If I may share Johannes ~ Sevaji’s beautiful words on wild horses ~
“Have you ever seen a wild bucking horse? It jumps and thrashes around, kicking its legs out uncontrollably posing a danger to anyone who stands in its way. You may have seen a cowboy ride a bucking stallion until it gives up and gets accustomed to having the cowboy on its’ back or it tosses the rider off. A pinhooker earns his or her living by “breaking” the horse, essentially training it to be calm and rideable so that it follows your commands. A good pinhooker will take time to gain the animal’s trust. He will talk to it softly, rub its neck. After a time, he will put halter over the horses face and buckle it up. Then, before even riding the horse, he will walk it around, guiding it left and right. Over the course days and even weeks the pinhooker will continue to teach and gain the horse’s trust by petting him and brushing him. Slowly the horse learns to follow the commands of the pinhooker and a bond is created.
This is much like the relationship we have with our own minds. The mind can be wild and reckless, without direction and without control. In this state the mind is a danger to ourselves and others. But we are beyond the mind; we are the witness behind the thoughts. Much like the pinhooker we can slowly regain control over the mind to make it work under our command, the command of the soul. It takes time and perseverance. The method is meditation which puts the mind to sleep, so to speak – in a state of neutrality. The neutral mind is the gate in which the divine will of the soul can enter and assert guidance.
Thoughts on their own without the direction of the soul often lead us astray. The mind will wander unguided seeking ego fulfillment and spurious pleasure that only benefit the self. As the mind becomes more tame we begin to recognize the need to consider others in our choices and decisions. Realizing the play of karma caused by bad decisions, we learn that the mind can lead us astray if not tempered with higher wisdom. Thus, over time, the balance of control moves towards the soul and we become more selfless, bringing joy into the hearts of others.
Finally, once we fully surrender the mind to the soul we experience lasting bliss. It is as if the both the pinhooker and wild stallion have both disappeared and all that is left is the witness who was neither the horse (the mind) nor the pinhooker (the body), just an onlooker who laughed at the play.
Sat Nam,
Johannes ~ Sevaji”