Many individuals and organizations are concerned with world peace today. However, one group approaches peace in a unique way, which is worthy of our viewing.

The Institute for Individual and World Peace is the inspiration of John-Roger who is a teacher, educator, and author. It was founded in 1982 by individuals committed to the "up-liftment of the planet through a commitment to the enrichment of individual life."

The operant word in the title of their organization is individual. They believe that worldpeace can be achieved by individuals taking responsibility for peace in the own lives.

Since the time the Institute was established, it has been very active in peace work. The Institute sponsors workshops, seminars, retreats, and meetings to explore the process of peace. "The One Accord Workshop teaches practical tools and skills for assisting families, communities and individuals to move into an experinece of peace."

Although their emphasis is "world peace through individual inner peace" they have moved into the international arena with activities that have promoted peace.

In the past fifteen years of the Institue's existence, they have organized and supported an international fund raising effort for underpriveleged orphans in Jaffa, Israel; organized the international effort to upgrade hospital facilities in Luxor, Egypt; and participated in the East-West Conference in Bardejov, Czechoslovakia to introduce Western democratic values to Eastern bloc Countries.

They have done this locally as well as for the communities at the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce, whose purpose is to influence the media to write more positive news.

Another part of the Institue is unique in their approach to peace. They are creating "a place of peace" which is two-fold in its focus.

Windermere is the Institute's peace retreat located on 140 acreas of Manzanita and Oak two thousand feet above the Pacific Ocean overlooking the City of Santa Barbara and the offshore Islands.

The Windermere Ranch has a heard of 40 horses, mostly Egyptian Arabians, the first arriving in the spring of 1989. The Institute is learning about peace while getting to know their horses.

The Windermere newsletter highlighted this new way of relating to horses. Hippotherapy, or equine therapy, is the name applied to using horses to help people better understand themselves and their relationships with other humans. There are a number of centers in the U.S. offering retreats for the physically handicapped using horses to build self-confidence and improve physical fitness. A more recent development is holistic treatment center offering retreat programs for couples, business executives, individuals suffering form post-traumatic stress syndrome and people who simply want to get over their fear of horses.

The Windermere staff have been trained to use new methods of communications and training with horses, called Natural Horse Training. These methods are non-inflictive and focus on becoming one with the horse in order to communicate and work with it. The value of coming to peace within and then reaching out to become one with another person or living being is now a new concept to us. It is part of the philosophical foundation of the Institute for Individual and World Peace. At Windermere the horses are another way to practice this philosophy and another way to learn it. I was given the opportunity to experience Windermere close up when I accepted an invitation by Katherine Hall, director of the Institute. I was able to meet the herd when Katherine and Jack Espey, ranch manager, gave me a tour of the facility.

Someone decided you could learn more about horses in a herd than individually. Or maybe it just grew into a herd while acquiring horses. I was told the horses were donated. The herd was featured in Ranch and Country magazine (Feb/March, 1996). They set the tone for my tour of the property.

Horses are herd animals by nature. They are highly social, and when living in herd, they form strong bonds and ties. Even so, the experience of herd life is a relatively rare once in today's horse world. Many horses live their entire life in barns or paddocks, and their association with other horses consists of fence talk with the neighboring horse on either side. Or the horse lives completely alone, and his social encounters with other horses are the moments when he, under saddle, joins other mounted horses on a trail ride.

Of course, setting up herd life for one's horse is logisticly impractically for the majority of horse owners. Horses in training are typically kept handy to catch in nearby barns or paddocks, and particularly show horses are often clipped and blanketed, and fed a controlled diet. Many horse owners intentionally disengage their horse from association with other horses as a part of their training program, with the idea that the horse will then be more focused on the horse/human relationship.

One rather unique ranch that has managed to create a way to support herd life along with an extensive riding and training program is Windermere Ranch. Just how the horses are such a big part of the peace work is not easy to put into words, but it's apparent that they are an essential aspect. Perhaps the vision of the herd at full gallop holds the keys. The galloping heard is at the very least a symbol, but perhaps more accurately, an embodiment of a process whereby individuals freely choose to be part of the action, to align them with what is taking place. And when they do, they come a part of something much larger, much greater.

In between visiting with individual horses in the herd Katherine and Jack told how they have been learning by their interaction with the horses. Katherine also talked about the Institute's plans and what the Institute ment to her.

For instance she said, "I don't have control over what other people do but I do have control and responsibility over what I do." She continued, I believe everything goes on inside a person and the things we experience on the outer, what we say is reality, is really how we interpret the things on the inside. World peace, to me, my contribution, is how I handle my inner conflicts, conflicts with people I know and how I move from conflict into something that is more positive."

In 1996 she went to the U.N. and participated in the NGO (non-governmental organizations) conference for three days. People from all over the world talked about how an individual makes a difference.

I mentioned, "Everyone wants peace but only for their people and their way." I felt there needed to be a bridge between what I think peace is and what the other person or group does.

Katherine responded to my statement by talking about an activity that they are already doing called The Peace Workshop. She explained that it's "a process toward individual peace." John Morton, board member and educator, has developed the workshop and technology that she "hasn't seen anywhere else." He says, "be the first to extend the hand of peace and don't stop until peace embraces you."

Katherine stated that, "this workshop technique moves from what we call issue to process. When I say world peace or inner peace I'm not talking about static, stable something that's never going to change. Peace is an active process. When people think that to have peace they have to be sitting in a flower garden or something...

I interjected, " Peace is not necessarily peaceful.

Katherine continued, "Yes, And its not necessarily comfortable or easy. Peace is movement, to me. Peace occurs when I am not stuck. And I know what stuck is. When I'm' stuck, I'm defiant. I'm in denial. I'm resentful. I am angry. I get stuck in a position. When you bring issues into your awareness with an intentional a willingness to move in a positive direction with one accord we get a process. This is the technology of how you do that, which is taught in this workshop. The people who attend can actually have the experience as a point of reference to return to when they get into similar situations."

Next, we turned our conversation to human change by studying horses. This time it was Jack Espey's time to talk. As ranch manger, he lives on this hilly playground for the horses. He is fascinated with what he is doing from the land on up to the daily contact with the individual horses which he introduced to me by name. He was in touch with every bit of the land and enjoyed talking about the history of the Chumash Indian trail, pointing to the dates and initials carved in the cold water sandstone (from 1868 to 1886) driving Katherine and I on his little ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) he acknowledged where the ponds and other natural habitats were located. His excitement included the study and training of the horses.

I asked, "With horses you communicate rather than control?" Jack responded with enthusiasm, "You have a choice. Many people try to go the control route; bigger bridle, bigger spurs, bigger whips. Or you start to learn to communicate. This means something. And start reinforcing communication rather than control. I use hand signals and my legs, and body."

Katherine told us that they are designing the retreat to have twenty-five to thirty horses as an integral part of the activities here. And it could mean grooming, petting, and riding horses. It could also mean coming down into the herd and participating in different activities, which would help people get in touch with something about themselves.

I asked, "Why horses rather than dogs or cat or some other animal?"

"When you climb on top of a horse you are at its mercy," Jack answered. He went on to say, "The exercises we do with the horses are very empowering to people. First thing they do when they get on a horse is to center themselves. The horse is a quick mirror. When you relax the horse relaxes. When you get nervous or concerned the horse feels that and gets nervous. So one of the first things to do is to bring yourself into a state of peace and once you do it the horse reflects it. Many experiences in life are that quick and demonstrable."

Katherine connects the horse and human. "Some people are not very comfortable walking up to the heard. Some people are scared. They are frightened. When you have those feelings of fear what do you do to overcome them? And that's one of the experiences that comes up."

I said, "You can't get comfortable unless you go through that fear?" Jack replied, "Some folks get to the top of the point of fear and then go into control or hate rather than going on through the fear. We do that with each other. We get reactive instead of just acknowledging how scared and upset we are and don't know what to do."

"How do we work with groups who have different ideas about peace?" Katherine reminded me of my earlier question. "This is one of those truisms, that when you go through the fear and you get beyond it then it opens up a whole new acceptance of other ways."

Written by Allan Hartley, Editor/Publisher - New Perspectives

For further information contact: Lynn Cox at Windermere Ranch Tel: (805) 692-1806 or e-mail: IIWPhorse@aol.com"