I have recently seen a post introducing the idea of Equine Assisted Services, particularly in the context the ground-based activities that are often engaged to facilitate learning and therapeutic interactions. The wording of that post has challenged me to consider the foundations of this work. When I first learned of […]
The natural world
11 posts
How many times does this question come up when I have been training learners with Athena team or delivering Equine Assisted Services sessions? And how many different ways are there to answer it? Our understanding of horses has thankfully moved on from the view of them as mindless automaton, the […]
As an introvert that has lived a life that would have much more suited an extravert, I was profoundly moved to come across Susan Cain’s book “Quiet.” In fact I am just about to commence my third listen. One of the most meaningful personal learnings that came to me from […]
I came across an inspiring opening to a chapter recently in Erik Jampa Andersson's book "Unseen Beings" (Hay House, 2023) which I wanted to quote in full to kick off this reflection "Nature is not a place. We often speak of it as if it were a kind of stage […]
The Victorian Solution I grew up in Brentwood Essex. One of the things that Brentwood was famous for at that time (at least to those that lived there) was Warley Hospital. Warley Hospital was a residential psychiatric facility. Needless to say, as a child growing up in the mid-seventies there […]
Here's one to think about! We are all on a journey; but our perception of that journey might be a little misleading. Our natural tendency is to define our journeys as in terms of their beginning and their ends. We depart place A and arrive at place B. It is […]
This week I was lucky enough to spend an incredibly inspiring day at a conference on "Neurodiversity in the Workplace" with the Athena® team. I was struck by the Chair's (Dan Harris) prescient parting words, they were a powerful reflection on the future of the workplace, they paraphrase as best […]
I first read of Plato’s “the allegory of the cave” in The Republic, when I was in my 20’s. To be frank it was a stretch to comprehend. Now increasingly close to 60 it is beginning to make a little more sense to me. Without trying to recreate the detail […]
It is 10th February 2024 - Chinese New Year and the year of the Dragon. As was my birth year too. In recognition of this I would like to share this blog, "The dragon lies sleeping below." I hope that you enjoy this little flight of fancy...... The Dragon lies […]
“… without the making of theories I am convinced there would be no observation.” Charles Darwin (1860) in a letter to Sir Charles Lyell. The photo image that accompanies this blog is of a hand stencil from a cave in Borneo that is now recognised to be 40,000 years old. […]