Someday Farm

Overview: Charlie Mackesy’s book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse follows a boy who wanders into a quiet landscape and gradually meets three unlikely companions: a cake‑loving mole, a wounded fox, and a powerful horse who hides his own strength. There is no quest, no villain, no tidy resolution. Instead, the story unfolds in small, luminous moments - conversations, confessions, and pauses - where each character shares something true from their own vulnerability. The boy begins unsure of himself, full of questions about belonging and direction. The mole is impulsive and easily delighted, teaching through innocence rather than improvement. The fox, harmed in the past, speaks little but carries the deepest arc: learning to trust again. And the horse, the quiet sage of the group, reveals that even great strength can feel frightening to show. As they travel together, they don’t “fix” one another. They simply witness one another - softening, opening, and becoming more whole through companionship. Their lessons are emotional rather than dramatic: kindness as courage, vulnerability as strength, joy as wisdom, and hope as something we return to rather than something we possess. Music Cue: A Dàoist Meditation with the Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse (a guided practice on trust, trauma, delight, and strength/gentleness) Settle your body. Let the breath lengthen. Let the spine remember its natural curve. Let the ground hold you without condition. In Dàoist Teaching, the ten thousand things arise from the same Source. Each carries a facet of humanity, a flavor of the Dào, a Teaching hidden in plain sight. Tonight, four companions walk with you - boy, mole, fox, horse - not as characters in a story, but as mirrors of your own inner landscape. Let them approach one by one... The Boy - Trust in Not‑Knowing Imagine the boy standing before you, small, earnest, full of questions. He does not pretend to know the path. He does not hide his uncertainty. He simply asks. In Dàoist understanding, this is 信, Xìn - Trust - not trust in outcomes, but trust in the natural unfolding. Trust that the Way reveals itself step by step by step by step by step by step by step by step like a lantern lighting only the next few feet of the trail. Let the boy’s openness soften your chest. Let his willingness to ask become your own willingness. Let yourself rest in not‑knowing, as naturally as a leaf rests on water. The Mole - Delight as Medicine Now the mole waddles forward, eyes bright, belly eager. He loves cake. He loves sweetness. He loves the small joys that others overlook. This is 樂, Lè - Delight - not indulgence, but the simple, unashamed savoring of life. In Dàoist cultivation, delight nourishes the Shén, the spirit that grows dim when we forget to enjoy. Let the mole remind you that joy is not frivolous. It is a form of balance. A counterweight to life’s heaviness. A way the Dào keeps the heart supple. Feel a small smile rise without effort. Let it be enough. The Fox - Trauma and the Return to Stillness The fox approaches slowly, almost silently. She has known harm. She has learned to stay quiet, to stay small, to stay unseen. In Dàoist terms, this is the wound of 精, Jīng - the Essence - shaken by fear, contracted by memory. But the fox also Teaches the return: the slow thaw, the cautious opening, the rediscovery of safety in companionship. Sit with the fox’s silence. Do not rush her. Let her presence remind you that healing is not a task. It is a rhythm. A tide. A gradual re‑entering of the world. Place a hand over your heart. Feel the fox settle beside you, against, within you... The Horse - Strength and Gentleness as One Finally, the horse steps into view - vast, calm, luminous. He carries great power, yet moves with the softness of falling snow. This is 柔, Róu - the soft that overcomes the hard - and 剛, Gāng - the firm that does not break. In Dàoist practice, we know that true strength is never rigid. True gentleness is never a weakness. The horse embodies the union of both. Let his presence steady your breath... Let his quiet power remind you of your own... Feel the way gentleness gathers force, the way strength becomes more whole when it does not need to shout. The Circle of Companions Now see all four together: the boy’s trust, the mole’s delight, the fox’s healing, the horse’s gentle strength. These are not separate Teachings. They are facets of your own heart. They rise and fall like seasons. They guide you back to the Dào not by correcting you, but by revealing what was already there. What has already lived...here. Let them stand with you for a moment - a small circle of beings, each carrying a truth you have needed. Breathe in. Let trust enter. Breathe out. Let gentleness flow. Breathe in. Let delight rise. Breathe out. Let old fears loosen. When you are ready, bow inward - Bow to the companions. Bow to the facets within yourself. Bow to the Dào that holds them all. “Trust in the Way, delight in the moment, heal in stillness, move with quiet strength.” Return slowly... Return whole. Thank you. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shhdragon.substack.com/subscribe