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