Years after purchasing Intrepid, the vet had to come and treat a tumor. Ligation and biopsy. In the middle of February. After he left, I hung out with Intrepid, doing nothing really, except for feeling terribly sad and fearful. I scratched his neck as he munched on some hay and stared at his thick winter coat. Something in the distance startled him. He hit me with his head; my lower lip cut by my own teeth. I grabbed my mouth in silent pain. Just then, I heard it. A masculine voice – not of this world. Its tone and resonance was clear and deep, but otherwise indescribable.
“I’m Sorry.”
“Is that you?” Blood still flowing from my lip.
“Of course.” he said, quite naturally.
In, then out of the telepathic zone very quickly, I tried to dismiss it as part of my imagination, but the sound of his voice lingered. It was like nothing I had ever heard before.
Intrepid has complied with my wishes, and has easily performed all the high level dressage movements I’ve ever had the privilege of preparing him for. He’s carried me safely over many five foot jumps, and over miles of terrain. He’s grasped everything that I had on my mind. Can’t say I’ve done the same. Oh, I know how to take care of a horse, how to make them safe and comfortable, but how do we develop this ability, when we abandoned it thousands of years ago for the sake of the spoken word?
Now at thirty, Intrepid eases himself around the paddock, nickering at me softly when I approach, and watching me ever faithfully when I walk away. I know that when he leaves this earth, he will not leave me. He will merely shed his physical form, because it won’t have the capacity to go on. ‘These are only the clothes we wear while we are here’, he says to me, and I believe him. Horses don’t know how to lie.
Some readers might be saying, what pitiful stuff and attribute this to some kind of emotional delusion. But wait. Even though we abandoned our predisposition for telepathy, we have not lost the chemistry behind it.
During the 1990’s, a study was conducted using a drug called N,N-Dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, the results of which were published in a book called, ‘DMT: The Spirit Molecule’, by Rick Strassman.
This naturally occurring ‘psychedelic’ is found in all kinds of plants and animals, including “human blood, human brain tissue and in the cerebrospinal fluid bathing the brain.” (Hancock, 2007) It is derived from tryptophan, an essential amino acid, and is produced during normal metabolic processes. “Structurally, DMT is analogous to the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT), the [neuro] hormone melatonin, and other psychedelic tryptamines, such as […] psilocin (the active metabolite of psilocybin).”[1] DMT is also similar to the famous hallucinogen, LSD.
Apparently the brain doesn’t distinguish between consciousness altering experiences, whether they are induced by drugs, serious meditation, or intense emotion. It simply affords access to another dimension, frequency or perspective regardless of the catalyst.
In his work, Rick Strassman asks the question, ‘Why does the human body manufacture DMT?’ His answer amounts to this; ‘because we are supposed to gain insights and pearls of wisdom’. Just like molecules break down food because we are supposed to ‘gain’ nutrition from a complex digestive system, DMT provides us with brief but enlightened perspectives, all for our benefit. In other words, we receive the answers we need, primarily when we need them the most.
During his research, Strassman injected DMT into the muscles of volunteers and monitored them very closely. They reported many individual experiences, including intense telepathy, and meeting long dead ancestors. Visions were recorded that closely resembled those recorded by Amazonian shamans, who make a drink out of plant materials containing natural DMT.
The artificially raised levels of DMT differs to that of LSD. Although both have a hallucinogenic effect, DMT is metabolized by the body very quickly — in about an hour. LSD, on the other hand, is a twelve hour trip.
By no means am I advocating the dereliction of a responsible life for a life of experimentation! My only wish is to convey the curious mechanism our bodies are naturally equipped with. We purposefully and safely elevate manageable, natural levels of DMT through meditation, and other modes of trance inducing behavior. Even ‘staring’, is a form of trance. Regardless of your personal preference or judgment, DMT is working for you during your intuitive moments all the time.
As is turns out, serotonin, the ‘happiness hormone’ is temporarily decreased during times of profound grief. This may leave the door open for DMT, a similarly composed molecule, which then seizes control of the receptors during its moment of opportunity. DMT, with its ability to open portals to other dimensions, may have been responsible for my ability to hear Intrepid ‘speak’. It was brief, as the molecule was soon replaced by normal amounts of serotonin, and my ‘logic’ returned.
The discussion begs another question, and that is of animals. Since they also have DMT in their brains, does this facilitate their intuition, telepathy, and the uncanny knowledge they demonstrate from time to time?
Perhaps through new gateways of learning, we may understand even more about our relationship with the horse, and ultimately about the real potential we have together. These wonderful animals evolved over millions of years, developing a sophisticated ‘non-verbal’ capacity, which includes body language, keen observation, and superior telepathic ability.
Whether we admit it or not, horses have brought these ‘skills’ along with their physical aptitude, forward from the tropic dampness of long ago. Their uniqueness has made them one of the most successful species in the history of earth itself.
Who knows? Maybe it’s necessary for us to renew our own latent talent, in order to adapt to our own future; to heal ourselves and our own herd.
The gifts of the horse, may be so much more than we know.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimethyltryptamine accessed March 18, 2011.
by HLM van Schaik
"This book is about healing your life through rhythm and harmony. Read it and learn how to orchestrate your life."—Bernie Siegel, M.D., author of Love, Medicine, and Miracles 
both by Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling
by Magali Delgado and Frederic Pignon
