The Temple Of Dreams, Pagan Points Of View, At PrimalX

Nothing can make you physically feel the essence of earth and animal like horse back riding...

The rythmic pounding of hooves echoing tribal drums. The wind washing over and past you, as the scenery around you shifts effortlessly from one image to another angle. The joining of human and animal as one fluid motion.

Humans have a longstanding and worldwide relationship with horses. Once upon a time... tamed horses were mythological tales. In classical Greece, they were the half-man, half-horse centaurs and the winged horse Pegasus. Sadly today, with rare exception, the wild horses are now the myth.

The importance of the horse in exploration, agriculture, war, and sports is documented throughout the world in ancient art as well as mythology.

Horse History:

The very first horses evolved in North America over 55 million years ago. They roamed the grasslands over millions of years slowly extending their range. They migrated across the Bering Land Bridge from North America into what is now Siberia. From there, they spread across Asia into Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa. About 8,000 B.C. horses vanished from North America completely, due to climate change and human hunting.

Eurasian fossil records confirm these small wild horses between 75,000 and 10,000 years ago, but about 10,000 years ago, this fossil record disappears. Around 6,000 years ago, horses made a comeback. No longer in the wild, these fossils have been found in Eurasian human-inhabited areas. The beginnings of the human domesticated horse association.

The first undisputed evidence for horse domestication dates back to 2000 B.C. (horse fossils were found buried with chariots). Domestication had spread through Europe, Asia and North Africa by 1,000 B.C. Some experts believe horses were domesticated even earlier (on the Eurasian plains in the Near East between 4500 and 2500 B.C.).

As the wild populations dwindled they were captured and bred, much as cattle. But much later in the timeline of cattle and dogs. Used as pack animals by ancient nomadic peoples and/or providing milk, meat and skins. It was not until 1500 A.D. horses were reintroduced to North America by the Spanish that came to conquer the New World.

Larry (on Wyatt) & Jessica (on Maverick)

Today, domestic horse breeds vary greatly through a wide range of sub-species in all sizes and bred for all purposes. From the very small ponies of the Shetland Islands and Iceland, to the very large Clydesdale, Percheron and Belgian draft horses of western Europe. Once not so long ago, we depended on horses for daily life. Now they are once again more of a luxury and used more for recreation and sports than for utility in most of the world. Each a modern marvel of living mechanics and magick in motion. So, if you need to get back to nature, get on a horse!

Horse Lore:

Horses are sacred to many Goddesses, and took the place reserved for cats in some cultures. Horses are linked to the night, the moon, mystery and magick. They are associated with Lunar energy (their hooves make crescent shaped marks) and with the powers of the sea and tide. Horses were seen as an expression of wealth and power by almost every civilization at one time or another.

In most Celtic myths horses were either black or white. Nightmare was a name derived from the female horse, and thought (by the Celts) to be brought by a visiting Goddess (Epona or Mare). In other Celtic lore, horses are sacred to the Goddesses Epona and Rhiannon and symbolize energy, fertility, freedom and power. Rhiannon rides a beautiful white horse that no man can catch even though the horse always seems to travel at a steady pace. Rhiannon's white horse is symbolic of the moon waxing and waning across the sky and of the sun's (male aspect of divinity) eternal struggle to catch the moon (the female aspect of divinity). A deep symbolic mythos of ancient fertility rites. Horses were said to be able to carry their riders into the magical realm of faerie.

The Norse God Odin was depicted as a tall, old man with a white beard and wearing a cloak. He rode the skies and the seas on his fast white horse Sleipnir with his 8 (the number of transformation) legs.

Horses are also sacred to Poseidon, the Greek God of the sea.

Many Beltane rituals include the phallic symbolism of riding a hobby horse. The children's nursery rhyme, 'Ride a cock horse to Banburry Cross...' is a reference to a hobby horse, and the next line '...to see a fine Lady on a white horse' is a reference to the annual ride of 'Lady Godiva' though Coventry.

In Ancient British Witchcraft certain people, "Horse Whisperers," were given the power to talk with horses, using special spells and magickal charms to do so.

Horse Correspondences:

Advancement, astral travel, cooperation, devotion, divination, endurance, energy, faithfulness, fertility, friendship, freedom, intellect, journeying, loyalty, mobility, power, prophecy, sexual energy, stamina, swiftness, telepathy, travel, wildness, wisdom

They are companions and guardian protectors when taking a trip. Horses are guides to overcoming obstacles. Horses in dreams may be signs of possible danger ahead, or warning omens. The horse is a faithful guide to the otherworlds.

Ehwaz is the rune of travel, and it also represents the horse and its rider. It refers to the importance of partnership, trust, faith, and loyalty.

Horse Superstitions:

- Horseshoes are hung upright as a charm for luck
- A horseshoe nail is frequently used as a talisman (bent by a blacksmith into a circle)
- A talisman on Gypsy horses is the horse brass. A traditional design, made of brass, is hung around the horse's neck, or attached to the harness to protect from disease, bad luck and the evil eye
- The tail of a horse was plaited with ribbons to keep it safe from witches
- The deeper a horse dips his nostrils while drinking, the better sire he will be
- When it's master dies, a horse will shed tears
- In Wales a gray horse is considered to be a death omen
- In England and Germany dreaming of a white horse is considered a death omen
- Gray horses and horses with four white feet are considered unlucky in racing