On that amazing, life tranforming day everything started out as normal. It all started while he was sampling a particularly tasty patch of grass. At that moment a butterfly came fluttering along and landed on a dandelion next to our horse.
“Hello beautiful horse” said the butterfly
Surprised and delighted that the butterfly could talk the horse instantly began telling the butterfly all his worries.
“You see” said the horse “no one comes to visit anymore and I’m desperately lonely and trapped in this field”
“Oh I see” said the butterfly “that’s terrible you feel this way”
Now it was just lucky for our horse, that fine morning, that this little butterfly was fluttering through the field. Some may even say it was a coincidence that the butterfly landed on just that exact dandelion next to our horse. For our butterfly was a wise and gentle soul and understood instantly our horse’s worry and pain.
“It’s sad horse but you have lost your way”
“How do you mean little butterfly” asked the horse
“You are magnificent, strong and independent, but have forgotten who you are”
“I know I’m a horse little butterfly, I haven’t forgotten”
But with that said the butterfly fluttered off to another flower on the other side of the field. Our horse started to follow and began thinking out loud.
“What did the butterfly mean I’ve forgotten who I am? I am a horse, I don’t get it.”
Soon he was where the little butterfly had landed again and asked
“Little butterfly I’m confused, can you explain further”
“Of course” kindly replied the butterfly “you have been stuck for a long time within this field, lonely and desperate for company. Slowly over time this has become your normal. Then gradually your have taken this normal to become who you are!”
“That sounds deep little butterfly” said the horse “How do you mean”
“We all place prisons within our own minds. These prisons stop us from achieving our life’s goals and dreams. Your life alone in this field has now become a type of prison in your mind. You have forgotten your a horse.”
And with this the little butterfly fluttered off to another flower.
“Oh I’m still confused” thought the horse as he wandered over to where the butterfly had once again settled “what prison in my mind?”
Soon our horse was once again where the butterfly had landed and asked her to explain some more.
“I would like to tell you a little story to help explain” said the little butterfly
“Oh I like stories” replied the horse
“Then I shall begin.
The common house flea has the ability to jump 200 times it’s own height. Now if you place a glass cup over that same flea something interesting happens. When the flea now jumps he keeps hitting his head on the bottom of the glass cup. After a few jumps the flea realises what’s happening and will adjust his jumping height accordingly. The flea now jumps to just under the roof of the cup. When you remove the glass our poor flea is now conditioned into jumping at this new height. He has learnt from experience that if he jumps any higher he will hit his head and it hurts. He has created his very own glass ceiling or a kind of prison in his own mind.
This is the prison of our own minds, we all create them and yours horse is this field. You have forgotten your a horse and what horse’s do.”
But with this last comment the butterfly flew out of sight and our horse was left alone in his field once again.
“I am a horse” he exclaimed “and horses run and jump and play. I had forgotten who I was, I really had made my own prison in my mind. This field with its fence around me had become my prison, but I’m a horse and horse’s run and jump and play”
And with this our horse ran as fast as his legs could take him straight at the fence. In one great jump he cleared it and landed on the other side. He never even glanced back, he just kept running and running to the sounds of the other horses in the distance.
Our horse was now free.
[Author: Andrew Hallas]
Moral of the story:
We have all created some form of prison within our own minds. Anywhere you don’t want to be is like a prison, even in the lap of luxury one can feel poor and in a crowd, lonely. When we can truly see, those prisons we have created and there unwholesome qualities we will naturally let go. We begin to move forward and escape our very own prisons.