This past weekend, I did a retreat at a horse ranch called Believe & See Ranch, owned by Nafissa Shireen. I’ve done ALOT of retreats and such over the years and this one was something else. Truly one of the best things I’ve done.

I’ve been connected with Nafissa for years and have watched her journey of buying this ranch and turning it into the magical place that it is. So when my friend Steph Tuss asked me if I wanted to do a retreat at the ranch I was an instant yes (my human design peeps will know – my sacral spoke loud and clear)

I’m not what I would call a horse person. I’ve ridden horses as a child (went to a Christian horseback riding summer camp), been thrown off a horse at 16 (at that same camp) and done the occasional trail ride now and again since… but I’ve never felt overly drawn to horses in the way I know some folks are. Nor do I have any fear of them.

I came into the retreat with no expectations and was open to the experience. What I learned is that horses reflect our energy, our truth, and the things that are going on beneath the surface that perhaps we aren’t even aware of consciously. Or, as I like to say, they are the ultimate BS detectors! I may be telling myself X, but if the truth of how I’m feeling is Y—well, they let you know that!

As Steph said, we were humbled by these amazing creatures in the most beautiful way. They have no agenda. They don’t care what is “going on in our lives.” They simply show up in truth and presence.

Even the best human coaches in our world bring some measure of bias or judgment—our humanity always colors our exchanges to some degree, even if it’s very faint. Having such a pure and clean reflection of my truth and energy is rare.

It’s not often that I can say a retreat has changed me in a deep and permanent way. Usually, the excitement and energy start to fade the day after, and by the time I’m home, they’re mostly gone, and I’m back to “normal.”

I’ve been home since Monday, and I can still feel the presence of what this experience opened up in me. It’s nothing earth-shattering—the skies didn’t part, and I wasn’t hit with some lightning bolt of insight. Rather, it’s a subtle and quiet undercurrent—I can feel it still bubbling beneath the surface in the best of ways.

It was also fascinating to see how each of us had such different experiences with the horses. Although the three of us who attended are very similar in so many ways, how the horses responded to each of us was so different! And yet it was exactly what each of us needed. So very cool.

It’s amazing how the very things we need can often be found in places we don’t expect: nature, animals, and getting out of our comfort zone.

Where might you find insight or an answer that you’ve been seeking?