horses?"

Blinking at the message, I commenced to gape like a carp. Me? Horses?

Well, it shouldn’t be a big problem except for that pesky little detail concerning my unsettling Fear Of Horses.

Mind you, it’s not total terror. I don’t go into hysterics if I see one on the television. I do, however, find myself holding my breath if I see the mounted police on the street, and I did not go see the second Lord of the Rings because the big nasty horses in the first one scared me so badly. (We could get moderately cosmic; I could go into great lengths about some alternate lifetime with the Cossacks riding into the village – all the burning, raping, and pillaging - but then there’d be the whole discourse about my real trouble being with the marauding hordes and not the horses.)

The other hitch, so to speak, was the underlying fear that I wouldn’t be able to hear the horses, or worse, that they wouldn’t have anything to say to me. Opportunity was knocking at my door, and my nervousness was making it difficult to unlock the screen door and ask it to come in. I took a deep breath and said yes.

The windshield wipers kept me company on the Sunday drive to the stable. I figured the worse possible scenario would be the absence of communication between the horses and me, in which case, I could apologize profusely to the clients and get myself home before dark.

"Oh, I’m a lucky gal," I whispered. I exhaled fully upon seeing the horses confined to their lovely bedrooms, err, stalls, and relished the sturdy wood and wire between us.

It was another big relief to walk up to the first horse and ask a question and then hear the horse’s voice in my head.

"What would you like to discuss with the horse?" I asked the owner.

"Find out why he’s afraid to jump," she immediately asked.

I slipped inside my head and whispered softly and thought loudly, "So, if you don’t mind me asking, please, why are you afraid to jump?"

He was direct. "If she would show a little confidence in me, maybe I could jump for her! Why don’t you ask her why she’s afraid to jump!"

I looked at the owner and scrunched up my face in apology. "He wants to know why you’re afraid to jump." She turned ashen at being discovered.

The horse continued, "Tell her don’t be such a chicken. She’s got a big butt. She won’t be coming off."

I laughed hard and begged the woman, "Please don’t take this wrong, but he suggests you not be such a chicken – he says you’ve got a big butt and you won’t come off." One of her hands flew to her mouth in surprise and the other slapped her thigh in delight.

Thus began my career as a horse psychic.

What I learned that day is that stables may be clean and well lit, but if you can see your breath when you get out of the car, you’re still going to need a warm jacket after you’re inside. I’ve found the beginning stages of hypothermia an excellent means, though perhaps not the best one, to opening to channel - as long as there’s a nice bowl of soup and a long nap afterwards.

The first group of readings went so well, the trainer told her friend about me and two more stables were scheduled.

The first surprise at the next stable was the size of the creatures; they were all much larger than the first group. Also, the stable was configured differently and rather than a physical barrier between me and the horse, I found myself nose to nose and looking up at really large animals with large feet. And teeth... they have big teeth. Don’t confuse the issue by telling me they are vegetarians. Who’s to say I’m not just a really big carrot to them.

I was not prepared to be greeted with a head butt and nuzzle by an individual who weighs half a ton more than me.

Deep breath… And again... "Oh, he likes you," the owner’s daughter gushed. "How reassuring," I thought as I caught myself from tumbling backwards.

When I approached another horse, he greeted me with, "Say, did you know there’s a big light coming out of the top of your head?"

The fear level decreased, but has not vanished. It’s easier now that I understand the horses are a lot like people – heck, there’s people who are too high strung or dangerous for me to want to be around, just like with the horses.

I’ve learned how each horse has a particular personality and level of emotional development. There are some funny, intelligent and good natured horses out there, and others who are bored or arrogant.

Some very tender moments were exchanged between the horses and their owners. We cleared up misconceptions, facilitated promises and compromises. This is turning out to be very rewarding work for me, and I’ll continue to chip away at the fears and accept yet another really good gift from the Universe.

Ruby Gallagher, Psychic Counselor for most humans & some horses can be reached at 503. 901. 0169 or rubyg@pcez.com.