Icelandic Wild Horses

I went to Iceland to find myself again.

I needed to be back in nature, in raw unfiltered nature, away from the city, feeling the power of the Earth, the mountains, and the purity of clean cold air against my skin. Iceland had been a place deeply connected to my heart, both for the kindness of the people, and because of the incredible beauty of the landscape. It reminds me of how the Earth must have looked when she was born. Raw, powerful, pure.

I went on a camping journey with an Icelandic friend of mine around the perimeter of the country with the sole purpose of taking photography of the earth, plants, landscape, and animals. I wanted to lose myself in the wonder of open spaces and volcanic primal force. A few days into the journey we came across a misty field with majestic beautiful horses dotted across her surface. I ran across the field to them, knowing I had to be close to these incredible creatures. They looked at me with such kindness in their eyes, like walking bridges between the Earth and another world we can not see with our eyes.

Do we need anyone to explain the natural awe and wonder our human hearts feel when we see a powerful graceful creature like a horse? It is as though our encounter with them awakens an ancestral bloodline of thousands of years of remembrance in our bodies. We wonder if, in their presence, are we actually inhabiting our normal realities, or do they transport us into our dreams?

They are the legs that gave humans extended power and nobility before we had the technology to fly and motorize across the earth. Horses strengthened us, empowered us, allowed us to travel across distances. They gave us the gift of freedom. They gifted us with personal power. They became the archetypal power animal of every war hero. When I looked at them this day, I wanted to meditate on their meaning. I wanted to look at them and feel their message within my own heart.

When I looked at them, what hit me most was their freedom. Their incredible freedom. I could feel the way there was no separation between them and the pastural environment around them. It is a complete presence and integration into their surroundings. I longed for that kind of presence in my life. To feel the dance between myself and grass beneath my feet. To feel the union of myself and the trees around me. To no longer know this illusion we call separation. The horses intuitively know this. They are the definition of alive-ness. Most animals are. They do not have this human analysis that questions who they are, they just are. They completely and perfectly exist as they are with no masks, no hiding. A horse will never try to act like a bird. They know and embrace themselves completely, something many humans will never learn to do.

I wanted nothing more than to brush the knots out of their hair and to stay in this field with them forever. They embraced me as I held them, sang to them, and gazed into their soulful eyes. Their wildness stuck with me. These were not tamed horses, broken to obey us. They were completely wild, choosing by their own volition and free will to spend time with me. Eventually we both knew we had to part, and so with a final bow and goodbye, I left, knowing in my heart I had witnessed a magical moment with these beautiful creatures. Their beauty, fearlessness, and untethered beauty teaching me unspeakable lessons. So grateful for this day, for this passing moment of connectivity that resonated in my heart forever.