Take Care

I have learned something in my many years on this earth walk. When someone says to me, "Take care" I now slow down and proceed gently. My response in my youth used to be, "But I'll also take a chance!" I was such a smarty pants.

Then life happens and we are confronted with the cycles of the Wheel. In a very short period of time four members of my family died with various forms of cancer. Each time there was a different medicine that I acquired as a result of the experience. But each time also taught me that life is way too short. We can't just blast through it and expect that we will be okay. As we are blasting through we usually find ourselves crashing and burning.

I do like to be adventurous and experience change, so please don't get me wrong here. After all, change is the only thing that is constant in this world. We do, however, need to take time and just savour the moment. My Love and I had a dear friend over for a barbecue last night. As we sat and talked on the back patio, I realized how relaxed I felt. I had not really taken time to slow down in days. This was a definite message to me to get my life back in order so that there is more relaxation time. Work is busy, which I very much enjoy because it means I get to help people on their paths and I get to not worry about money for a while. Home is busy settling into a new house and working on making the yard and flower beds our own. Seeing my daughters a couple of days a week is exciting and full of activity. But in all this there was no opportunity to simply relax.

Sitting outside, listening to the birds and enjoying the blossoms on the flowers and good conversation was exquisite. I am definitely going to do more of that.

I also experienced the concept of taking care yesterday during a healing that I was receiving. Some of the issues from past lives that came up created a painful tightness in my body. My Spirit Guide whispered in my ear to, "Take care." I slowed down my heart rate and my breathing so that my good friend, who was facilitating my healing, could do his work more easily. I could consciously feel my decision to go gently take effect as the tightness immediately let go and the energy blockages began to release. A feeling of "Ahhh" went through me, even though the subject material was difficult.

I like to use this approach with clients as well. Proceed gently and slowly and take care to do more good than harm. I prefer when the person guides me as to what they are ready for and when they are ready for it. That way we can allow the process to unfold with a gentle grace. A tree like the one in the photo can take over a hundred years to grow and flourish. It can't do so if it experiences a harshness or abruptness in life. That slows down the growth process. We need to think of ourselves more as we think about trees. Stay deeply rooted, with lots of sun and rain, and allow the leaves and blossoms, if applicable, to unfold naturally.

Take care.

Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

The Shift #2

"We must become the change we wish to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi.

Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain, and they usually do. What matters more is to actually become a living, breathing demonstration of what we want to see in the world. This means that we have to not just be authentically ourselves, but that we have to be that even if being that is not an easy task. Someone once said to me that he was embarrassed about how his father would go on and on with racial slurs and he felt that he couldn't stop him. I explained that although it was going to be difficult, and would probably result in some heated discussion, he was going to have to address this on the spot with his father. The only way to stop this sort of behaviour is to nip it in the bud, even if you have to re-raise the previous generation. It works with children, and it certainly works with elders. I had to do the same thing with my own father, so I was speaking from a place of experience. Granted, we cannot be responsible for what they do when they are not in our presence. But we can definitely create the positive boundaries when it comes to what is acceptable or not when we're right there.

The rest of the time, we have to simply live our lives as we want to in order to create the world in which we live. Someone once said to me that you can tell the quality of a man by what he does when he doesn't know that you are watching. Let's face it, we are all setting examples every day, whether we know it or not. And each example that we set becomes a ripple into the world and creates the shift that is currently under way.

We are entering into the Age of Aquarius. This is a shift in the earth's axis and a shift in how the serpent energy of the earth moves and rests. This has an effect on everyone on the earth. It is not just about a 5th Dimension song. It is about the shift of consciousness world wide. This is a time when the Divine Feminine now has opportunity to govern over the energy of the earth and all its creatures. For the last few thousand years, it has been the Divine Masculine. They take turns. This is the way of the Wheel. The Cycle of Life includes the shifting from Feminine to Masculine consciousness and back again. We all have feminine and masculine energies within us. We will begin to notice more intuitive aspects of our natures emerging over the next few years. And with this there will also be a shift in how the world is governed. More women are going to be getting into positions of power and more harmony is going to take place. The systems of government and of finance are going to be set aside for a more altruistic form of government and finance.

I can hardly wait. Maybe that huge mortgage that my Love and I have will be suddenly forgiven or reduced dramatically! It could happen!

We will also see the rising emergence of very gifted children who are the next world leaders. They may not have super powers like some predict, but they will definitely have a more expansive and healthy view of the world around them and the capacity to gently make the changes that are needed. Everyone will benefit.

Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

The Shift

"Well done is better than well said." Benjamin Franklin. There are always those who will criticize us as we are learning to do something, or even if we have been doing it for years. There is always the know-it-all who thinks that he knows better about everything than anyone else. We need to ignore these folks and just do what we do and what works well for ourselves. Anyone can talk on and on, and very eloquently, about how to do something. But we need to look at whether or not they can actually do it.

I meet a lot of people who think that they know all there is to know about shamanism because they have read books about it (sometimes only one!) and they have met a shaman somewhere in the world and worked with that person (sometimes for only a week!) and think that they know all there is to know on the subject. I have worked with shamanism for over 40 years and still don't know all there is to know about it. That is just in this lifetime alone. I must admit that when I run into these pretenders I do get a wee bit annoyed. I am also human after all and I do eat and watch t.v. and pay the mortgage. Pretenders tend to want others to give them accolades for just knowing something. They don't actually know how to put the thing into practice. It would be like thinking that because you have a Martha Stewart cookbook you are instantly a master chef. It doesn't work that way with anything in life.

There is a shift going on in the world and people are becoming aware of it. This shift has to do with the rise of the Divine Feminine energies in and all over the Earth. We have known for thousands of years that these shifts take place. And now that one is at hand, there are many who want to jump on and join the band wagon. I think that it is admirable to want to respond to the shift. But to do so in a way that is all about ego is counter to what the shift is about. We do need the ego as a gage of how we view ourselves, so please don't get me wrong because I am not one of those who thinks that the ego is an evil entity. But when we allow the ego to rule us in a "Look at me! I know all about shamanism! Follow me and I will lead the way!" type of way, then the ego is definitely needing to be reined in.

Pretenders. You gotta love and guide them, because to incinerate them is illegal, not to mention chuck full of karma that would then have to be worked off. My hope is that the pretenders will come to realize that they need to learn how to do instead of just talk about it as though they are experts. They would be of much better service to the world that way.

So listen to the trees and the wind and the subtle voices of the animals. Listen to your heart and to the earth and respond to that of which you become aware. Stay grounded and fly high and view the stars as an extension of your own consciousness. Know that we don't need a space ship to travel to other worlds. Know that there is as much of the universe in your thumbnail as there is in a constellation. Know that the Feminine is flowing through you and calling to you every day and that to respond will set your spirit free.


Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

A Guiding Light

I know. It sounds like a soap opera. But now and then we need to be reminded of the fact that there is a light that guides us. The waters can get stormy at times, and on a cloudy or foggy day or night, we need that light house shining its beacon so that we can find our way home.

That guiding light can be in many forms. I find that my Love is a guiding light for me. When I begin to feel lost, she is able to remind me of my own light within. My office manager is another guiding light. She is able to help me with some of the office work load that would otherwise bog me down. And she does this for not only myself, but for everyone at the Aquamarine Healing Centre. I have teased her about making herself indispensable. Truly though, how are we as healers to do our jobs if we are bogged down with the mundane office stuff? I treasure her abilities, which go far beyond doing my books.

Another guiding light is that which I see in my daughters' eyes. They are both so different from each other, yet they are truly an inspiration for me. My eldest is smart way beyond her years and is able to bring a graceful quality into everything she does. My youngest is bubbly and full of life and reminds me to laugh and to play.

Then there is the guiding light of Spirit. Spirit speaks to me in my dreams and in my meditations and gives me the visions of the many aspects that I need to know about in order to do my job as a shaman. Over the years I have developed a solid relationship with Spirit. I find that this is what helps me through the difficult times but also brings fulfillment in the other times. I truly appreciate my connection with Spirit as a guiding force in my life. It keeps me humble and on a clear path.

So many lights it can become blinding!!

Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Bending Over Backwards

It is important to remain flexible. This helps us to deal with all of life's transitions, of which there is usually an abundance. If we are unable to be flexible, we end up becoming broken. Sometimes, however, it is important to know that we need not bend over backwards in order to please someone else's requirements.

I have often had to let people know that their personal needs are not my personal emergency. They don't get that the first time, usually. But over time they realize that if there is something that definitely requires my attention, I am Johnny on the Spot! If it is something that they themselves can definitely take care of, then far be it from me to take that opportunity away from them. After all, how else are they going to learn to respond to their own needs if someone else is willing to fulfill them before they have a chance to do so themselves?

I would often say to my daughters that I would not tie their shoes for them when I knew that they knew how to. I don't do things for people that they can do for themselves. That would just enable their co-dependence. Instead, I will celebrate every time they accomplish something for themselves. So I would praise my daughters every time they tied their own shoes. I would do this even if they at first had asked me to do it. That way they got the message that they are capable, even in times when they at first think that they are not.

We could all use a cheerleader now and then.

Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Stop Apologizing!

When we experience fortuitous events, we sometimes encounter envy from others. This sometimes causes us to diminish, degrade and disqualify our good fortune in order to make them feel more comfortable. We often find ourselves apologizing for the good fortune. How silly is that?

First off, we need not feel guilty or unworthy of our good fortune. Our good fortune is a given. We can simply accept it and continue to weave our way through this thing called life, with great gratitude for what we have.

Secondly, if others feel insecure enough to try to shame us for our good fortunes, then this is their issue, not our own. They need to have a more healthy attitude in regards to their own worthiness, which will then resonate with the universal flow and attract more good things to themselves. We will all then have cause to celebrate their good fortune as well.

We are all in charge of what decisions we make in life. These decisions lead to outcomes. The more positive we can be in our weaving, the less entangled in negativity we become. Yes, junk happens to people and this is not to say that they are always in charge of the junk that comes their way. Our own free will can get blindsided by someone else's free will more often than not. But we are less likely to experience this blindsiding effect if we allow ourselves to focus on the goodness in our lives. And then when the blindsiding happens, we have better tools with which to deal with the event. So let's weave something positive today!


Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Balancing Act

Life can be a balancing act. When we most think that we are going to fall or drop a ball, we have an opportunity to discover an inner stillness that allows us to become at one with everything that we are juggling and balancing in our lives. My daughter decorated me with these beads one day. It may look easy to keep them all on the points upon which they were placed, but it actually takes a lot of concentration. The only way I could do it was to go within and simply become still on an inner level so that the outer level could remain perfectly still. The beads were not just on one side of my face and body, but both. That was total fun. I know, small things amuse small minds. But it is in the experimentation of these little things that we discover basic truths about life. I was unaware, until that moment, how good I am at physically balancing stuff. It is a sensory overload to have so many beads placed in so many locations and to be able to keep perfectly still.

In doing this I also discovered a part of my psyche of which I was unaware. This part of my psyche is the part that completely, and I mean completely relinquishes all control. That may sound strange considering how much control there appears to be needed in order to do this balancing act. But the relinquishing of all desires to not drop a bead was the only way I could do this. I had to allow the beads to decide for themselves what they were going to do. In allowing this process to be what it was going to be, my body relaxed into it and allowed the balance to be achieved.

Cool stuff!

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

The Serpent Within

I used to be terrified of snakes. For years I would get sick to the stomach and weak every time I even looked at a snake. On a farm where the annual mating migration of the garter snake would take place as they came from western Canada to land in Manitoba where they mate every year, this would become a challenge. The migration would not just have a couple of snakes here or there. They would swarm the place. The grass would rustle and suddenly it would seem like the entire earth was moving. They would not hesitate to crawl over you if you were sitting, standing or lying there. One at a time was bad enough, but en mass was unbearable. Then one of my spiritual teachers asked me one day what it was that any snake had done to frighten me so? I couldn't come up with an answer. Suddenly it occurred to me that it was not the snake I was afraid of. It was the violence that erupted every time a snake was spotted. My mother and my sisters were all avid snake killers. On a farm where mice and rats were abundant as well, one would think that keeping a snake around would come in handy. But no, they were afraid of snakes but learned to kill them as quickly as possible with as much screaming involved as could be created. I was young and very impressionable, so I transferred my reaction to the violence onto the snakes themselves.

So when I was about 16 I bought myself a ceramic cobra and named him "Oliver Twist". My mother freaked out when she saw it, but I explained to her that I was going to get over my fear of snakes. She couldn't argue with that. I placed Oliver at the foot of my bed on a box where he could watch over me all night long. Last thing at night and first thing in the morning he is what I would see. I began petting him in appreciation for helping me with the snake phobia. My mom asked me if I was now going to be able to kill snakes. I told her that this was not the point. How could I kill something that I had befriended? No, I was just going to allow myself to get over my fear of snakes. That was all. Little did I know that snake was soon to become one of my most powerful spiritual allies.

Years later, after many situations where snake medicine had helped me along my sacred path, I was at the petting zoo with my daughters. We were looking at the monkeys when I felt a familiar energy flow calling to me. I turned around and found a zoo worker holding a green python. "Look!" I exclaimed to my daughters, "What a beautiful snake!" Some of the mothers who were at the zoo with their children were quite freaked out by the python. But I went up and asked if I could hold it. And hold it I did! My daughters petted it while I held it and talked with it. A beautiful snake indeed. It's name was Sypher, not the silly name that they had given it at the zoo that was something like "spot". Holding him and communicating with him was an amazing experience. I wish that I had my camera at the time or that someone would have taken my photo so that I could have put that one on the blog for you. So this photo of a hot calendar guy with a snake in his hand will have to do. Just know that, in that moment, I was just as hot! That was before I abandoned my workouts.

What also amazes me is the fact that so many women are so afraid of snakes. The snake is a power animal of the Earth Goddess. One would think that women would have a natural resonance with it. I think that this is a statement of how conditioned women have become to deny themselves the pleasure of their own Divinity. I invite women everywhere to find it in their hearts to re-embrace the magical medicine of the serpent. It really is a phenomenal and powerful spirit.

Many Warm Blessings

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Potential

"Focus on your potential instead of your limitations." Alan Loy McGinnis.

So often we as humans end up limiting ourselves before we even take the opportunity to consider the possibilities. I know someone who has 5 daughters. He has always raised them with a "Yes, I can!" philosophy. Each of them is a university graduate and professional in her own field. When I heard him say that he raised them this way, I thought to myself that I want to be that kind of a father. So I took that on as one of my personal philosophies. That way it would be easier to transfer it to my offspring. I think that, so far, I am doing a good job of it.

I think that it is false humility that causes us to think things like, "Who? Me? No, I couldn't possibly..." Humility comes from the core word "humus" which means "of the earth". It has nothing to do with not being worthy or able. I think that unworthiness and inability are concepts that can be left to the Christian Church. Hopefully not all of the Church's followers will personally adopt it. I know a few who haven't, so there is definitely some potential there. To be humble is to be grounded and centred.

We need to have an adventurous spirit, like that child who is determined to climb that step, even though she has not yet learned to balance well enough to walk a few feet. Who cares if we can walk? We can climb! How else are we to figure out what is on the other side of the room, the other side of the wall, or the other side of the ocean?

Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Indulgences

Admit it. Now and then it is completely okay to indulge. This is partly a birthday wish for a family member who, when my Love and I phoned to sing her "Happy Birthday", mentioned that it has been a very loooong time since I have blogged. So, my adorable R, this one is for you! Sorry it took me so very long, folks!

I have a special desert that my daughter and I made yesterday. It is called Pistachio Surprise. We absolutely love this desert. No, it doesn't have chocolate in it, like the birthday cake in the photo, which, by the way, looks just ever so yummy! It has ice cream and pistachio pudding and cinnamon and a graham wafer crust. Right now, as I write, it is waiting for me to dive in. I decided to dish it up and let it warm a little bit before consuming it. Considering that it is after 10:00pm while I am writing it, I also have the benefit of having it not count in terms of calories, because everyone knows that calories only count if it is before 10:00pm.

I seem to have this Pavlov's Dog response. I can feel my mouth watering as I frantically type this so that I can get finished before it all melts away. But then I have this "Spock" theory that even if it turns to a melted mush, it will taste just as good out of a glass as it does in a bowl.

So, you may ask, what is there in this prattling that is in the least bit shamanic?

Well, we shamans are the types who know the true value of indulgence. We tend to eat with the seasons, changing the form of indulgence with each turning of the Wheel of Time. Thus, we have a multitude of indulgences from which to choose. We truly know how to par-tay! Considering how mild mannered we tend to be, this comes as quite a surprise to many who think that they know us. Suddenly this wall flower becomes a party animal and really knows how to have some fun! But that is the purpose of life. To live life fully. This comes as quite a surprise to many. But really, the most fulfilled folks I know are those who are able to kick back and have some fun on a regular basis. Nope. No solemn stick in the mud acts here. Just pure, unadulterated fun!

Okay, that's it. I can wait no longer. The desert is calling....

Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com