I want to share a wonderful experience I had this morning. Yesterday, I began a program of Tai Chi as part of my daily spiritual practice, I began receiving instruction from an experienced and committed teacher, Scott Carrino. This morning, I went out into the pasture by the apple tree to practice Tao Chi for the first time on my farm, after meditating. I stood by the tree, took up the stance I had been taught and opened my eyes to the movement all around me, the birds, the trees, the water in the stream, and I began the two movements I was taught yesterday. The morning was warm, there was a strong and refreshing breeze, the sheep were under the tree in front of me. As I began my movements, I felt some pressure at my back. Simon had come up behind me and pressed his forehead against my  back, as if to offer support, to steady me. Lulu and Fanny came up to me from the front, Fanny pressed her head into my stomach, Lulu came up on my left and stood alongside of me.

I was surprised, touched. Donkeys are the most spiritual of creatures, and the most intuitive, but they have never done this to me before in this way. If was as if they knew what I was doing, had joined into the spirit of the Tai Chi, an old Chinese form of movement meditation and martial arts. I stood there for a few moments and moved my arms in two circles, as I taught, slowly and easily. I was aware of the wind on my face, of the leaves in the apple tree moving, of the water rushing in the stream, of the frogs in the swamp, the sheep gathering in front me, but mostly I felt as if the donkeys and I had joined together in this meditation, connecting the human and animal spirits, reconnecting me to the natural world, centering me and bringing to me the greatest sense of calm and peace and hope and goodwill. I saw clearly that my life is wonderful, peaceful and that life is precious and affirming. The donkeys were absolutely still, they were speaking to me in the most tangible of ways, they had opened themselves up to me.

I turned and rubbed Simon’s nose, then scratched Lulu and Fanny alongside their heads and then I resumed my Tai Chi movements. None of them moved. They seemed so peaceful, they were leading me to a peaceful place. This is so wonderful, I felt a physical sensation of opening up, of the greatest connection, of the most powerful support. It seemed, in a way, they were the teachers, they knew how to lead me.

The donkeys and I stood like this for more than 10 minutes, and I shouted to Maria to come and see, she was in her Studio Barn. How sweet, I said, what a wonderful thing to have happened to me. This was one of the most spiritual moments I have ever experienced, and the donkeys and I will continue this meditation this afternoon and the tomorrow and every morning I am at the farm. I have never felt closer to the world around me, to Mother Earth, nor have I felt a stronger connection between my own soul and the moving life around me. All of the clutter of my life and the world around me melted away and I was one with these ancient creatures, sharing my meditation with them. Neither of them moved until I was finished, and I knew I had been supported and communicated with through these spirit creatures, these magical helpers on the here journey. I wanted to share this with you.