Finding the perfect location to host my seven horses, two dogs, cat, and the healing business seemed almost impossible. I realized it would take an incredible unique situation for it to work for us and whoever else was involved.
Continual restrictions and distractions in Topanga, made it obvious we had outgrown our place of doing business there. For several years we have been running our kid's horse educational programs, and therapeutic horse workshops for adults. We were yearning for more room and freedom in which we could perform our deep, transformational, therapeutic work in a safe, more expansive and intimate space.
For a couple of years my search for a new place had led me to states Arizona, Colorado, Tennessee, as well as Grass Valley and Nevada City in Northern California. Nothing I saw excited me or felt right. I held onto the belief that the right place was out there for us, it was just a question of finding it.
In April, I publicly announced that Silver Horse Healing Ranch was closing on May 1st, because we were moving. The situation at the ranch in Topanga had become insufferable. I had to take definitive action to create a change, even though we still hadn't found a place. I asked the spirit of my dog Zorro, who passed last November, for help. If anyone knew what we needed he did. Wherever we landed it was essential for the horses and I, to feel welcome, recognized for our gifts and talents as healers. The horses needed enough room to relax and be together, and above all I needed peace and tranquility.
My instinct was to explore areas south of LA. In an email correspondence with a Constellation peer and friend, I mentioned I was looking for somewhere in the Temecula area. He introduced me to Caitrìona Reed and Michele Benzamin-Miki of Five Changes who own a beautiful retreat center called Manzanita Village near Warner Springs in San Diego County. The three of us felt immediate rapport and mutual respect for the complimentary healing and transformational work we each do. They felt my work with the horses would be a perfect match for the work they do at Manzanita Village. They immediately offered to host us. Within three weeks of our initial meeting, we moved here. From being here a week, I already feel this is going to be even better than I imagined!
The horses can see the horizon, and they live on soft sand so all of their wounds from landing on hard ground in Topanga have healed. They drink well-water from the mountains. Their crankiness and anxieties have gone, and I can say the same for myself. I am loving it here! We are surrounded by mountains, the nearest neighbors are more than half a mile away and I am feeling a deep sense of peacefulness that I’ve never felt before.
I feel a tremendous amount of creative energy starting to build after letting go of a situation that had become intolerable. This new chapter is extremely exciting, and I'm taking sometime out to become present and available to this new and beautiful environment.
