Ayurvedic Astrologer

I had to euthanize Oakland, my dear 25 year-old Thoroughbred suddenly four months ago.  It was a chronic condition, benign intestinal tumors acting like ticking time-bombs in his gut. I had no idea they were there until one got wrapped around a portion of his small intestine, throwing him into horrific, agonizing pain.

I got the call at 6AM last February after a snow storm.  “Your horse is down and he can’t get up”.   A terrifying 40 minute drive to the barn and six nightmarish  hours later, Oakland was gone.

These last four months have been a mix; an amalgam of hell and grace on earth however, I’ve come to a place on the eve of the third of three eclipses (running two weeks apart beginning June 1, 2011) where I can now write about this loss without choking up.

Oakland was a racehorse until the age of eight.  A long career for a racehorse who ran on a track in New Mexico much of that time.  Running on the tracks in New Mexico is like running on the surface of Mars.  It’s hot and rocky with red, redder then red soil.  The conditions were brutal but Oakland survived it to came back to Washington state to begin a second career, that of a cross-county event jumper at the age of ten.

Cross-country jumping is a grueling event where horse and rider are timed as they run the gantlet of water obstacles and brush jumps.  The terrain can be rough and dangerous.  The criticism I heard about Oakland from a former rider of his was that he ran too fast which disqualified them on a regular basis.  That’s the Oakland I so dearly love and miss.

Oakland could run across the surface of Mars only to look for the next gate and ring of the bell.  After that, Oakland could take any and all jumps and just to show’em, run too fast!

On the eve of this third eclipse which takes place tomorrow, Friday July 1, 2011, you may be feel like you’ve run a gauntlet of brush jumps, rocky walls and water obstacles.  Make no mistake, we have!

We are at the end of this particular race and it’s obstacle course.  One filled with jumps and ditches designed to scare and spook us.  We’ve come through it and so now is the time to rest and restore.  Don’t worry about the past or fret about the future, dial down and let go.  It’s the natural course of things.

Oakland’s last career, his third and final job was to be my teacher.  He taught me many things but one of the best of his teachings was how to hang-out and trail ride in the foothills of the Cascade mountains.  Together, we saw mountain lions and bears and rode through the trees rich with hanging moss, deep in shadow and light.  He did his job and did it with joy and dignity.

Rest and restore and find what brings you peace and dignity during this time.  Take in the long light of these summer days as soon enough, the dark and rain will return.  When it does, remember at the end of every race there is a reward and if it appeals to you, remember Oakland and his teachings from the trail.