From the Herd: A Solstice Reflection on Wild Wisdom

A Summer Solstice Reflection

A New Kind of Light

The Summer Solstice—June 20th—is the longest day of the year and one of nature’s most generous invitations to pause. It marks the peak of light and the beginning of a time for growing and blossoming in sunlight and growth.

This year, it carries a more personal meaning for me, because foreign assistance has been shut down and with it, my career. I am using this unexpected change to serve people in a different way.

I am bringing to life what I envisioned this farm would provide: a center where people can center.

Building Out the Vision

For years, I envisioned creating a space where psychological and spiritual practitioners could convene with their clients, out in nature, on a water source, with horses, and just a stone’s throw from the city.

I imagined retreats, meaningful conversations, research, yoga, meditation. What I didn’t imagine were the beautiful sound baths, reiki sessions, art therapy, family bonding in nature, and other experiences. The people I’m meeting are incredible, raw, and real, and I’m enjoying working with them to bring their own visions to life as well.

As I was planning our Summer Solstice “Spa for the Soul” Retreat at The Blue Hydrangea, the phrase that kept coming to me was: Grow, bloom, and thrive.

It felt aligned with that most natural arc we all move through. Following the rhythm of the literal and metaphorical seasons, after periods that ask us to release, hibernate, go inward, or quietly plant seeds, summer is the time to open a little more. To follow what feels warm and nourishing.

Living on this farm has helped me do that, and I love opening my farm and sharing that with others. When you come here, you are surrounded by furry friends—wild and domestic—who remind you how sweet, pure, and simple life is meant to be. I’m surrounded by people who understand that and who live in connection with nature and strive to be at peace with God, in whatever form they conceive God to be (words to live by from the Desiderata).

Learning from the Herd

Animals invite us to also accept and love our most vulnerable, innocent selves. We are all familiar with the way watching a dog bop around, or focusing on a bee floating from bloom to bloom, softens us. Animals are always simply doing their best to be happy and cared for, and we melt at their sweet innocence. Whether they’re reserved or outgoing, goofy or serious, awkward or confident, animals gravitate to what feels good.

Animals also take care of themselves: They seek affection when they need it, eat and drink what fuels them, move with purpose and play. They care for their own well-being, and they show up for their herd, pack, or community—without losing themselves in the process.

To expand that point, being around horses helps us drop out of our heads and into the moment. You don’t just get to take the mask off around them; you have to. Horses don’t respond to the version of us that’s trying too hard to succeed or stuck in overthinking. They meet us where we’re real. And that’s often where growth begins not just for the horse, but for our ability to slow down, be present, be patient, to forgive.

This experience invites us to explore what is going on internally: why are we pushing so hard? Why are we struggling? What feelings are emerging? If we can surrender control in this moment, what can happen? That's what this center is about. Surrender to the higher purpose, the higher power, while maintaining gratitude for the vision we are honoring and working toward.

Animals also honor and understand boundaries—both their own and those of others. That’s something I find quietly beautiful about animals. Horses, dogs, cats—they seem to intuit when to come close, when to give space, and how to express their needs with calmly, and even forcibly when needed. Those boundaries and that radical honesty creates mutual respect and harmony in a herd and even across species. One of my favorite sights on the farm is seeing Chelsea the cat curling around a horse’s leg and the horses indulging her for the greeting.

And finally—perhaps most profoundly—are the meditative and neurophysiological impacts of working with horses. Movement itself plays a powerful regulatory role in physical and mental health.

Healing in Motion

The rhythmic, intentional movement of riding horses relaxes us and stimulates emotional regulation because it helps our bodies enhance vagal tone, release endorphins, and activate the parasympathetic nervous system (shifting to rest and digest).

The act of sitting up straight with your legs stretching beneath you, required to stay in the saddle, defy your instinct to curl into the fetal position in fear. This posture activates core stabilizing muscles and promotes an open, expansive stance that counters the body’s instinct to collapse inward in response to fear or stress. These postural shifts signal safety and confidence to the nervous system, helping to retrain patterns of contraction rooted in trauma or chronic stress.

This state of attunement required by horses also naturally draws us out of mental rumination and into the here and now, creating a profoundly grounding and relational form of meditation. I once had a guest comment toward the middle of a trail that riding requires more concentration and physical effort than she anticipated.

It is fun, but not always the floaty experience you might imagine. If you're doing things right, riding, and even simply being around horses, asks for your full attention. Horses are prey animals and react fast and as a group to perceived threats. In their company, we are asked to listen deeply with our whole bodies. So, they pull you into the present moment and into relationship with another being that communicates mostly with silence and body language.

It is true that once the basics are in your body—when they become second nature, riding becomes even more magical. But even on the days that feel like work when you're learning, or when your trainer is pushing you—just like in meditation or other sports, the impact often comes afterward, when you realize you feel lighter, more grounded, more at ease.

And for what it's worth, guests always end the ride relaxed and smiling, their whole energy softer and more open.

If you surrender to the experience, something always shifts.

Come Grow With Us

And with that, a little pitch for an upcoming event:

✨ Join Us for the Summer Solstice Body for the Spa Retreat | June 20–22

If this kind of connection speaks to you, come experience it firsthand. Whether you're looking to ride, lease, or simply spend quiet time with horses or in nature, you’re welcome here. Learn more about lessons, retreats, or how to meet the horses. Come walk the forest trails, sit by the creek, breathe with the horses, and explore what it means for you to grow, bloom, and thrive—on your own terms.

👉 Book Your Solstice Pass Now

🌿 Day passes are just $15 and include one Blue Hydrangea-led session (yoga, meditation, or tarot). Add on a full menu of sound baths, yoga, reiki, art zen, movement, reflexology, horse experiences, and other activities to build your own retreat day or weekend. We also have accommodations for campers!

On behalf of myself and the gifted practitioners participating in this event, we all look foward to seeing you there!

Peace on Earth,

Lenoure