The Horse in Prehistory

Horse Magick: Spells and Rituals for Self-Empowerment, Protection, and Prosperity - Lawren Leo 2020


The Horse in Prehistory

Horse Spirit embodies the concept of evolutionary progression for the sake of adaptation. The horse manifested on earth and changed dramatically over unimaginable stretches of time. We know this because paleontologists have been able to document transformations in the horse's bodily structure with extreme precision through a wealth of fossil remains. Moreover, there is a unique energetic power source that derives from the streamlined process of this creature's evolution. Unlike the subtle energies associated with change in the plant world, Horse Spirit is raw and formidable. It is dynamic. Its limbs, neck, teeth, and hooves morphed in quantum leaps and bounds. In the prehistoric era, fifty million years ago, the incarnation of Horse Spirit was soft and vulnerable, agile and spry. Experts have named this tender creature eohippus, which means “the dawn horse.”

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Skeletal foot of eohippus in a prehistoric rainforest.

Eohippus, the Dawn Horse

Eohippus was the size of a fifty-pound dog. Forty-five to fifty million years ago, it lived in great numbers in vast stretches of canopied rainforest in what is now North America, foraging on leaves rather than grass. Archaeologists have found many fossils in the Wind River Basin in Wyoming. Apart from its size, the characteristic that distinguishes eohippus most from the modern horse is its foot, which had four soft, pad-like toes with proto-hooves on its forelegs and three toes on its longer hind legs. This feature gave eohippus sensitivity to the moist, loose ground cover. But over millions of years, changes in the earth's climate reduced the size of the rainforest habitat, exposing the forest dwellers to new terrain—grasslands, sandy prairies, and rocky steppes. This new terrain made speed necessary for survival, for it was populated by numerous fierce predators. As a result, the central toes of eohippus hardened, while the side toes shrank until they became mere trace bones. And this was just the beginning of a long chain of evolutionary metamorphoses.

The People of the Caves

The earliest human records we have of horses predate the invention of writing by millennia. In fact, the images are so far removed from us in time that they are stripped of nearly all original context, and their purpose remains a mystery.1 They date to a period near the end of the Ice Age, around 25,000 BCE, when present-day Europe was partially buried under vast glaciers.

Prehistoric peoples, including the Cro-Magnons, led nomadic lives as hunter-gatherers and sometimes took shelter in extensive cave complexes. They painted a striking group of lifesize, leopard-spotted horses on the walls of a cave in Pech Merle in Cabrerets, present-day southern France. These cave paintings are not “art” as we may understand it—that is, as something that serves an aesthetic, decorative function in a home or institution. Rather, they are akin to “sacred art” we might encounter in a place of worship—that is, as something meant to lift the mind from the physical to the spiritual realm. Cave paintings in general are not usually found in living quarters, but rather in hard-to-reach locales, energetically charged areas where neither light nor sound could penetrate. For example, in another French site, Lascaux, paintings are completely hidden in a well shaft located deep in a cave and accessible only with great difficulty.

One plausible interpretation for the horse paintings at Pech Merle is that they were meant to serve as a magickal aid to hunting. This theory is supported by the fact that there are nicks in the surface of the cave wall, suggesting that spears were hurled at the images of the horses. Indeed, there may have been a shaman or painter who acted as an intermediary between the real and spirit worlds—a role that, despite a common misperception, may have been filled by either a man or a woman. A striking element of the Pech Merle paintings is the incorporation of handprints all around, and in some places superimposed upon, the horses. These outlines were created by spitting a fine spray of mud over the hand. The act itself was ritualistic, leaving breath and saliva on the wall, joining the person creating the mark with the image and the land. A group of experts has advanced the theory that the size of the handprints indicates that women made these marks.2

No matter the gender of their creators, these paintings designate the places as magickally charged areas—power zones, places where human and animal spirits could meet. In one site, the painters returned to the difficult-to-access location generation after generation to paint images one atop the other. This leads some to believe that the images were not revered. I believe that, to the contrary, it indicates that making and interacting with the paintings were the paramount actions. Each successive creation of the images, whether of animals or of hands, integrated the participants individually and the clan collectively into a cultural, shared memory. These early artists were contacting Horse Spirit in the deep, secret recesses of the earth to assist in their survival. The light they brought in small oil lamps was as symbolic as it was necessary.

I feel strongly that a small group of people used these caves as a safe haven, a place in which to create a spiritual vortex, to call on and gain the favor of Horse Spirit. There, they built up the courage to hunt the speedy horse for food, and to acquire the necessary mental stamina to confront the dangerous stallion who led the herd. They were aware that the cave provided psychological, spiritual, emotional, and mental preparation for the world outside.

The quest for leadership and the passing on of generational knowledge in the presence of Horse Spirit was the driving force behind assembling in this place. The clan needed to learn how to react properly in dangerous situations, how to control volatile forces, to adapt quickly to ensure survival, and to work as a team. Above all, they were in the cave to receive information from a spiritual force, to help with a life-or-death situation. In short, they were there to learn survival tactics. The outcome of the ceremony was bravery tempered by respect for the primal force of nature, and this is the key to the two spells that follow.

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INITIATION OF HORSE SPIRIT

This first spell is especially effective to consecrate a new space or reconsecrate an existing space. This includes the sacred space within you, the area where your magick is nurtured and where it can safely develop under the protection of Horse Spirit.

What you need:

The Hermit card and the Death card from a tarot deck—Major Arcana IX and XIII, respectively. You will also need sage incense (cone or stick) or sage (any variety).

Instructions:

To begin, remove all items from your altar or sacred space. Clean it thoroughly. Place the Hermit card in the center. Light the sage/sage incense and place it in front of the Hermit card. Now, take the Death card (face up) and begin to fan the incense smoke slowly—three strokes toward you, then three strokes away from you. Repeat the three-and-three stroke action while chanting:

Bring me to the sacred cave;

Nurturing growth is what I crave.

Spirits to this space attached

Give me power as I'm hatched;

Bravery, wisdom, leadership, force,

I thank you Spirit of the Horse.

When finished, place the Death card on the altar underneath the Hermit card. Let them sit for twenty-four hours.

Why did I choose the Hermit card? In a traditional tarot deck, the Hermit represents introspection, self-reflection, and a sacred place—a vortex where illumination and psychic energies lie hidden, waiting to be awakened.

Why did I choose the Death card? In a traditional tarot deck, Death represents endings and beginnings. In this case, you are harnessing its power to “bring death” to all that is stale, stagnant, and no longer necessary. Also, in most tarot decks, this card bears a picture of a black horse. Once again, a herald of endings.

Why did I choose sage/sage incense? Sage, and the fragrance of sage, are traditionally used by Native Americans and in Europe to cleanse a space or item of unwanted or negative energies, as well as to banish evil and malevolent forces. It is also used to prepare a space for magickal rituals and blessings.

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BLESSING OF HORSE SPIRIT

The power to subdue the stallion was not the only purpose of the cave gatherings. The members of the clan also sought to imbue themselves with stallion energy and absorb the horse's defense tactics. Primal stallion energy could instill fear and catch the enemy off guard. I believe that women were thought to have the ability to quell the wild Horse Spirit and that, in a shamanic role, they could talk to Horse Spirit in the cave before the hunt. In this spell, I have chosen to adapt the words of the 23rd Psalm, because it provides the means for anyone, regardless of gender, to tap into the stallion's instincts for leadership, guidance, protection, and profound empowerment.

What you need:

One white candle, scented or unscented (votive, pillar, or taper), virgin olive oil, and table salt.

Instructions:

Remove all items from your altar or sacred space and clean it thoroughly. Then place the white candle in the very center and light it with reverence. Mix a half teaspoon of virgin olive oil with two pinches of table salt in a small bowl or dish. Place the dish in front of your lit candle. Dab your right thumb into the mixture and slowly trace an equal-armed cross on the center of your forehead just above the bridge of your nose while saying:

I banish all evil, evil eyes, curses, negativity, upset conditions,

black magick, psychic attacks, and opposition through the

virtues of the equal-armed cross, and unlock my passion for

leadership, guidance, and protection through the power of

Horse Spirit
.

Now, with your passion unleashed, recite the following spell. You need say it only one time.

Stallion of the ancients, your spirit is all I need.

Lead me to green pastures and keep me from harm;

Instill fear in my enemies with sharp hooves and bared teeth.

No foe escapes your wrath, neither by light of day nor dark of night;

Your unfailing vigilance protects me from surprise attack;

Because of you, I suffer neither hunger nor thirst,

For you know places where I receive more sustenance than I need.

Bless me with your primal power, forever.

When you are finished, you may sit in silence enjoying the newfound feeling of empowerment or you may simply thank Horse Spirit and let the candle burn itself out naturally. When the wax has completely cooled, dispose of it.

Why did I choose a white candle? White is the traditional color used in magick to represent purity of intent, cleansing, spirituality, and the opposite of fear, which is courage. It is also considered neutral and therefore easily imbued with any intent if charged properly.3

Why did I choose virgin olive oil? Olive oil is associated with peace, wisdom, and purity of heart.

Why did I choose table salt? Salt is associated with the element of earth. It is used to cleanse and wash away evil, the evil eye, and black magick, and to ground magickal energies and intent.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The description of the evolution of the horse from eohippus is highly abbreviated and simplified here. For a recent study that elaborates on its complexity, see David J. Froehlich, “Quo vadis eohippus? The Systematics and Taxonomy of the Early Eocene Equids (Perissodactyla),” Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 134 (2) (February 2002), pp. 141—256.

For an informative website with high-quality images of the cave paintings at Pech Merle, see: http://pechmerle.com.

Secondary sources

Bahn, Paul, and Michel Lorblanchet. The First Artists: In Search of the World's Oldest Art (London: Thames and Hudson, 2017).

MacFadden, Bruce J. Fossil Horses: Systematics, Paleobiology, and Evolution of the Family Equidae (Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1994).

Snow, Dean. “Sexual Dimorphism in European Upper Paleolithic Cave Art,” American Antiquity 78 (4), (2013), pp. 746—761.

NOTES

1 The first extant depiction of a person riding a horse is on the seal of the Ur III king Šu-Sin, which dates to the late 20th century BCE. See Owen, 1991.

2 Snow, 2013.

3 To learn more about charging or blessing a candle see Leo, 2014, pp. 126—127.