“To dream of wild horses is to glimpse the wild soul. The mare is not tamed easily, nor should she be; she is the life force herself, beautiful and dangerous.”
— Clarissa Pinkola Estés, "Women Who Run with the Wolves"
Our Story
Wisdom of the herd began with a singular little mustang and my personal mission to protect her wild instinct as much as I could while being in an urban setting.
While I thought my gleanings would be centered around how to be a meaningful steward, what I found was that attuning to the wisdom of the herd really served as an invitation for connecting to the wisdom of my own knowing. The wisdom that lives in all our cells and bones, whether we hear it or not.
Wisdom of the herd in practical form is an opportunity to connect with and learn from a small herd of equines in Lakewood, CA. In the middle of the city, our horses have carved out their own little space to be together as a herd and to operate by their native code of conduct.
Observing and interacting with the herd is the gateway to more deeply observing and interacting with our own behaviors, patterns and ways of being with ourselves and the world. The horses teach us how to be still, go slow, listen more deeply, speak more clearly, form meaningful relationships, adapt based on the situation, facilitate repair after rupture and identify our needs without apology.
There is a knowing that runs through plants, animals and the earth itself. How to heal, how to adapt, how to find peace. Wisdom of the herd operates under the premise that we as humans are not apart from, but a part of the natural world. This same knowing lives in our very bones.
MEET ALEXA
ALEXA RODELL
Founder
Howdy!
While I definitely had my horse girl years as a teen, my journey with horses has mostly been a later in life return initiated by a series of dreams. Dreams that coincided with accidentally stumbling into the equestrian center that is now my Wisdom of the Herd’s home. Volunteering led to becoming a student led to leasing a horse led to adopting a sweet (and wild) little mustang.
Truthfully, I was in over my head! But our journey together has been slow and patient. We’ve learned, unlearned and relearned together (many times).
As a professional and academic, I’m a doctor of depth psychology. I’m trained to pay attention to the material that is not typically spoken, but ever-present. The deeper stuff. The stuff that often metaphorically “drives the car,” influencing our behaviors and impacting our relationships. My depth psychological training, in collaboration with my love of horses (and nature in general) makes equine-assisted psychotherapy the most aligned and exciting way to do therapeutic work!
I’m also a mom in early motherhood, urban homesteader (think backyard chickens, gardening and sourdough) a forever student with insatiable curiosity, a marveler of the natural world and a fellow traveler on the path inward.
“In the ancient stories, the horse carries us between worlds—between waking and dreaming, wildness and civilization. It reminds us that we are not separate from the land, but made of it.”
— Sharon Blackie, inspired by themes in "If Women Rose Rooted"