THE FAR MOSQUE
Dan Holden
President, Daniel Holden Associates, Co-Founder, ESPíRITU— SPIRITUAL HEALING WITH HORSES. Co-founder, VETERANS EQUINE ALLIANCE— Horses & Veterans: Common Ground, Extraordinary Journey
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Story #124
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THE FAR MOSQUE
It is a sound unlike any you have ever heard. Imagine walking into a Walgreens and hearing a wolf howl from isle 2a. No, this is not that terrifying but it is equally unexpected. The Sand Hill Crane passes through Wisconsin on its way to its winter resting grounds in Florida. With a wingspan of 6-8 feet it resembles a pre-historic raptor. Oldest remains found in the US are some 2.5 million years old. We saw three flocks of them high overhead recently, with their strange cry heard for miles around. There were several hundred heading to the southeast in a mesmerizing display of migratory instinct. I’ve never seen that many together.
I don’t know why it amazes me when birds migrate to a specific spot each year or when they return to the same location in the spring. After all, we do the same thing. When we leave on a trip we don’t get distracted by the thousands of cities and towns and millions of homes that are not ours. We return to our own home time and again. It’s the internal guidance system that intrigues me most; that capacity hard wired into all creatures that let’s us know we have come home. Not only to a nesting place or to a building or lake but rather to a remembered place within where we know who we are and where we are supposed to be.?
In humans this is a sacred place, perhaps the original place where the Mystery first touched us when we arrived in our body. Much of our formal education, work experience in organizations, and the various roles we play seem to lead us away from this sacred place. We are, instead, encouraged to build our identity, sense of self, our credibility, integrity and presence by attaching ourselves to achievements out there in the world. I speak from experience. This is an inherently precarious deal. Out there things change; there are highs and lows, dangers as well as opportunities. Beautiful and terrible things happen to us. We are in for a roller coaster ride of emotions if we attach our identity to anything out there.
When things fall apart or are threatened it is easy to feel lost. The external anchors have broken loose, and we feel adrift. At some point we lose sight of metaphoric land.
Sufi mystic and Islamic scholar, Rumi (1207-1273) spoke about a place called The Far Mosque. It apparently was a place where deep and transparent conversations were held, a place where things were spoken and understood that could be held no where else. In his endlessly mischievous ways, Rumi reminded his followers not to go looking for?The Far Mosque. Mapquest doesn’t work there. Google Maps either. That kind of search leads nowhere because this is an inner place, hidden in the heart.?
He knew no one would think to look for it there!
Indigenous tribes have known about this ‘hidden mosque’ for thousands of years. They have their own names for it. Native American elder councils, healing circles, dialogue process —?although appropriated by American leadership theorists and consultant practices — actually originated centuries ago. Deeper, transformative conversations often take place in ways that are different from mundane meetings. Preparations are sometimes required; proper mindset and clear intentions are essential. Then, we wait, remain vigilant and attentive, and allow our lives to speak.
I thought I heard Rumi laugh out loud as I wrote about the Far Mosque while contemplating life from a horse paddock. Hear me out, though. A person must be quite intentional when entering a small herd of horses. Clarity of mind, vigilance and alertness are required, if only to avoid getting stepped on. The energy field or aura surrounding a horse heart is said to be thousands of times more powerful than that of a human heart. They know what is there because it was never hidden from them. As prey animals, their survival has depended upon staying close to this vast energy consciousness emanating from their heart. The Far Mosque.
The experience of sitting or standing next to horses can be quite astonishing. We may feel flooded with images, observations or feelings that catch us by surprise. We may feel a silence coming over us, a stillness we vaguely remember feeling once a long time ago. As we continue our time among them we may begin to sense they see us and accept us in a way that frees us, leaving us feeling lighter and more buoyant. This is our natural state.
Horses know the way to the Far Mosque. It is not far from here! Listen and rest easy with them and you may know, too.
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E S P í R I T U ?
www.espírituhorse.com
I help entrepreneurs and corporate leaders develop more influence so they can make a bigger impact in important arenas of their life and work | Leadership Consultant | Executive Coach | Keynote Speaker | Author |
2 年Dan, your article inspired me to look up the piece you referenced in a rendering of Rumi by Coleman Barks: "...the Far Mosque, is not build of earth and water and stone, but of intention and wisdom and mystical conversation and compassionate action." I have spent time in many circles with fellow human beings, visiting the Far Mosque although we did not have this language for it. I recall feeling awed by what emerged when we were willing to slow down and tune inward. This journey is hard to describe, especially when so much of our "reality" is defined by the concrete, what can be touched and seen. I know you and Lisa are creating such opportunities with the horses...thank you so much for this gift! Also, I appreciate your acknowledgement that these mystical conversation circles did not originate with eager leadership consultants who have recently discovered their potency. Your voice on matters such as these is essential as there are many who listen to your words with deep respect.