What Lies Beneath

I think that was the title of some movie a few years ago. I think it might have been one with Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfiefer. But I am not sure about that, as I never did see the movie. When I took this picture, I was intrigued by the steaming fountain. It reminded me of a foggy bog that I used to hang out at when I was a kid. There used to be all kinds of salamanders and frogs and snakes and such. It was pretty cool. I did my best to keep away from the snakes as they used to freak me out. It would be even more fun to visit the bog now that I don't have that fear. When I took the photo, the words, "What Lies Beneath" ran through my mind with the subtlety of a marching band tuba. Actually, the words were not even in my own voice in my head, but in the deep, resonant voice in which Spirit often speaks to me. I knew when I heard it that it was a message, so I have taken a lot of time since photographing the fountain to think about what lies beneath all things that we see around us. I have come to some personal conclusions that I would like to share with you.

When we die, we cannot take with us our bodies because our physical temples are no longer useful where we are going. We also cannot take with us any possessions, because they are just as useful as Monopoly Money is at the bank. Nor can we take our friends, because it is not their time to make that journey. The only thing that we take with us is our essence. That would be the Spirit, with all soul parts intact. It is the Spirit that is beneath all things in the Universe. It is the Spirit that is filling the space between all neutrons and electrons. It is the Spirit that gives life to all things, animate and inanimate. For me, the fountain represents the journey of life itself. The centre of the fountain is the One, the Great Spirit, the Divine. The steam is the essence of each of us, and the pebbles are the soul energies that are individual yet all connected through the Grace of Spirit. I see the leaves of the plant around the fountain to represent all those beings who watch over us as we take each step on our earth walk now. The bowl of the fountain seems to me to be akin to the warm embrace of the Earth Mother, who assists us by giving birth to us as well as supporting us all through our lives.

The photograph makes me feel at peace. It helps to remind me of the stillness within. Deepak Chopra said, "In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you." I like to access the stillness with simple things like the photograph, a sip of water or my breath. What lies beneath the surface of my body and my mind is a Spirit that is unshakable. It is a compassionate Spirit that inspires those around me, as well as my own self. It is a wise Spirit that helps, heals, guides and protects me. It is a Spirit that is my best friend and with whom I will forever be found, hand in hand, walking this great adventure we call "life".

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

Inner Vision

We all have it. The inner vision that gives us insights. Some of us don't use it that much at all, and even convince ourselves and others that we never had it. Others use it moderately. The rest of us have it and get really good at its usage. It doesn't necessarily require the use of a crystal ball to have an inner vision. Scrying, or "seeing", is something that can be done without props. But when you have a natural gift and a prop intensifies that gift, then I say "go for it!". This crystal ball belongs to a friend of mine. She gave me the honour of holding it when I was last at her place. I was very impressed with how intensely my own inner vision was enhanced for weeks to follow.

Most often the prop I use is a dark bowl or cup of water. It allows me instant access to my inner vision and to the realms of Spirit, who speak to me in this state of trance and who give me images of events, this life or others in the past or that have yet to come. When we allow ourselves to access our inner vision, we are able to become aware of other levels of reality and information. Would we want to fly a space ship only knowing how to open the door to the craft? I don't think so. We need to train ourselves to learn all the mechanisms that are at work in order to make the craft fly and arrive at the required destination. Heck, we wouldn't even want to drive a car only knowing how to open it and get in!

The first step, however, is knowing that not only do you have the ability, but that you can indeed use it. This is the major stumbling block for most people on this earth. We have been brought up in a culture that does not accept this because it is something that the forces that be cannot control, either religiously or politically. Imagine how the White House would respond, knowing that there are some of us who don't need to have "security clearance" in order to just know stuff. Spirit has nothing to do with security clearance or with political agendas. It is pure and simple and shares all that is available. The only thing that holds us back from the information is our own fear or not wanting to know. This does not mean to say that it has to be a 24/7 bombardment of information. We can turn it off and get some rest. That is the second step. Appropriate boundaries is the third step. I don't want to know stuff that I don't need to know. So I have set up an excellent filter system. Without a good filter system, most people would go nuts very quickly. I recommend the "not nuts" approach. Stay grounded and with excellent boundaries. From there, you are then able to explore things that most people will never get a chance to do because they are too skeptical or too afraid (which may be one in the same!).

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

Moments of Grace

"Within the sorrow, there is grace. When we come close to those things that break us down, we touch those things that also break us open." Wayne Muller.

At this time of year (Christmas) I always think about those who have lost loved ones. That is the most difficult part of the season. Not the shopping or the traffic or anything else that is just an annoyance. It is the deep sorrow of not having a loved one with us because they no longer walk this earth. It doesn't really matter how they left us. We know that they are in a better place, yes, as though that is any consolation for them not being here. What we miss is their hugs and their laughter and their quirks that make us laugh or shake our heads. This is a Spirit Energy Portrait of my grandmother, who died when I was quite young. You can see her profile (she is looking to the left) if you look closely enough.

What I often do to get through this myself, having lost a lot of family members over the last few years, is I light a candle and dedicate it to them. Unfortunately, I have a whole bank of tealights now. Although the circumstances may be difficult, it is also quite beautiful to have each person represented with light. After all, they have been embraced into the Light. This is just a small ritual. It is one that brings comfort to all those who are still here.

Many Warm Blessings

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

Angels and other beings

The photo here is of an Angel Wing Begonia. This is a plant that just keeps on ticking. I think that I have hindered its well being a few times since it moved into the Aquamarine Healing Centre. First it was too much light, then it was too little light, then it was too cold and the list goes on and on. Throughout all of this, the Angel Wing Begonia is still surviving. Even when one works with the Devas of a place or a plant, there can be some challenges in communication and some situational glitches along the way. It is not like the plant can be placed in the middle of the Gathering Space and have the rest of the world just have to move around it to accommodate its needs. No, compromise is essential when it comes to this sort of thing. But I think that it is finally, perhaps, in the place that it likes best....I think. What I do know for sure is that it will certainly let everyone know if I have screwed up. So if another of its giant leaves falls off, we may have to find a new gardener for the centre.

So why is this lovely plant called and Angel Wing Begonia? Well, it's leaves are shaped like giant wings, and I guess that whoever came up with the name could think of nothing larger than an angel. Now, are angel wings spotted and green? I have never met an angel with spotted or green wings. If anyone else has, I would love to hear about it. In the meantime I am still having to watch out for Santa Clause.

I don't eagerly await his arrival. It is more like,well, lurking in the shadows. After all, I think that Santa just might be a stalker! No, really. Think about it. He knows when you are sleeping, and he knows if you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good, who other than a stalker knows all of this, for goodness sake? He might even be a pedophile. After all, he seems to like children alot, and he bribes them with gifts and goodies and candy. If a child sees him, he tells them "Shhhhh, don't tell anyone." with a wink of the eye. He poses for photos with small children on his lap.....now, does this constitute kiddy porn? And he calls them a "Ho! Ho! Ho!" if they "pull on his beard". So....that's what they call it these days! Hmmmm. I think that I am going to have to keep an eye out for this guy. And believe me, it I happen to find him.....


Blessed Be

Trent (with a chuckle and a Ho!)

www.deerhornshamanic.com

I can see the Light!

As we enter this Christmas season, it is important to understand the origins of the celebrations that go on this time of year. It is not just about commercialism, and it is also not just about the birth of baby Jesus. It is, beneath all the other stuff, about the coming of the Light.

As the season changes at this Yule time, the light in the world increases, slowly but surely, bringing us longer days and shorter nights. The Ancients deified this with the legend of two brothers, Cernunos and Gwynupnud, the Oak King and the Holly King, who would fight twice a year for the hand of the Maiden (the Goddess). In June the Holly King would win the battle and the world would slowly become darker with shorter hours of daylight. In December, the Oak King would win the battle and the world would become brighter once again.

This is not just a metaphor for seasonal changes. It is also a metaphor for Hope. As the Light inspires us, we gain more hope. As the dark descends upon us, there is less hope. Neither one is actually good or bad. It is simply a changing of the seasons within. As we become familiar with our own inner darkness, it becomes as much of an allie as does our inner Light. The Darkness can be divine.

At this time of year, I very much appreciate the lights that are all around us. The lights on the Christmas trees, the lights on homes, the lights on the streets and in the department stores. It is beautiful and allows the long winter days to become more bearable. But none compare to the light in my daughters' eyes, or the light that is felt within in response to a warm caress. These are the things that truly bring hope to me.

Blessed Be

Trent

Connections

Yes, we are all one. I envision this to be like the vine in this photo. It reaches out and latches onto its surroundings. That way, as it secures itself to, say, a ledge or another plant, it is able to find the support it needs to continue to grow. It winds its way through the stand that it sits upon and creates beauty with its blossoms.

We are all tied together in one way or another. It is a matter of what sorts of ties we prefer. The toxic ties can be cut away, like a dying part of the vine. The healthy ties can be nurtured better once this is done because the energy of the plant can then go to the healthy ones instead of wasting its time trying to feed and carry the unhealthy ones. The healthier it becomes, the better it can breathe and send into the air that which other simbient creatures (humans and animals etc) need in order to breathe as well.

We are simbient partners with the plant kingdom. We exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide with each other and allow each other to live as a result. We feed on live plants to sustain our bodies. When we die, we get returned to the earth and as we decay we feed the plants in return. It doesn't even matter if we are embalmed, cremated, or just put in a box in the ground. Eventually we decompose and the plants are able to feed. When we become at peace with the fact that we are not on the top of the food chain, but merely a part of the food chain, we are able to show respect to our natural relations much better. Sounds morbid, this decaying stuff, but it is all a part of the cycle of life. This is why I give thanks to the plant kingdom, the "standing people" every day.

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

The Full Moon

I resonate with the moon. I have written about this before, but I find that so many people write me about how wonderful it is to hear and read someone else's experiences with the moon, that I thought I would write just a little more on the topic.

The moon is in my blood. I can feel the full moon approaching and I feel as well the abilities within me growing as a result of her influence. The moon draws on the waves of the ocean, as well as the waves of our souls. As the tide of water rises, our souls become restless. They require food and attention. Souls require food? Yes, they do. Connection with others is soul food. A good book is soul food. Allowing ourselves to rejoice in life is soul food. Souls require attention? Yes, indeed. Allowing oursleves to be free from toxic environments is attending to our souls. Allowing ourselves to learn and to grow is attending to the evolution of our souls. Calling home the soul energies that have become lost is attending to our souls.

I can feel the moonlight on my skin. It is cooler than the sunlight, of course, but I can still feel the tingles. When I see anything bathed in moonlight it becomes an opiate for me. When I see my Love bathed in moonlight, well, need I say more?

I find that I do a lot of moon gazing. I pray to the Goddess of the moon to watch over me and mine through the night, till morning's light. As I gaze upon the celestial body of the Divine Feminine, I feel her love for me. I know that I am not alone in the world and that there are many other magical beings out there who are also gazing at the moon at that very moment. I am not alone. You are not alone. We are all connected and aware, even if we do not gaze at the moon at the same precise moment. We are still all one.

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

Support

We all need to feel supported in life. Sometimes we recognize that where we have been seeking support is now inappropriate. We then need to find other sources of support. This can be difficult when we are feeling fragile. The crystal ball that is being held up by the Goddess in this photo is in a fragile state. Our whole world can feel fragile at times. Yet it is at these times that the support system is so important. The Goddess in this photo is not about to drop the ball.

We need to have friends who will not drop the ball on us. As we surround ourselves with people who are confident enough to be there for us, we are ensuring not just our own security, but theirs as well. When I know that a friend has my back, I am also knowing that I have theirs as well. It is a beautiful and natural thing to have support and to give support. We are so often told in our culture that we should be able to "stand on our own two feet", yet we are not necessarily given the details of what that means. Often there is an assumption that to stand on our own two feet we must be autonomous from others. This would be an unnatural state of being. As a species we have learned, and have hard wired into our psyches, the fact that strength comes in numbers. Yes, we need to be individually strong, but not in a way that we must carry the weight of the world on our own shoulders when there are others on whom we could easily lean when necessary. So if that strength in numbers is true, which it is, we then need to find ways of forming our "tribe".

Looking for the things we have in common is important. Finding the bridges between us is effective. Learning how to connect in ways that are not just about belonging to the same this or the same that, but in ways that are meaningful is tantamount to finding our tribe. Most often our tribe is a mixture of people who are not necessarily family members, but who become family to us. This does not diminish our own family but enriches our relationships with family members because we are able to see them through a fresh set of eyes, having formed deep friendships with members of our tribe. Let's face it, sometimes family members don't want to see who we truly are because they have "known us all their lives and know who we are already". This allows no room for personal development and change. The members of the tribe don't have those limitations on us as they get to know us. This allows things to balance out well. Just like the ball balances upon it's perch atop the Goddess.

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

Stone People

These are my stone people friends. They help me to create energy flow and promote healing. In the middle of the crystal rock garden is a Tibetan Sea Salt lamp. These lamps purify the air with negative ions. They are phenomenal. My crystal rock garden asked me (the crystals and stones talk to me, and, more importantly, I listen) to place the lamp in the middle of the garden. That way they could benefit more from the lamp as opposed to when it was beside the garden. I am amazed at the difference it has made. Within minutes, the crystals and stones were all sparkly and clean! Amazing.

It is important to listen to nature and to those beings of nature. I have mentioned that the trees speak to me. The stones and crystals do as well. As a good friend of mine says, "I have rocks in my head." They tell me when to use them and how to utilize them as I am doing the healing work. And they tell me if they want to have something special done with them, such as cleansing or smudging. They also let me know when it is time for them to move on to someone else. This gets balanced out when a new one suddenly appears in the garden, sometimes right before my eyes. Yup, they just orb in. Love it. I feel so blessed to have these beings in my life. They are such comforting friends.

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

The things we do not see

I always find the play of light and shadow fascinating. When we allow ourselves to look at something and then look in and around that thing, we often will see things that otherwise would be missed. For example, in the centre of this plant, within all the leaves, you can see the silhouette of the plant Deva that helps me work with the plants. I missed this completely until I photographed it.

So who is to say that there is not much more there that we are missing? For example, I see the energy of the plants and stones. They work very harmoniously together. They also help work with the energies of each person who visits me in my office. A scientist said to me, very excitedly, once that there was something that science has now confirmed, which is something that I told him about long ago. He was telling me as well that now it actually exists. I laughed. He wondered why I was laughing. I reminded him that I told him about the phenomenon way before science invented the machine to measure it. Then I asked him if he really believed the dogma of science to such an extent that he was willing to overlook the fact that I had told him about it before? Was he really thinking that before the machine, the phenomenon did not exist? And then I asked him if he really believed that all the other stuff that I am aware of also doesn't exist? How long will it take science to catch up with what shamans and visionaries have been telling hem all along? He wasn't sure what this all meant. Dogma. It blinds you, no matter what the carrying agent.

So I invite everyone who reads this, or who passes the message on, to look at things around them with new eyes. Do you see the spirit that is peeking in the window? Take a look. It is there. No, it is not still there, standing outside my window. I have already dealt with it. But in the photo, it shows up, very faintly, but nonetheless there. Take a look.

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

Your Holiness

This is not just the title of some religious figurehead. This is a title to which we have a sovereign right. When we recognize our own innate Holiness, we are able to become whole.

So often in the history of our planet people have been oppressed and told that they are "less than" whatever the oppressor is. It is unfortunate that so often, after a generation or two, the oppressed peoples begin to actually believe it of themselves and begin to think that they are not worthy of anything good in life.

The kicker is that the oppressors often end up adapting their cultural values to incorporate those of the oppressed. Then they, unknowingly, adapt their ways to accommodate the ways of the people they took over, and at the same time they call the ways their own. This is why so many times the soul of the people will rise up after a few generations and make things right again. You may conquer a people, but you cannot conquer their soul.

It is time for everyone, no matter what color, creed, gender, race, or age, to stand up and admit to their personal Holiness. Once this is done, each individual must then live up to their Holiness. This allows for the Holiness to ripple forth throughout the world and create harmony and peace.

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

Keeping it Up...

Okay folks, this is better than Viagra! This is a picture of an extremely adorable little sculpt of an elephant, whom I have named "Tike" because he is a cute little tike! I love elephants, although I don't necessarily "collect" them. In fact, I like to stay away from collecting things because the next thing you know you have so many it becomes gaudy and you don't even know what all you have or where it is.

A little known fact, however, is that elephant figures are considered to be good luck. An even less known fact is that the trunks should always be up to promote good fortune. Elephants with lowered trunks tend to bring up energies of sadness. Trunks up bring about joy and abundance. Somehow this makes total sense and sounds very familiar. When up we are happy, when down we are sad. An even less known fact than this one is that the elephant should also always be facing outside, via a doorway or a window or whatever, so that the good fortune is able to be drawn into your house.

These are things to know. These are very useful things to know. These are also things that make you go, "Hmmmmmm...".

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

Best Wishes

I am told that the symbol on this little pot is for good fortune and best wishes. Considering that I don't read this language, I will have to take that at face value. I use this pot to make my best wishes. I open it, put an offering of Nettle, Corn Meal, Birch Leaves, Fairy dust etc, into it, and I thank Spirit for the goodness that Spirit brings to me. Then I offer a prayer for those around me. Sometimes people are struggling with different things, and I figure that every little bit of assistance that I can provide would be welcome. So I ask Spirit to help them through and to help them to learn what they need to learn and to give them the strength to heal whatever they may need to heal. Then I ask Spirit to do the same for the people of the Earth. Then I ask the same for the Earth, Herself.

My wish pot is quite powerful. I was told to put my written wishes on a piece of paper and place them into the pot. I decided to discard that when I asked the pot what it wanted me to do and how I could honour it best and utilize its medicine the best. Thus, I make an herbal offering while using it. As I put the lid back onto it after the ceremony, sparks of energy emit from the bamboo and grass tassels on the lid. It is quite magical to watch, and feels great as all those good intentions and best wishes go out to those in need.

For this and other rituals and ceremonies, I am very grateful.

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

Dreamwalking

I have been blessed with the ability to remember my dreams in fairly impeccable detail. I also have inherited the ability to dream walk. I have written about this before, but there is just so much to communicate about this that I thought I would write a bit more.

In shamanic teachings, it is said that the dream world is the actual reality and that the world we live in here is the dream. This concept tends to mess up people who are just not connected on a spiritual level. It also fascinates those who are into the whole Matrix reality. This realm offers so much to us as a learning ground. We get to experience things like love and family, food and drink, success and disappointment, security and safety, and, my personal favorite, sex. But when we are experiencing these things we need to remember the illusion. This is a wonderful experience, and an opportunity to learn, but it is an illusion. That does not make the experience any less real. It is simply a matter of perspective.

Spirit does not invest itself too much in the illusionary aspects. This is why we sometimes will struggle with things like "If God is so great, then why did he allow this terrible thing to happen?". We like to blame God for a lot of things. And those who are afraid to blame their god tend to then blame another entity. But really, we are the ones to blame if anyone is to blame. We dream our reality.

When I was 9 years old I was very sick and had to be resuscitated. During that time, I died. This was the first of many near death experiences that I was to later have. When I died I met the man who is dreaming my life. It was an initial "first contact" experience that led to many other experiences. He is now my primary advisor, because he has already lived my life. He is dreaming the life that I am living right now. And within his dream comes great wisdom and many gifts and abilities that I would have forgotten within the illusion that we call "reality".

So when I dream walk, I am only going visiting with a particular message to deliver so that when the person awakens to this reality he or she will remember and be able to take that gift and expand their consciousness. I do not deliver personal messages. I receive the messages from Spirit in the dream and bridge the conscious connection between the person's dream state and waking state. Sometimes people know me more than they relate to spirit, so spirit utilizes my willingness to be a vessel. There are many dream walkers walking among us. Some know that they are dream walkers. Some have yet to find this within themselves. The thing is, we are all here for a reason. We are here to remind humanity of its connection to the Divine.

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

Tummy Chuckles

Laughter is healing. It is a very important part of life and living well. When we laugh endorphins are released in our brains and the serotonin activates, which alleviates depression. And when we laugh we exercise our abdominal muscles. This can, over time, contribute to a fine six pack! Then there is the factor of extra oxygen being fed into the blood stream. That can only be a good thing.

I have at times been criticized for how much I laugh in sessions. Only those who are completely devoid of humour can criticize such a thing. I make sure that laughter is a key ingredient in each session. My coworkers have commented to me now and then about how lovely it is to hear uproarious laughter come from my office. They can't hear anything else, well, other than when I get banging on the drums, but they certainly enjoy hearing the laughter. I enjoy being able to work in a place where people appreciate such things.

So here is the thing...

Find the most twisted way to express yourself with humour. I don't care if it is light humour, dark humour, morbid humour, just use humour. Allow yourself to be a fly on the wall and see the amazing ripple effect that laughter has around you. Laughter is part of the water element. The water element is not meant to be blocked off. It is meant to flow. That is why tears can stream down the face and laughter can ripple, and sometimes simultaneously. The water element is the emotional element and emotion = e (energy) in motion!

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

Balancing Act

We live in a society that sees accomplishments as testimonies of worth. This is messed up. We have parents racing around getting kids to several different activities after school and on weekends, most often in different directions and opposite sides of the city, we have workaholics who pressure themselves to make just one more sale, and we have road rage increasing on a daily basis.

Isn't it nice to know that there are other options? We can choose to balance ourselves and stay balanced instead of having a hectic life that burns us out. This little goat is one that lives at the zoo. This little guy really has the right idea. It is all about balance. And when we achieve that balance, we are able to have our needs met. When our needs are met we are then able to have energy for the things that we enjoy in life. And when we have that energy we glow. It is not a baaaaaad thing!

Blessed Be

Trent

We Are One

When I was growing up, I used to absolutely love braiding my sisters' hair. I have three older sisters, and I am sure that I did this to each of them at one time or another, but to my youngest older sister the most. She had long beautiful hair and I would just love to run it through my fingers and braid it. I even did this for a few of her friends, or at least they sat through it for me. Later on in life, this got expressed when I was able to work at a friend's beauty parlor, washing clients' hair and preparing them for the cut and/or color and/or curl etc that my friend was about to do for them.

I never got to braid any clients' hair. That was okay with me, because by that time I had girlfriends who liked to have me do stuff to their hair for them. Now, I have two beautiful daughters who now and then let me braid their hair. Sometimes they ask me to do this for them, but most often I have to ask if they will let me. One of them really likes the variety of hair styles that I can create with braids.

So why the braids? I don't know. At least I didn't know back when my minor obsession first manifested in my life. The braiding process is something that I find to be meditative. It is something that makes me slow down. As I slow down, my heart rate slows and I feel calm and serene inside. But now I also understand the deeper meanings of braids. Besides the function of keeping the hair out of the eyes and face, braids are also expressions of who we are. When a woman wears a braid, the style of braid says something about her personality. I could go on for a while on this one, but I won't because there is one more thing about the braid that is even more important.

A braid is the living expression of the interwoven nature of the universe.

Hmmmm.....what the heck is this shaman dude getting at?

The braid, like us, depends on all the parts. First off, you need a clean parting of the hair. Then you need the style or pattern of the braid. Then you need to be able to weave it together so that it strengthens through the weave, and doesn't just wimp out and fall apart. You can work several braids into each other, so that it becomes like several different rivers flowing into one large river. Each strand of hair, each group, and each braid make a beautiful expression of the interdependent and interwoven nature of all things. We all rely upon other things in order to survive. When one thing collapses, it sends out a ripple effect and other things begin to collapse if we have not repaired the first thing. The next thing you know, there is a cascade effect and the entire thing comes undone and unravels everywhere. Life is like that. So these are some of the things that I think about as I braid hair. Not that deep at all, just different. And it is much better than having to count "knit one, purl one".

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

Life is Fragile

Some of the most beautiful things in life don't last. A flower, a sunset, a smile. I find that humans are the ones who tend to destroy beauty in nature. We plow down forests to make room for highways, level mountains to put up cities, and create noisy play toys to use in rivers and lakes that are otherwise peaceful. I remember being horrified at seeing the peacocks at the zoo being chased by kids who only wanted to pull their beautiful tail feathers out of them. Their parents didn't seem to think that there was anything wrong with their kids terrorizing these beautiful creatures. How would they like to be left bald because someone decided that it would be fun to collect their hair follicles? Try attracting a mate in that state!

Life itself can be quite fragile. Whether we are "losing our feathers" or just happen to be in the way of something or someone else at the wrong time, things can get broken. It is amazing how many broken people there are out there in the world. We don't always recognize them as being broken. Some are very good at masking how they feel. Some are very good at hiding what happens to them every day. You don't have to be a bald peacock to be broken and battered. Have you ever had one of those days where, for a variety of reasons, you are just more sensitive to stuff around you than usual? These are the days when meaningless off hand remarks can hurt us deeply. Nobody really means to cause us harm, they just do because we are more sensitive that day and they are not sensitive enough to know that what they are saying might sting.

We need, on days like these, to be gentle with ourselves. We need to remind ourselves that we are capable of going with the flow and that not everything in the world is directed at ourselves. We need to understand that gentleness and fragility are two different things. We might be fragile, but if we can bring ourselves to be gentle with ourselves and with others, then we decrease the likelihood of hurting ourselves or anyone else. In fact, our gentleness can turn out to be our greatest strength. When we are gentle, fewer things actually intimidate or frighten us. And when something or someone tries to, then we gently pass it by and keep going on our way. We don't have to fight or even fight back, we simply move on and leave whatever the situation is to its own self-destruction. In the meantime, we continue to grow our feathers back so that, one day, some way, we can once again fly.

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

Making Favorites

A few years ago I was at a wake. I have been writing a lot about death lately, but please bear with me. So I was at this wake. This was a wake for a dear friend of mine. She unfortunately passed as a result of complications in her struggle to heal cancer. This woman was one of the most gracious people I have ever known.

Now, I have never been one who likes to make favorites. I think we get a lot of that when growing up and I don't think that it is fair. Yes, we can love people in completely different ways, but making someone your favorite child or friend or parent or grandparent etc sets everyone up for being hurt in the long run. Some people are very blatant about the fact that "He's my favorite son" or whatever the relationship might be. This hurts the others in their lives. Or so I thought, until this wake happened.

People got up to speak about my friend. They introduced themselves as her favorite nephew, 1st daughter, younger daughter, mailman, uncle and the list went on and on. I found myself getting up to the mic and saying that I was her favorite shaman, which brought a lot of laughter. But the thing is, it was true and I know in my heart that it is true of every person there.

This was a woman who, without "making favorites," made everyone in her life feel like they were literally her favorite. This was a huge gift that she gave everyone in her life and that will continue to flow and ripple throughout the world as a result of her sacred path. I feel so honored that I was able to feel that from her. I feel that everyone in that very packed hall at the wake must surely feel the same way as well.

For this I am grateful.

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

Butterflies and Unicorns

Some things need to be believed in order to be seen. We have such strong filter systems on our perceptions that something can be right there in front of us and we just won't see it. I have a syndrome that I call the Y Chromosome Deficiency Syndrome. Being a male person, as many male persons experience, I usually cannot see something that I am looking for in the cupboard, in the closet, on the computer desk, in the "drawer of all things," in the "box of all things", and the list will go on. It usually takes an X Chromosome person to be able to find it for me. And, voila!, there it was, exactly where she told me it would be. Sometimes (okay most often) it leaves me feeling like quite the fool. The thing is that I cannot be too hard on myself about this because it is a serious disorder. Really! It is!

In Brooks, Alberta, there is an O'Shea's restaurant and in this restaurant there is a display of beautiful stained glass, one of which is a unicorn. I looked up, saw it, and said to my Love,"Hey, check out that unicorn!" She actually saw it. That was the first time that I had ever said those words and had someone actually see what I was talking about! Fortunately for her, and for me, this one was in this dimension of reality and was right there for any mortal to see. You would not believe the looks I get when stained glass is not involved! The thing is, I believe in unicorns. No, I don't brake for unicorns and hobbits, but I will slow down and give them a chance to move on. Because I believe in unicorns I am able to see them. The filters that society tried to put on my mind got lost in the shuffle somewhere while I was struggling to escape.

So now there is a beautiful butterfly effect that takes place. I can flip in consciousness from one dimension to the other and stay grounded in this one at the same time. Very cool indeed. Perhaps being from the Butterfly clan helps me. We in the Butterfly Clan are very used to shifts and changes within ourselves and cope very well with shifts and changes in our world. What we have to do, though, is honour where we are developmentally in any given situation. Are we in the egg form? The larva stage? The caterpillar stage? The cocoon stage? The butterfly/moth stage? When we honour which stage of development we are in, we no longer force ourselves to try to be in a different stage and just flow with the stage that exists. That way, we get out of our own way as we develop on our earth walk now.

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

The Masks We Wear

We all wear different masks at different times of the day. We wear a mask at work, and one at home, and one with our families of origin, and one with our life partners and one with our children and the list goes on and on. These masks are not, however, necessarily a bad thing that keeps people from getting to know us, nor are they always used to keep bad things at bay.

I like to look at the different masks as expressions of a variety of things we can all be. They are descriptions of who we are and they are not all mutually exclusive. For example,parents sometimes neglect being physically demonstrative in front of their children because they think that they have to protect them from knowing about sex. Yet sex is a part of love and is a part of what actually brought these children into being. Those children whose parents were more demonstrative tend to be the ones who later in life have a much healthier sex life with their partners. We all need physical connection. It is only human and only natural.

So when we wear our masks, we need to look at them as expressions, not as methods of hiding who we really are. The ones that are designed to hide who we are eventually get pulled right off our faces anyway. But when we allow people to see us change our masks and express ourselves in a variety of ways, we then give them permission to be a variety of things themselves, which frees them from social bindings that imprison them. So go ahead...express yourself!

Blessings

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

Only Natural

Animals know what they need and they tend to know when they need it. Once they know, they do whatever is necessary to achieve the goal. Humans can learn a lot from animals when it comes to responding to basic needs. I know someone who is continually not going to the washroom because she is too busy to take the time. The amount of damage that she is doing to her body over time is unthinkable. Thank heavens they have come out with Depends because, if she doesn't curb her behaviour and start responding to her body's needs, she will need them.

Ah, the life of a cat. Our cat inspires me. Who doesn't want to lay in the spot of sunlight and have a cat nap in the middle of the afternoon? Now that is responding to the basic needs of the body. Like our cat, I tend to have a siesta in the middle of the afternoon. After lunch, I take a 10-20 minute nap. It doesn't have to be in the sun, but it does have to be uninterrupted. That way I am able to recharge my batteries. I am the type who can be asleep as soon as the eyes close. In fact, I have to be careful how long a blink lasts! So I go very deep very quickly and then come out of sleep just as quickly. My thoughts are clearer and my energies are higher. This allows me to be on top of things and function much better. My mother made sure that I napped every day when I was young. Sometimes she regretted the decision because she wanted me to be doing something else. But I am so glad that she gave me that gift. With so many people who struggle to sleep, I feel blessed that not only am I able to but that I can do so in the middle of the afternoon and not have it disrupt my night time sleep.

Sometimes I am dreaming within seconds of closing my eyes. Dreams are an important part of my reality. They help me to process events in my life and they give me guidance on pressing issues in my life. I think that because I am an avid dreamer, I am able to see things with more clarity than perhaps someone who does not remember their dreams might. Dreams give us insights and with those insights we are able to respond to our lives and the people in them with greater ease.

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

Living by Example

Lao-tzu said,"The wise man governs by non-doing. He teaches by non-saying." Ancient teachings such as these really inspire me. I remember someone saying to me that everyone should lead their lives in such a way that if someone were watching, even if we didn't know that they were watching, they would be inspired. Granted, when I am sitting watching TV or some other mundane activity like that where I am not just entertained, but allowed a moment of mind numbness so that I can decompress from a long day at work, I don't think that I would be very inspirational. I do, however, have a number of things that I do on a daily basis that could possibly inspire anyone who might be accidentally watching me.

And when we think about it, we are actually constantly being watched. Our spirit guides, our power animals, our angels and Deity itself watches every move we make every day. It is not like a voyeuristic thing. It is genuine concern and a desire to guide and assist us whenever we allow the flow to occur. When I first realized this little piece of information, I got a wee bit paranoid, not being sure if they were watching when I was in the shower (Psycho revisited), on the potty, or even making love (Hey! Psst...Is my technique okay?). But then I got okay with the idea because there were a few times when it literally saved my butt.

I am also quite fascinated when someone thanks me for something that they observed me saying or doing when I didn't even know that they were watching. The first time this happened was in University, when the president of a club for which I was the director of public relations took it upon herself to yell at me about something in the middle of a cafeteria. When she stopped talking I looked at her and said, in a very calm voice,"Now that you are done demonstrating to everyone in the cafeteria that you are really not a very nice person, I will let you know that nobody speaks to me that way and especially in the environment in which you chose to do it. I am completely willing to take guidance from someone, but criticism and abuse will only be tolerated in the form of opinion and only if I choose to beat it out of you. Since this is something that you have obviously not yet learned in the 24 years that you have so far been on this earth, I think that it is only appropriate to let you know that there are repercussions to your actions. You see, I do not and will not ever work with anyone who is like you. So you can now focus your attention on finding a replacement and no, I will not be training whomever the poor sod is that you find. That is now up to you.." She then turned and walked away, completely dumbfounded by my lack of fear.

About a week later, someone who became, over time, a fairly good friend introduced herself to me and told me that she was incredibly impressed with how I had handled this person who, over the last three years, had bullied her way around everyone. I think that it was not necessarily one of my finer moments in life because although I was direct, I was also brutal. Nonetheless, it helped inspire someone to know that it is okay to declare boundaries immediately upon the crossing of them. No matter when or where, someone is watching and will either be inspired or deeply disappointed. Their response is up to them. Our actions are up to ourselves.

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

When the News is Not Good

A number of years ago my oldest sister went into the hospital in with heart issues and ended up having a five bypass surgery. About a month or so afterward during her recovery, she was informed that, according to the tests that were done during surgery, she also had lung cancer. She was told that it was bad enough that she should get her affairs in order. She dealt with this information quite stoically, but I knew that inside she was terrified. Her main thing was that she did not ever want to come back to this earth because it was just too difficult a journey. I told her that when the time comes, she might actually have a different opinion on that. In the meantime, we were doing healing work with her and helping her to, at the very least, keep some of the pain under control. She made some dramatic emotional breakthroughs during that time.

I find that this sort of situation is difficult at best, especially when the person is already getting ready to leave. It is important to know when the agenda needs to shift from surviving into transitioning. I think that my main purpose in this situation was to help her to transition into the Light, which I did, as difficult as it was to see her go.

The thing is that there is a concept of the World Tree involved in all of this. The World Tree is the connection of all the conscious realms as one. When someone crosses over, there is a journey that they take. Although we are not meant to cross over as well, some of us are able to witness what is on the other side during the crossing over process. I was able to see her soul go towards the Light and I saw our grandmother welcome her and then, with a burst of radiance, the portal to the Otherworld was gone. Since then, I have still been able to talk with her now and then, as I do with my mother and my grandmother. This brings great comfort to me as I know that it is only a shift in the temple that we experience. We leave the physical temples of our bodies and enter a different temple where we are able to process the events of our lives. Having done that several times myself, I know that once that processing is complete, we can also come back into this world and reside in a new temple and have new experiences from which to learn and grow. This makes the whole death thing a lot less scary.

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

The Trekkie

This is something about me that most people don't know. I love Star Trek. I especially enjoyed Star Trek The Next Generation. So when my Love and I were travelling home through Alberta this fall, we stopped in at a Star Trek museum at....you guessed it....Vulcan, Alberta!!

The museum itself is shaped like a space ship, with a shuttle craft just outside the back door. When we decided to stop, I was not expecting the museum to be much, being in a small town and all. When we pulled up and the thing was shaped like a space ship, I began to get quite interested.

As we walked through the museum, there were photos and artifacts and a huge amount of stuff that was donated by a guy who was obviously obsessive about it (thank God someone in the world is!) and so I began talking to my Love about each character and some of the story line, and found myself talking faster, and faster, and faster....until I saw the expression of "Oh, my GOD! I've become involved with a TREKKIE!!???" look on her face. Then I smiled and said, "Oh, never mind." So we continued to explore and, low and behold, they had life size cardboard cutouts of many of the characters. She asked the woman at the front if she would mind taking our picture with the characters. I overheard the woman say, "No problem. But would you like to be in costume?"

"Costumes?! There are costumes?!" Suddenly I was searching for something, anything, that would fit a man of my stature like a kid ripping through Mr. Dressup's tickle trunk! We found costumes and had lots of pictures taken. I always liked the visual enhancement visor, so that is the photo I chose to share with you today.

The reason I like Star Trek? Well, I found that a lot of my personal mystical experiences were reflected in many of the story lines of the episodes. And I also found that it was a great commentary on the social structures, good or bad, that we have in our current society. Much of what one finds in science fiction also eventually becomes science fact. Take the old communication devices of the original series, for example. Somehow these look extremely similar to the cell phones of current times. And the badge communication devices of the Next Generation look a lot like what people are hanging from their ears these days as well. So yes, I am a Trekkie, and proud to be!

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

The Importance of Ceremony

I hear from a lot of people about how they are not sure about ceremony and what positive effects, if any, that it has. These folks usually view ceremony as purely religious in nature and they don't connect with religion, so they have difficulty with ceremony in general.

Ceremony does not have to be "religious" as such. It can be simple and sweet, or as elaborate as one desires. As long as the basic work that is required is accomplished, it does not have to be fancy. I am one who is quite eclectic in my ceremonies. No two ceremonies that I lead will be identical because each one requires its own unique energy imprint on the Universe and on the participants.

The photo here is of me performing a Handfasting ceremony this last summer. The participants varied from the common "Joe" to the accomplished practicing pagan. The couple and myself were in ceremonial robes, but it was set, as you can see, outdoors. The simplicity of nature was important as we all connect with nature. As I perform ceremonies such as these, I often get asked by observers and participants if I can perform that exact ceremony for them when their time comes to have it done. My answer is always "no". But I can perform one that is unique to them.

Ceremony allows us to acknowledge in a ritualistic way important events. We have all blown candles out on a birthday cake. This is a ceremony that honours that we have lived for another year. Simple, but ceremonial nonetheless. When loved ones have crossed the Veil to the Otherworld, we have have a Crossing Ceremony, a Memorial Ceremony, a Funeral Ceremony, a Wake etc. to honour their life. This is not so much for the one who has passed, as it is for the participants to acknowledge their loss of the loved one and that, although it will be difficult at times, life goes on and we will all be okay. I find that those who insist that they don't want a ceremony when they die are being quite dishonouring of those left behind. Yes, they may be thinking that they don't want those left behind to have to be put out by having a ceremony, but what they are actually doing is depriving their survivors the opportunity to grieve in a way that helps them to move on.

No matter what the ceremony, the purpose is to in some way honour a Rite of Passage. These Rites of Passage help us to adjust to the changes that we experience through our lives. They prepare us for the fact that now nothing will be as it once was, and they help us to look forward to the new changes and responsibilities that are coming our way. In these days where our Rites of Passage are either belittled or commercialized (yes, I am speaking of Christmas music in the malls already....again!) many become lost in what meaning there is to life, and what meaning their own lives have. This puts people into a constant state of undercurrent depression and low self-worth. It is always good to celebrate. Celebrate Life and all its changes and the deeper meanings. As we do we then become more joyous, balanced, healthy and harmonious with one another.

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

This chant, loosely translated into English, means,"From within the mud, the lotus will bloom". At times when life gets very rough, it is a nice reminder that from within all the chaos we can actually find some beauty.

I remember going through the event of my mother's death and knowing that I was not going to be able to be with her right up to the end. At the time my wife was 8 1/2 months pregnant with our second child, and she and the first born were at home with the flu. Needless to say, they took priority when I had plenty of siblings who could be with my mother. As I said my final goodbye to her, tears streaming down my face, I knew that I was doing the right thing by going home, but who really wants to say a final goodbye to a loving mother? My three hour journey home was filled with sorrow and tears. I was not even sure I should be driving because it was getting difficult to see past the watery eyes.

Then it happened. The most beautiful sunset I had ever seen unfolded before my eyes. At the same time, a hawk flew alongside my vehicle. I did not know that hawks could fly that fast! As it was, I was speeding to get home. The hawk, flying like a bat out of, well, you know where, turned its head and looked me right in the eye and then flew off to the right. To me, this was a beautiful message from my mother that she was going to be alright. "Look at that, Mom! Is that not the most beautiful sunset?"

In a faint whisper she said, "Yes, my dear. Enjoy this one and many more to come."

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhorhshamanic.com