"Nothing" is close...

Gradually as I find my way in the training of these camels, I'm realizing that the best way forward with them is, largely, to do "nothing" -- just being with them. More and more when asked, "What do you do with these camels?" I find myself replying, "Nothing."

"Nothing" is not quite true, but it's close.

As old points of view, ideas, agendas and techniques erode, simply from being around the camels, my approach to them becomes more one of trust, respect, mystery, feeling and patience. This is them teaching me, showing me... And with this I find the camels entering into relationship with me much more readily. Interactions take on more of a flowing quality, where each camel in turn comes and goes within the herd to visit with me, and me with them. The more I manage to let go of wanting to control this process the more I find myself drawn in by them. When they are given the space to choose to do something with me, if they choose it happily, willingly, rather than feeling "trained", or conjured, into it, then the thing they just learned, or chose to do, be it wearing a halter, lifting a leg, sitting, lead walking, need never be learned again. Because they trusted my invitation, and because they chose it, they don't forget it, and it seems not to need further re-enforcement.

The less goal oriented and intentional my approach, the more the "results", if I want to call them that, become better and surer...

I see little signs of this every day, and we never go backwards -- unless I revert to what my teachers taught me back in school.

Stuart