Hi Reader,

Sometimes the thing we're desperately seeking is right there, waiting for us to stop grasping for it.

I'm just back from a wild two-week trip through America's Southwest. The red rock mountains of Sedona, the breathtaking expanse of the Grand Canyon, vast desert landscapes that stretch endlessly before the next town appears. Remarkable feels too small a word for what I experienced.

But the real revelation came during my last few days at the sacred Buffalo Spirit Ranch in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains foothills outside Santa Fe, where I spent time in the arena with majestic horses led by the head mare, Artemis.

As I learned during my previous visit 1.5 years ago, horses have an uncanny ability to mirror back whatever we're experiencing within. They are our perfect mirror. They always show us the truth. They do not lie.

If you say you want one thing but really want the opposite, the horse keeps their distance – receiving your incongruence as a threat. Want acknowledgment but your energy screams "PICK ME!"? You're almost guaranteed to turn them away.

This year, whatever intention I had when entering the arena quickly slipped away as I desperately wanted the horses to come closer. As a self-proclaimed animal lover, I expect animals to approach me. And usually they do. But this time, they didn't.

I walked around saying silent hellos, wondering who would be the first to approach. None did. Growing more desperate, I headed to the back where two donkeys were eating grass. Last year, they had quickly come to my side when I felt intimidated. Stella inched forward, pushed her nuzzle into my chest, let me scratch behind her ears – then promptly walked away toward my fellow participants.

I recognized that she had given me what I wanted, but she felt my insistence on being seen and acknowledged. I was seeking validation from these majestic creatures, asking them to see me, love me, show me affection.

That's when something shifted inside me. A quiet voice from within whispered that I didn't need anything from them – not their attention, not their validation, not their affection. I knew the truth of it immediately, the way you know something in your bones. So I listened to that inner knowing. I was content to just be in their midst without trying to manipulate a result. I let go of my agenda and expectations, and sat down in the middle of the arena – simply watching the horses move about and enjoying a peaceful morning.

The moment I dropped my agenda and sat down, the horses started coming over. As I no longer needed anything from them, releasing that demanding energy, they could feel a person at ease and felt called to engage.

Brio reached me first, standing over me in greeting. Then Merlin. The entire energy shifted when I stopped trying to achieve something and let what wanted to be, be.

This lesson sounds simple on the surface – "neediness is unattractive" or "let go of your agenda to get what you want." But the visceral understanding that comes from deeply experiencing this truth is something else entirely. That experience lives within me now, showing me other areas where I was holding on too tightly, where I was demanding something from others with energy they weren't inclined to meet.

The horses taught me to listen to what's really going on inside and to trust myself enough that I don't need to push an agenda. Sometimes letting go completely is the best way to see what unfolds, trusting that the result will be more beautiful than anything I could have planned.

The moment I stilled my mind enough to hear that wisdom from within – that there was nowhere I needed to get to, no outcome I had to reach – I could change what I was doing and receive a lesson I won't soon forget.

If you'd like to learn to hear the voice of your own inner knowing, Inner Wisdom Quest kicks off October 21st. Early Bird Pricing (with a savings of £200) ends October 5th - learn more.

With love,

Amanda