NCIS

It stands for Naval Crime Investigation Service. It is my favorite TV show. Yes! Shamans watch TV! It stars Mark Harmon (now most of the female viewing audience that I have are going to ditch me every Tuesday night for him!), Tim Weatherly, Cote dePablo, (now most of my male viewing audience are going to ditch me every Tuesday evening just for her!) Pauley Perrett, just to name a few. The thing that I like about the show is that all the characters are strong in their own ways. Each and every one of them knows how to be themselves and how to honor that even when confronting one of the other characters, and especially when confronting the bad guys.

How often in life do we wimp out and sell ourselves out to the "bad guys" who want to twist us into something we are not born to be? Personal authenticity is so important. We live in a culture that gives us so many hideous messages about not being good enough just the way we are and most of us buckle under the pressure. I invite everyone to stand strong in who you are. Yes, compromise is important, but only if it can be done while keeping the stuff that matters most intact.

I am a dad. First and foremost, I am a dad. And my new partner honors that so well. There is none of that being threatened by the kids or the kids being threatened by her stuff going on. After being a dad, I am her partner. I love being her partner. Then I am a shaman. That is where my passion gets to express itself in ways that help ripple positive effects throughout the community and the world. I love to help people and that is what I do.

Sometimes the people that I work with expect me to do things that don't comply with who I am before I am a shaman. So, for example, when someone expects services for free I explain to them the impossibility of that considering that I have other people who need me to pay bills, put a roof over their heads, feed them, clothe them, pay for music lessons and softball leagues and the like. Who the heck can afford to do anything they do professionally for free? Perhaps independently wealthy folks have that luxury, but I do not. People often forget that in addition to being a shaman I am also a regular guy with a family and someone who also likes to now and then sit down and watch NCIS. It is not their fault. It is simple human ignorance. So when I explain this to them, they become educated and understand that, in addition to being a shaman, I am a regular guy. Now I am also not so regular a guy that I can fit in at the golf course! In fact, I don't golf at all and the mere thought of seeing me try makes me laugh till tears roll down my face. No, not quite that regular. And please, no puns on the word "regular" in the comments section!

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com