Justice - The Art of Taming Horses

Justice, a very fitting card to draw today as I've been thinking about the qualities reflected in this Major Arcana card. Athene who taught the art of taming horses is a warrior of the highest kind, unlike Ares the war-god for whom the arts of war were based solely on conflict. Not Athene, her arts of war sprang from high principles that uphold and preserve truth.
 
Athene, the goddess of Justice embodies reflective judgement and rational thought, qualities that the Greeks considered divine, because it's what differentiated human beings from the beasts. Her teaching of the civilized arts symbolizes the capacity of the mind to hold untamed nature in check and transform it through clarity and to plan objectively.

The first of the four cards in the Major Arcana traditional referred to as the Four Moral Lessons which are Justice, Temperance, Strength and the Hermit, all necessary for us to function effectively in life. The lesson Justice purports, is how we must learn to think clearly and to have a balanced mind, weighing one thing against the other. If we do not respect fairness and truth as being important ethical principles, there is not Justice to be found.

Today I found this wonderful article about a beautiful 96 year old women who I think must have the courageous, and youthful adventurous heart of Athene. There is much to be said for those who are understand the art of taming horses.

As Dinnie Greenway states, she understands some people are afraid of horses but says the trick is to treat them like people.
"If they step on you, it will hurt but if you are sensible and you are kind, they'll be kind to you."
Dinnie speaks of truth and fairness based on clear thinking and having a balanced mind.

Riding horses all of her life has kept her going and keeps her young, with the true heart of Athene.

Strength - Flying Without Wings

 Sometimes when we are feeling the most weak, it's when we are the most strong, although it may certainly not feel like this is our reality.

 I love cats of all shapes and sizes, but most of all I am what some might call a horse nut. They deeply touch my soul. I love them for so many reasons. They symbolize to me freedom, inner strength, and beauty.

When I was a thirteen year old teenager, I was good friends with a girl who took riding lessons. I lived vicariously through her experiences with horses. She once told me something I never forgot, but at the time did not completely understand the significant depth of it's meaning to me. I was able to apply what she'd said to me later in life.

 She said when jumping fences her coach told her to concentrate on the fence directly in front of her, and to jump one fence at a time. I adapted this to living, taking on one day, and even one moment at a time. This for me is where strength is.

If I project into looking at the fences and hurdles ahead, I will be overwhelmed, worried and even paralyzed with fear. If I regret the stumbles I have made in the past were the posts came down, or I failed to even try to get over the hurdles, I'll feel guilt and maybe shame, because I failed and made mistakes.

When you come face to face with a horse, or any creature that is much bigger than you, you can often feel an overwhelming fear about the expanse of their huge strong bodies. You  also come face to face with your fears, and attune to your visceral reactions and response. You realize they could hurt you, or even kill you.

 Horses, although no longer so much a wild animal like a lion, they cause you to become self-aware, and teach you to have an inherent respect for a highly intelligent, sentient creature.

When I turned 40, I had the privilege of being able to work around horses, riding daily, and living on a horse farm for a period of two years. It was hard disciplined work, but I persevered, and I overcame so many struggles and  fears. I learned so much about horses, about myself, and learned to fly without wings.

" The horse had carried the girl into danger, as it may carry many of us, but her triumph conquered her fears and gave her courage for the new challenges that lay ahead. ".

                                                               - Mary Midkiff, She Flies Without Wings 

Feugo- Robert Painter's Barb - Oil on Canvas, Catherine Meyers