Looking Within: Coming Home to Yourself Through Equine Assisted Learning

By Michelle Goss

Spirit Mountain Healing Services. There is Hope. There is Help. There Are Horses. 

This book shares some of the powerful stories from clients as they have worked to learn how to reconnect with themselves. They have done so by working with the full-size

• Language: English
• Publisher: Spirit Mountain Healing Services
• Release date: Nov 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9781088045589

Michelle Goss

Michelle Goss is the founder and CEO (Chief Empowerment Officer) of Spirit Mountain Healing Services in Gilbert, Arizona. She has always had a passion for horses and helping people. Michelle has over 35 years experience working with horses and people to help them through life issues. At Spirit Mountain Healing Services, Michelle gets to combine her extensive education in teaching, life coaching, and relationship development to help humans of all ages find answers and new ways to live life better.

Book preview

The Grand Opening Balloons

This book started on April 1, 2022, with the grand opening of Spirit Mountain Healing Services. It was an amazing day with so many people coming out to support me, the horses, and the business.

I had decided to get purple and white balloons to tie to the fence that faces the street. Purple and white are Spirit Mountain’s colors so I thought that would be appropriate. The day went on and I talked to so many people about my passion for helping people through horses. I know for a fact I wouldn’t be here on this planet if it weren’t for the amazing healing powers of my horses. I shared my story and gave people a taste of what horse-guided life coaching is all about by having people introduce themselves to the horses and then having a discussion together about what they noticed in their interactions with the horses.

It was nearing the end of the long but successful day when my significant other pointed out that the only balloons left on the fence were the white ones. All of the purple ones had popped during the day due to the heat. I thought that was interesting. I had some people who were left hanging out with me go over and take the white balloons off the fence. I had them just pop the balloons so we could throw them away. And then I looked towards the main gate of the ranch and I saw three white balloons left. I suddenly got the urge to go get them and give them to the three young kids who were still here with their parents. As I walked over to the fence, I realized there were four white balloons left. So, I untied the four balloons, handed one to my 14-year-old daughter, and handed the other three to the kids that were still there.

One of the kids was two years old and she wanted to let the balloon go into the sky. Her parents were worried she would be upset if she let the balloon go. However, she was persistent about letting it go. Finally, the parents reluctantly gave her the balloon and she let it go. Immediately, she started giggling and watching it rise into the air. Her parents were shocked and relieved at the same time that their daughter was so happy about letting it go.

All of us stood around looking up into the sky watching her balloon rise higher and higher. But it didn’t drift away or pop like we thought it would. It just continued to rise nearly vertically into the sky. We all looked at each other with confused looks on our faces. We must have stood there for nearly five minutes waiting for it to move off or pop. But neither thing happened. It just kept rising. Then one of the other kids who was around age four wanted to let his balloon go, too. His parents gave him the balloon and he let it go. However, he became upset by the release of the balloon and started crying. His older brother, who was around eight, decided to give his brother his balloon. His younger brother stopped crying. Then we all looked up again and to our shock, the first balloon was still above us and the second balloon that had just been released was rapidly rising and catching up with the first one. And then it reached the same height as the first balloon and was in line with the first balloon but with a little space between them.

We all looked at each other with very puzzled looks on our faces. None of us had ever seen balloons do this before. And then my daughter decided to let her balloon go as well. We were all curious by now about what her balloon might do. She let it go and it immediately started to rise to the same height as the other two balloons. And when it reached the same height, it got into line with the other two balloons with the same distance between all three balloons. Now we all really looked at each other—we had no idea how this was happening, but we knew it was happening. At least another ten minutes had gone by since the first balloon had been released.

As we were all talking about this strange and yet peaceful phenomenon we were witnessing, we looked up and the three balloons had now moved into a triangle shape. Perfectly spaced. Now we had no idea what to think, except that it just had to be a sign from the Universe—a sign that things were aligning and the business was going to be able to help many, many people.

You see, I have a saying about myself. I tell people I am not typical. I mean I have worked with horses for over 40 years; I have been self-employed for almost all of my life; I have skills many women do not have. My saying is, I like boxes, please do not put me in a box. I prefer triangles.

I told the group my saying and we all just looked up at the balloons in the triangle formation, and just smiled and laughed. It was at this time the four-year-old wanted to let his balloon go. And so he did, but this time he did not cry. He just started laughing about it because this balloon went straight up and joined the other three balloons. Not in the triangle shape. But just next to it, like it was hanging out and supporting the triangle.

We all stood there for another five minutes or so. Realizing that this is the power of the Universe. Realizing how grateful we all were on that day for the things we had in our lives.

It was a day I will never forget. That day has been my driving force behind reaching more people to offer them the amazing healing powers of the horses here at Spirit Mountain Healing Services.

What This Book Is About

As I have stated, I’ve been doing this type of work for a long time.

This book shares some of the powerful stories from clients as they have worked to learn how to reconnect with themselves. They have done so by working with the full-sized horses, Cody, Spinner, and Tenacity, and with the 3-foot-tall minis, Bandit and Thunder.

I hope you enjoy these stories. But more than that, I hope these stories help you realize you are not alone in your struggles. There is help. And there is hope.

Please: If you or someone you know is struggling in any part