Strange things were happening in the rural Bend, Oregon neighborhood. The area included a small collection of houses and a refuge for rescued horses. Domestic violence erupted at one home. A cancer diagnosis at another. A shooting related to a house-sitter’s ex-boyfriend brought the police out. Keith broke his arm immediately after moving a rock that, in retrospect, “told” him it didn’t want to move. Things began to shift back into balance when Keith returned the rock to its proper location, and he and Cyndi began taking steps to work with the land.
When Wendy, my student and a partner in the equine refuge, told me that she’d like to do some work with the land, I agreed. She has been learning how to tune into land from our mentoring work together and offer blessings, rituals, offerings, healing and land clearing processes. She was learning to ask the right questions to shed light on the situation. The fact that she experienced distorted energy in certain areas of the land during a recent visit led her to want to support the wellbeing of the horses and her friends that cared for them. This would be a great teaching opportunity as a land and horse honoring ceremony.
We decided to do a land clearing ceremony together with Cyndi and Keith. They lived on the land and worked with the horses there.
Our intentions were clear, but we asked permission and gave offerings to make sure the land and spirits wanted us to do ceremony and land clearing. When I heard of numerous intense experiences clustered around a small area I became curious about the history of a place. Red flags went up immediately. It quickly became clear that this was the site of a former burial ground, and it was not being honored. No one had asked permission to build houses here. No one had understood how to honor the spirit of land or care for it in the way it had been cared for thousands of years previously. This treatment of land is common across the USA been cared for thousands of years previously. This treatment of land is common across the USA.
We did our ceremony, by phone, connecting with ancestral and helper spirits from Washington state, Colorado, and Bend area of Oregon. We honored the ancestors and spirits of the land. In the ceremony, we released a lot of death energy and discarnate spirits that were ready to leave. We made amends as best we could, and I taught the residents ways they can work with the land guardians and spirits to keep honoring the land and keep the spirits content. It was priceless when at key moments in the ceremony, a loud neigh would echo through the phone!
At the completion of our ceremony, we heard clicking noises as an indigenous elder guardian spirit wanted to communicate. He spoke through me with tears of joy running down his cheeks. He was so grateful to have ceremony, song, and honoring for him, his people, the horses, and land. This touched him deeply and brought healing back to the land. He spoke about the land’s purpose. Because of all the trauma and death that had happened there, it was a place that was now awakened to hold space for the healing of trauma and death. The horses that had been rescued from trauma and hardship could find healing in this place. The land was happy to be of service in this way and the spirits of land were keen to support the Mother Earth this way.
We felt a new sense of beauty and lightness afterwards even as lingering energies continued to move out. It felt good to know we had made a difference to the ancestors of this place and that the horses, animals, and people could find greater peace and release of the past. Those buried here would be honored and the place could fulfill its purpose with greater harmony and joy. I’m clear that since the historical imprints or memories were resolved and released, there is no need for the level of drama that existed in the past. Land drama often occurs because the spirits of land are trying to get our attention or they are not being honored properly.
I heard back from Cyndi while writing this…
“I wanted to tell you this! One of our energy workers came two days after the ceremony. She said there was a huge horse spirit over the top of our property!!!!!
The horses are all doing great. Even our rehab kid in the barn is out with the herd and thriving!
We can’t thank you enough and would love to donate to you or your favorite charity. We recognize and appreciate your time and energy you BOTH poured into helping us!”
With gratitude,
Cyndi & Keith
This land clearing was a pleasure to offer. In addition, it was an answer to a prayer to be more involved with horses in some way. During the ceremony, I used the sacred drum I created from horsehide. When I beat the drum, my heart opens wide. And, in this case, it helped call forth the Spirit of the Horse for the land.
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I want to thank Cyndi, Keith, and Wendy for their tireless work on behalf of horses. You can contribute to their efforts at 3 Sisters Equine Refuge, here.
