ABOUT THE WINGED HORSE ENORAN

by Matina Spetsiotis

Episode I

A horse is born…
She flew in from the vast deserts of Africa. Her father was a descendant of the Centaurs, from the line of Philyra and Cronos. A noble and just family of skilled physicians, they spent their life caring for others, teaching anyone who would listen, the virtues of heroism, knowledge and spiritual abundance. Her mother was a black Persian mare, from the elite horses of King Darius, a majestic being of unparalleled beauty.

enoran the name given to her from the Greek word “en-orasi”, meaning insight and vision, galloped into our life and consciousness…

Episode II

Enoran flicked her wings and stretched them as far as they could be stretched. She was growing day by day, taller and stronger and more confident in nature. . .She was adored by her parents and her siblings. Though, it was her grandmother thats was closer to her than anyone else. . .for she was the wisest of all mares, a sublime, noble creature of infinite wisdom and insight:
"Enoran", she said, "here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly. . . what is essential is invisible to the eye. . . you need to learn to open your heart and give more love without requiring anything in return. . ."
Enoran listened carefully; a sense of harmony prevailed deep inside her. . .
for she who has wings understands. . .

Episode III

Enoran laid on the grass…her front legs were crossed…her head resting on her hoofs. She was basking in the sun and daydreaming…..
In this blissful moment she found herself overwhelmed by a heightened awareness of a microcosm, revealed right there on nature’s floor….tangled stems and roots, ants and beetles, butterflies and bees and flowers in varicolored abundance…
A little goldfinch flew around her and rested on her nose. “All is produced by laws acting around us, Enoran”, it whispered…”there is grandeur in this life, this planet has gone cycling on, from so simple beginning and endless forms, to the most wonderful and complex….The Universe is much grander, more subtle and more elegant than anything you can imagine…”

Episode IV

Daybreak stirred her tousled head… Enorán had spent most of the night star gazing this one and only star that occupied the vast purple sky...Waiting for it to fall….But nothing! Not even a signal…
”Perhaps it fell while I was sleeping”, she thought to herself. “Perhaps it did not want any witnesses to its fall.
After all, there are so many who wish…to whom can this lone star attend to?”
And now Light had prevailed…”Can Light be translated into words?”, she thought. “Something has happened to my understanding of existence that now made my heart always full of wonder and tenderness.
I do not want to touch any object in this world without my eyes testifying to the Truth…without my heart honouring this Truth. I want to let go of what I am, to become what I might be….”
A new day had come…it was beautiful and it was all hers to seek…

Episode V

“Count your blessings, Enorán”, her mother whispered as she was putting her to sleep one night. “But why?” Enorán asked. “And what does this mean?”
“Because gratitude is the key, my darling…It is the only way we can truly appreciate the wondrous Universe we live in…Every time we are grateful for this extraordinary world that surrounds us, our body, our life, our planet, we take another step closer to manifesting our greatest potential and fulfilling our destiny.”
“How do I know I am truly grateful?”
“When you can see the true gifts around you, my sweet girl. When you can stand calm and in quiet joy, for being joyful is the simplest form of gratitude. And when you take nothing for granted and always seek out and value the kind that will stand behind all actions.”
Enorán lay there for a while, perplexed, trying to find the words to express her gratitude….”Thank you God”, she whispered, “for every day of the week, especially Sunday when I get to play with my friends all day….”

Episode VI

Miss Honey was the best teacher Enorán had. She was soft spoken,
kind and beautiful. And she had that wonderful teacher smell…the kind that stays in your smell – memory forever!

One day she took the class on a field trip…

“In the beginning, beloved little ones, darkness covered the face of the deep. Then the rushing breath of life hovered over the waters…..and the journey begun…You see, we are all on a journey together, to the centre of the Universe…Look deep into yourself, into another…notice the radiance of everything about you…let us play in this Universe…tend to all these shining things around you…the smallest plant, the creatures and objects you care…be gentle and nurturing…listen…experience and accept all that you really are…we grow this way, we begin to embrace each other as ourselves and learn to live as one among many…”

Enorán and her classmates looked around and at each other….
Leonardo, Enorán’s best friend, whispered to her…
”Enorán, my heart is beating really fast…”
“Don’t worry, Leonardo, so is mine…I think we are connecting somehow…”

Episode VII

Back in class, Miss Honey began narrating a very old, very wise story, one that was passed on from her great, great ancestors about the battle that goes on inside everyone…She said:
"Blessed ones, the battle is between 'two wolves' inside us all…One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith."
Enorán thought about it for a minute, and then asked her Teacher:
"Which wolf wins?”
Miss Honey simply replied, “The one you feed”….

Episode VIII

Enorán loved the ocean. It had cast a spell on her when she visited it very early in her life and had held her in her nets of wonder forever…

She lay there on a blanket, alone, watching the sunrise, waiting for the light to poke out from behind the dark. She was neither anxious nor impatient…she lay empty, open, choiceless, much like the beach itself, waiting for a gift from the sea.

As her great, great uncle Albert once told her, “Just as the wave cannot exist for itself, but is ever a part of the heaving surface of the ocean, so must you never live your life for itself, but always in the experience which is going on around you”.*

So she looked around…pebbles and shells and footprints in the sand…some were lonesome, others paired, going towards some direction...The beach is a place of mystery and wonder waiting to be explored…And I am not afraid to explore, to follow ones footprints or leave my own, collect shells and pebbles on the way and toss as many as I need to until I feel lighter… I spot my ‘ship’ off the coast…slipping silently through the fog, coming around the cape, in a shaft of sunlight…what a sight! Glimmering as much of the ocean herself, massive and beautiful, laden with treasures, happy times, friends, love and laughter…anything is possible today!


“for whatever we lose (like a you or a me)
it’s always ourselves we find in the sea…”
e.e. cummings

*uncle Albert Schweitzer, that is!

Episode IX

It was such an exciting moment for Enorán to come home that day after school and find a letter posted to her. She hardly ever received mail....and there it was! A beautiful ruby red envelope with her name on it! No stamp, no name of sender. Sealing wax revealed an image of faith. Her heart skipped a beat or two as she opened it in anticipation. There was a piece of parchment inside that smelled of cedar and felt silky to the touch. It read:
Dear Beloved
I sent a prayer thought to you to comfort your journey…
Many remain at the foot of the Mountain
Who could ascent to the top?
I repeat and ask that you always have courageous thoughts my beautiful child,
As a result of them, God will give you Grace for courageous deeds

With all my Love
Your great great Aunt Teresa*

Enorán’s heart swelled as tears filled her eyes….How could she know of the troubles that worried my little heart?, she wondered….for all my good intentions, there have been days recently, when things have gone wrong and I fell into old habits…when things were not going well and I was grumpy or mad…I have now come to realize that I have not been paying attention to my soul and I have not been following my best routine…I am so blessed to have aunt Teresa in my life…
*Teresa of Avila

Episode X

They came from across the mountains and across the bay.

They came bearing gifts, wearing their Sunday best, to celebrate Enorán’s birthday. This wondrous, sweet July night…a full orange moon was on the rise when Enorán stood and said:

“I would like to raise a glass to all of you that I love…to the laughter, forgotten words and kisses, to all the stories and forgiving…to the late nights and early mornings and to Sunday afternoons…to the memories, now at rest, and to the happiness within; for these are the moments which this glass holds dear to my heart, in this island home, across the World. I raise my glass to you and all your friends; for these are lives made to share; beautiful gifts wrapped, for the hearts of other people.

For this is pure Joy”.

Episode XI

Today, I galloped through the wilderness of the forest where the bittern and the meadow hen lurk and heard the booming of the snipe; I came across a fowls nest and saw a mink crawling close to the groundI so much want to learn and explore things, be mysterious and unexplorable, the land, the seabe infinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomedI came to a standstill with the realization that the trees ahead and the bushes beside me are never lost. Wherever I am, I am HEREthe forest breathes.I listenit answersno two trees are the same, no two branchesI stood still, transfixed and fully conscious I am one with my surroundings.this forest is bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, it is around me and within


Excerpt from Enorans journal(with respect to Henry David Thoreau)

Episode XII

The sun was at its peak, spreading light and warmth across the vast land that beautiful day. Miss Honey was taking the class on a “field trip for the mind, spirit and soul”, as she called it.
They had packed lunches and cold drinks and Gracie’s grandmother had sent a scrumptious apple pie she baked that very morning.

All the friends gathered together, Leonardo and Molly, little Gracie and Zac, and Gypsy and Enorán. They came to a sanctuary by the ancient creek, a secret place, where they could meditate and join in peace and silence. They were all lying on their back, eyes closed, heads almost touching, forming a circle.

Miss Honey gave them guidance…

“Getting down on the soft grass once a day and stretching your body mindfully, if only for three or four minutes, staying in touch with your breathing and with what your body is telling you, reminding yourself that this is your body today, is the greatest gift you may give yourself each day”, she said. “Check to see if you are in touch with it”, she whispered gently, “and by doing so, you will renew yourself completely each day. Do it again, and again, and forever again…and peace will be in every step you take”.

She then picked up a volume she brought along and began to read…

“I exist as I am, that is enough,
If no other in the world be aware I sit content,
And if each all be aware I sit content.
One world is aware, and by far the largest to me, and that
Is Myself,
And whether I come to my own today or in ten thousand
or ten million years,
I can cheerfully take it now, or with equal cheerfulness,
I can wait”

(Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass)

After the deep breathing and the silence and the grounding of the Spirit, they had warmed their little hearts enough for Miss Honey to know that it was time for fun and games and leaping into the creek below…

Episode XIII

Spirit lives in all; it animates all and gives energy to all creations, including life on earth. This thought is the essence of what I learned today down by the creek…the essence of spirituality. The ancient teachings demand from us that we focus our attention most of all on the holy web of life we are part of and that obviously enmeshes us. This attention to the whole is what we call holiness…The earth is beautiful, the sky is beautiful, my people are beautiful…my heart is full of joy!

In the house of long life,
there I live.
In the house of happiness,
there I live.
Beauty below me,
there I live.
Beauty above me,
there I live.…
I am on the good path,
there I live.

Excerpt from Enorán’s journal…(with respect to the Navajo)

Episode XIV

Spending time with her father, Perseus, was extra ordinary, a treat and an adventure for Enorán. He was the kindest, most gentle father anyone could wish for. His knowledge and wisdom were well known across the land. Everyone respected this noble physician, whose work and deeds were legendary…
His voice echoed deep, strong and tender as he spoke…“my grandfather Enorán gave simple advice…he recommended we all ask ourselves four important questions each day, that should be guidelines…Am I happy with what I am doing? Does what I do contribute to the confusion in the world? What am I doing for peace? How will I be remembered after I am dead? I want you beloved child, to sit and ponder on these questions, reflect on what is yours and find your own truth.
Enorán looked perplexed, somewhat saddened and in awe. “How do I decide all this father? How do I decide what makes me happy? How do I know what is true?”
“Enorán, the Wise person believes profoundly in silence…the sign of a perfect equilibrium. Silence is the absolute poise or balance of body, mind and spirit. He who preserves his selfhood ever calm and unshaken by the storms of existence - not a leaf, as it were, astir on the tree, not a ripple upon the surface of the shinning pool – his, in the mind of the unlettered sage, is the ideal attitude and conduct of life…silence is the cornerstone of character….there, my beautiful girl, the answers will come to you”.
(with respect to the Navajo)

Episode XV

I sat in my room in silence, in search for the Truth as my father suggested…my mind clear and serene and then sleep enveloped me…

Allogenes, a stranger to me, came to my dream and asked, “Enorán, what are the stages of spiritual development and how does one attain gnosis?”

I recalled the words of the Gnostic teacher Theodotus and replied, “Gnosis is insight, for it involves an intuitive process of knowing oneself…and to know oneself, is to know ones’ nature and ones’ destiny…Gnosis is the point where we come to understand who we were and what we have become; where we were…whither we are hastening; from what we are being released; what birth is and what is rebirth…yet to know oneself, at the deepest level, is simultaneously to know God; this is the secret of gnosis.”

I woke up startled, surprised a little by my own sense of knowing…my eyes swelled for no apparent reason. Sitting besides me was my mother sensing my angst…she embraced me and said:

“When mystics use the word ‘love’ they use it very carefully, in the deep spiritual sense, where to love is to know; to love is to act…I love you from the depths of my consciousness where wisdom lies, where I can see your need intuitively and clearly and creatively, such is the immense driving power of my love for you, my darling…Love acts through me, it is who I am, my state of being, my connection to you, it flows within and through me, independent of my intentions or efforts…miracles happen all the time, because those miracles are performed by the heart. My heart is in direct communion to yours, my soul, to your soul, and when my heart speaks, even with the resistance of the head, something inside me changes; my heart opens your heart…true love flows…”

Later that day I met my friend Ancape…we spoke for hours and I told her about my dream. She drew me a house, where Truth resides. Four pillars extended high above supporting its foundations…it was a beautiful house for my Soul to live in…

Excerpt from Enorán’s journal

Episode XVI

“Phantasmagoria, Phantasmagoria” ….

Enorán whispered the word again and again. She was studying the Tibetan Book of the Dead for weeks now and was reminded that the specters that loom large on our horizon are put there mainly by our own minds. Our attitudes opinions and expectations are overlaid upon reality; they shape our world and get in our way. Nothing is perfect, but then again nothing is all bad either.

She remembered the ancient Zen poem known as ‘Trust in the Heart Sutra’; it was written in China by the Third Zen Patriarch. Enorán knew it off by heart since her father recited it repeatedly to her as a child, and uttered her favourite lines:

‘Do not seek for truth,

Merely cease to cherish your own ideas and opinions…’

“Things are not what they seem to be, nor are they otherwise. This reminds me not to be so invested in what I think or expect. Better to remain open to life and what it brings. Be open to the moment. When one has no expectations, there are no disappointments. The Buddhist lesson was that everything that is put together eventually falls apart. This doesn’t mean that reality is shattered. Reality is what it is; forever free and untouched by my projections and interpretations, as well as my hopes and anxieties about it….In short, there is a certain amount of joy to be found even in a muddy dog. It’s still the same loveable dog, after all, no matter how dirty he gets. I must remember that!”