Two years ago I rescued a very kind, 17 hand, 1300 pound horse named Dexter. When I got him he had been severely abused and starved. He was so emaciated that he would fall down at a walk or a trot for almost 6 months until we got his weight back on. Little did I know that the horse that I thought I was saving, turned out to save me.

Dexter has been my biggest teacher about stepping into my fears. He’s taught me how to step TOWARDS my fears instead of away. When we are in our power, our energy fields expand to approximately 6-8 feet around our physical body. In contrast, when we are afraid our energy fields shrink to about 6-8 inches around our body.

Horses move on pressure. In order to stay safe with a 1500 pound animal that lives in a state of flight or fight, we want to keep them out of our personal space. If we expand our energy, the horses feel the pressure and will naturally move away. Unfortunately, when we are in fear and want to keep the horse out of our space the very opposite happens. Our energy shrinks due to our own internal fear response which draws the horse into our space.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard my former instructor say, “Angie, move with energy and that will get Dexter our of your space.”  Thankfully I get it now and it has become a beautiful dance between Dex and I. When I want to push him out of my space I expand my energy and step towards him. And when I want to draw him in, I take a deep breath, pull in my energy and he moves towards me.

It is common to retract and move away from our fears. But in doing so, it keeps us small and held down. There is no growth in walking away from fear and we only rob ourselves of the opportunity to thrive.

We all have special teachers who come into our lives to teach us to dance with fear. Dexter has not only come into my life to teach me to step towards my fears, but he also has taught me to be persistent even when the odds are against me. To never give up on what my heart believes to be true even when others have given up on us. I was as green a rider as they come taking on an abused, non-trusting large animal, with health issues. But somehow, in spite of all that, we have found our way and today he is one of my best friends.

If you’re experiencing fear in your life, ask yourself if it’s in your best interest to move towards or away from your fear. In most cases you will find it’s far more advantageous to step into your fears than to walk away.

~ Exerpt from “You Can Heal Your Chakras” by Angela Strank