I’ve always loved dragons. In fact, I love them so much that in college I got a tattoo of one on my back. (Does that make ME the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo? I digress…) Coming from a rather conservative family, my parents were none too happy about it.
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I can recall my dad asking “Why a dragon? Couldn’t you have gotten something more feminine like a butterfly or a rose?” That always tickled me. Because I’ve never been a butterfly or rose kind of girl. I was and am a dragon girl: drawn to more powerful, dynamic, mysterious creatures.
The dragon represents individuals who are always full of life and enthusiasm, with a reputation for being fun loving and innovative. This perfectly describes the woman for whom I design.”
~ Designer Vivienne Tam on her collection
tribute to the Year of the Dragon
2024 is the year of the dragon. The dragon also happens to be my Chinese zodiac sign so perhaps this love for dragons was written in the stars. Fear? Or Understanding? There’s a vast difference between Eastern and Western interpretations of dragons as a symbol. While Eastern cultures view them as protectors of wisdom and fortune, symbols of strength and energy, Western cultures typically view them as dangerous, wicked, even malevolent creatures.To me, it’s always interesting when the differences in interpretations of something are this extreme. How can a thing be understood so differently?
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Riding Dragons
“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves…”
-Bruce Lee
I think being curious and seeking to understand each other and our horses is the only way to truly find harmony in life. Being rigid and inflexible creates tension, animosity, and distrust. Ultimately, we want to be in the flow of life. We want to ride the waves, not be toppled by them nor drown in their rip currents.
Horses, like dragons, are not meant to be dominated. Horses are stronger and powerful than humans could ever hope to be. At every turn, they could easily overpower us. But if we can, as Bruce Lee says, “be like water” with our horses, then it’s possible to unite with their hearts, power and grace. It’s possible to create a true partnership.
Beautiful and Brave
In Letters to a Young Poet, Rainier Maria Rilke wrote: “How should we be able to forget those ancient myths that are at the beginning of all peoples, the myths about dragons that at the last moment turn into princesses; perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave. Perhaps everything terrible is in its deepest being something helpless that wants help from us.”
For me, dragons represent the life force in all of us. They symbolize the energy we’re all trying to align with. They’re mysterious and often misunderstood, a feeling that’s relatable to so many of us – and our horses. But I’ve always been drawn to the complexities in life. I like things that are layered with lots of dimensions. While there is a part of me who would love the trusty, reliable school master, I’m more intrigued by the horse that is “quirky.” The horse that’s “spirited.” What can I say? I like a challenging puzzle. I like what I learn about myself and horses and even other people when I’m able to hang in there and go on a journey with them. Here’s to all the beautiful and brave creatures – both real and symbolic – and to our shared search for understanding.
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