Brumby – Wildness
* While this file is written specifically for feral horses in Australia, many of the messages apply to wild horses everywhere.
Keywords:
Cooperation. Companionship. Trust. Journeying. Loyalty. Spiritual journeys. Guiding and guardianship. Overcoming obstacles. Endurance. Stamina. Energy. Healing and guiding others. A powerful ally. Possible danger. Wildness. The wild spirit.
General Description:
Horses were introduced into Australia in the late 1700s. Now there are over 300,000 feral horses that, combined with feral donkeys, cause extensive land degradation and habitat destruction. Feral horses are commonly known as brumbies in Australia, this is thought to be derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ‘wild’.
The brumby is an herbivorous, social animal, without a fixed territory. Stallions will fight for dominance over a group of mares, and in Australia a group of brumbies is called a mob. Brumbies are culled in Australia usually through aerial shooting, some are caught and domesticated, being a popular choice as a stock horse.
Lessons and Challenges:
The brumby specifically teaches about wildness. Its indomitable spirit was appreciated by Indigenous Australians, who named it by its very wildness that it exhibited. When brumby is present in a reading, it indicates the need to rejoice in your wild spirit and be aware that we are not just domesticated humans going about our daily lives, but wild creatures, capable of extreme emotion, spiritual communion and physical prowess. Brumby asks you to celebrate your wildness, and to ask yourself the last time you did so.
Brumby is a powerful ally, all wild horse teachers are. If horse has shown up in a reading, or in your life, there is a strong teacher nearby. Consider using visualisation to connect with brumby and see what s/he has to say.
The presence of brumby does indicate warning and possible danger. One of the reasons horse reminds us to make sure that we have a strong group to protect us, and provides a lot of energy for us to use; is that horse is an animal that frequently faces danger and has to know how to protect itself. Dangerous situations may be present in your life, by looking at how horse protects and nourishes itself, you can learn how to also nourish and protect yourself during this time.
The horse is a strong, and common animal teacher and has been for many different cultures of people, across many generations. Its presence in your life tends to indicate the need for all types of journey; physical, spiritual and emotional. It may be necessary to embrace change, or prepare yourself for some new pathways in your life. It is time to give away old habits, and accept healthier patterns.
The presence of horse indicates a time of increased companionship and an ability to foster trust and loyalty in others. It may be necessary for you to consciously work on your friendships and relationship to fellow colleagues in order to overcome any obstacles that are in your life at this time. The horse has a great ability to protect itself when living in a herd, and reminds you that if you trust and give loyalty to those close to you, you will find that trust and loyalty returned in times of need.
Horse indicates a need for increased cooperation with others. How are your skills at compromising these days? Horse suggests that you might want to look at how giving you are in your relationships with others, or how healthy your relationships with others are.
Horse as a teacher, helps you to guide and guard others. Look at how you can protect those you care about, and how you can teach them to guard themselves. Sometimes the obstacles that horse draws your attention to, aren’t just those that involve you; they may be obstacles that also involve your loved ones. Great healing potential is present when horse as a guide is around.
It is possible, with horse energy, to overcome great obstacles. Horse has an excellent ability to navigate its landscape. It can jump low obstacles, swim, run fast enough to outpace most natural predators, and as a group, will stand up for itself and others. Horse indicates that you have more than enough ability right now to navigate through, around, or over obstacles. It is up to you to decide how you do it. Horse does remind you, however, that you may not be able to overcome obstacles alone.
Horse energy lends endurance and stamina. People who feel quite tired or fatigued are benefited by the energy of horse, who as a herbivore, rarely sleeps and is able to generate large amounts of energy for the purpose of living as safe an existence as it possibly can. The presence of horse indicates energy is being made available to you, and that it’s up to you decide how you channel it. Horse additionally reminds you not to fritter away your energy on anxieties, especially when life can be challenging enough, without manufacturing extra fears.
The Shadow Aspects:
The shadow aspect of brumby dares us to stick through a crisis. It is time to plant your feet and find the energy. It doesn’t matter if you need to make vast sacrifices in other areas of your life – brumby demands that you focus on a crisis occurring in your life right now and funnel all your resources into it, no matter what. Brumby wants no holds barred, it must be ‘all’ resources, which means that it is also time to let your friends, family, colleagues etc. know that something is going on. If your life is relatively crisis-free, it is time to put your energy into helping someone else, even if it means sacrificing your own time, patience and freedom.
Those who fear or dislike brumby, may find that they fear or dislike wildness in the everyday. They may resent displays of anger, ‘too much’ laughter in places where it ‘isn’t appropriate’, or open displays of grief or of fear. They may also dislike people expressing their true selves and natures. Those who fear brumby (and horse in general) may find that they avoid activities that ask that they becoming physically active in an instinctive way (especially in front of others) – such as dancing – or that they avoid showing their own wild natures to others. They may fear rejection from others, or fear that they may ‘lose control.’ Brumby confronts such fear and dislike and reminds us that it isn’t healthful at this stage in our lives.
Communion:
Like all animal helpers, this animal will only appear when right and appropriate, and cannot be forced to visit you, commune with you, or share messages with you. I can’t speak much about the general temperament of brumby, as horse is a personal shadow guide for me. However, I have heard from others that horses are loyal and trustworthy animal teachers, who do not speak in riddles. They value honesty, dignity and self-respect.
Horse is quite an accessible guide for many, and can be contacted quite easily through visualisation and journeying. You can even get a very worthwhile experience interacting with horse energy by enrolling in horseriding lessons, or going on a carriage ride and really focusing on how the horse/s and rider work in tandem with one another.