The Witch's Ball

We see things like this every year at Christmas time. Bobbles and balls hanging from wreaths, Christmas trees and even ears! But did you know that this form of decoration had a particular purpose centuries ago? Yes, indeed. This was known as the Witch's Ball. It was used to scry, much as the pendulum is used today. The only thing is that inside the ball would be herbs and crystals and the like. Sometimes even Holy Water was put inside. It was then dangled from a cord and used to ask Spirit questions. It was said that the Witch's Ball would never be able to lie as that was not in its nature. So in a way, it was the very first truth serum!

The Witch's Ball was usually hung around the neck when not in use, and when there was danger afoot, it would signal the wearer with a high pitched squeal. It was also used to create light in the darkness and to guide the witch to his or her destination when travelling or seeking to find someone or something.

I always find it amazing how the ancient usages of things may get lost but the actual symbol itself lives on. I also find it important to remind folks of some of the origins of certain things such as these. The more educated we become, the more likely it is that we can reincorporate the ancient ways into our modern world.

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

The Shruti Box

What the heck is a Shruti Box? Well, it is an instrument that is sort of like a small version of the Harmonium. It creates a droning sound to which chant and sacred toning are easily applies. The word "shruti" is a Sanskrit word that, loosely translated, means "sacred sound". The Universe itself was created from sacred sound. Humans have known this for thousands of years. The Shruti Box, which functions somewhat like an accordion, creates combinations of tones that simulate that sacred sound.

The possibilities are endless! I love to just sit and play the Shruti Box, or chant to the droning sounds of it. I find that it lifts my spirits and takes me places on shamanic journeys that other sounds just are unable to accomplish.

I first encountered one of these delightful instruments at a sound workshop I attended that was put on by Pam Gerand. This incredible woman with an amazing voice brought out this instrument close to the end of the workshop and played it while we chanted Sanskrit mantras. It was incredible. Afterward, I asked her where I could get one and she directed me to the store in Toronto. I ordered it, had it delivered to my brother-in-law's house in Toronto, and my in-laws flew it back with them after visiting Toronto that same week to visit their grandchildren and (Poof!) there was my Shruti Box! I just love it when a plan comes together.

Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

It's a Gong Show out there!

My Love and I went to finish our Christmas shopping today. It was crazy busy everywhere. That is to be expected, I suppose. I am more used to having my shopping done by July. I like being prepared in advance. The only issue is that sometimes I spend a bit more money because I forgot what I got for whom and then purchase something else that is perfect for that person. I never worry about that though, because if it is perfect, then they will love it and the other gift as well. I purchase what resonates with that person's energy.

It is difficult, however, when you know what you want to get for a person and there is nowhere in the city that has that special item. Whenever that happens, I decide to get very creative with my gifting. I have been known to make and build things that I have seen in my mind and can't find in the stores. People tend to like those gifts even more than the store bought ones. Heck, I prefer handmade gifts as well! No, that is not a hint. It is just a factual statement.

What I most look forward to at Christmas is the Turkey dinner. I love the food aspect. This time of year I get a major yen for turkey. I also get real tired of it by the day after Boxing Day. By then I am very ready to head back to the Pizza parlour and order an extra large to go.

But I ramble. What I was really getting to, before being distracted by food yet again, was that the stores and streets are extremely busy. I want to encourage everyone to breathe and have patience when shopping and especially when driving. I witnessed some pretty crazy driving styles today, and frankly I think that this could lead us to nowhere good. Icy roads and impatient drivers are not a good mix.

Having said that, last night we were at a party at a friends house. It was a blast to sing Christmas carols and have guitar backup. Then a young fellow brought out a fiddle and played stuff that was exceptionally good. I backed him up with the drum and someone even played the spoons! Now that was just like an old fashioned Christmas!

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Defense Systems

Have you ever noticed the barbs on a cactus? It amazes me sometimes how such a beautiful plant can have such sharp barbs! I wonder if Roses are in the cactus family? Sometimes in life the most beautiful things have to have the sharpest defenses, I guess. I remember being a child and having to create within myself a defense system to deal with violent aspects of my home and school. I didn't like having to do that, but it was a necessary just to survive it all.

So then we have to look at what the medicine teachings of this must be. I think sometimes it is human nature to pick at the beautiful things and people in life. It must make us feel very big and important to be able to destroy something beautiful, otherwise, why would we do it? I think that we have to look at what truly motivates us to be destructive. What are we accomplishing in the destruction? Are we feeling threatened? What can we do to allow ourselves to be defended without constantly being defensive? Where do we feel safe to just have room to grow and be our big and beautiful selves?

I think another medicine that the spirit of the cactus brings to us is the knowledge that life can indeed be filled with a bunch of pricks. And when we encounter them, we really need to glove up so that we don't get poked too much. I call it "donning my best 'Kill Bill' outfit". That way we are impervious to harm and won't be setting ourselves up for attack. One look and the adversary pulls away in utter fear! Take that! Ha!

Some cacti are edible. This shows us that even from the most prickly of circumstances we can glean personal nourishment. The trick is to know which prickly circumstance is promoting nourishment and which is not. Then we can respond appropriately.

Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Look up....look way up!

In addition to the regular fantasy escape to a warmer location on these very cold days, I also find it to be quite helpful to visit the solarium at the Mendel Art Gallery here in Saskatoon. Yes, there is an excellent gift shop, and yes, there is usually a set of really funky art displays, all of which makes the journey down to the riverbank gallery worth while. The thing I have always enjoyed the most, however, is the solarium.

This has a year round abundance of that green stuff we call plant life. I like to go into the warm and humid environment and just sit there, listening to the water in the fountain and smelling the rich, fertile soil and the deeply musky scents of the plants and flowers. I quiet my mind and sit for a moment and, before I know it, I can connect with the consciousness of all the plant kingdom that is assembled there. Some of the regulars, such as the trees, are always happy to see me. Others, like the seasonal flowers, are just as intrigued by me as I am by them. When they realize that I hear their voices, they are thrilled. I ask them stuff like where they are from and they give me actual geographic information, not just things like, "A nursery in British Columbia" or anything like that, but where they as a species reside on the earth. One of them, a variety of orchid, actually shared with me that its ancestors began on another planet in another solar system and the spores drifted when the planet exploded. Some of the spores made it here and found a nice ecosystem in which to live. I found that to be fascinating. Considering that plants do not lie (they don't know how to), I had to believe it.

Sometimes they will also tell me that they need something in particular in addition to what they are also receiving in their care at the solarium. This happens very rarely as they are very well cared for. But now and then I must say that adjustments are made. In a public location, this can be challenging, but this shaman loves the adventure of it all.

Yes, plant life in the middle of frigid winter. You gotta love it. If you live around here I highly recommend a trip to the Mendel Art Gallery to visit the solarium. It puts that Vitamin D3 back into your system!

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Patterns

I have always found patterns to be fascinating. From the time I was a wee boy and my mother would have quilting bees, I have found that patterns have told many things. I now am able to see patterns in very different ways. Very early on, I discovered this thing called "Patterns of Behaviour". I was fascinated to find that there are certain stimuli that can induce certain responses in certain people. For example, if I am watching a movie and there is an intense chase or fight scene, I bite my finger nails. I do my best to not bite, but that is a stimulus that induces that behaviour pattern in me.

Patterns can tell us beautiful stories. Whether they are quilted or beaded or placed in sand with a rake, the patterns can tell us things. Blood splatter patterns can be the determining factor in solving a murder scene. Paint splatter can tell us what mood the artist was in when he or she painted the picture.

I find the behaviour patterns to be the most fascinating. For example, we have all had situations that resemble the bomb that is dropped in a Friday meeting just before the weekend when those who have dropped the bomb can then escape the wrath of the rest of the people at the meeting, then they come back on Monday morning and act as though all is well. That kind of stuff is a passive aggressive pattern of behaviour, and it is abusive.

Patterns of behaviour that are also interesting are those in which a loving sentiment is shared. For example, someone always gives you roses on your birthday. This is a pattern of behaviour that says, "I love you" and makes you feel great inside. Or how about that wonderful person who leaves love notes in unexpected places for you, or the child who always brings you a handful of dandelion flowers for a bouquet every weekend.

Yes, behaviours are patterns that speak volumes to those who are astute enough to observe and see the connections.

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

A Warm Location

On cold days like these last ones have been (-26 to -30 degrees Celsius) it is always fun to think about a nice warm location. I understand the "Snowbirds" completely. After all, although we in Canada tend to be a hardy bunch of folks when it comes to extreme weather, why would we want to hang around in parkas and snow boots if we could be sunning on a warm beach?

I do like winter. The air is cleaner and more crisp and there are no mosquitoes to have to deal with. But on the really cold days it is essential to have a place to go to, even if it is in your own thoughts. Mine is a very sunny beach with beautiful blue water rolling in. Sometimes it is a warm summer's day beside a pool. Okay, so it usually involves steel drum sounds and grass skirts on the women folk, but really, I guy's gotta have some fun!

I invite everyone out there to dive in. Go ahead! See what your warmest fantasies can conjure up for you in your mind. Let not even the sky be the limit. And let me know how it goes!

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Wizards At War

When I looked at this photo of space, I saw two wizards at war with each other. It brings to mind a scene from a Harry Potter film. I also began to think about how often we not only experience but also expect conflict. I have seen this happen amongst people in spiritual communities as well. It is so unfortunate that we are, as humans, so desperate to be right, even if that makes us dead right.

A spiritual community is supposed to provide some safety for people to gather, share, and heal. It is an opportunity for participants to experience a deepening in their relationships with each other and with their God or Goddess. Yet, human as we can all be, conflict eventually arises. It is not so much the conflict as how it is dealt with that makes the world of difference. Too often petty differences between people not only escalate, but are encouraged to escalate by those around the ones with the differences. Why do we always feel such a need to take sides instead of taking a deep breath? Sheesh! That is a deeply shamanic term...."sheesh!".

I have always preferred to address things up front. That way everyone can trust that they will always know how I feel and what I think. Yes, sometimes it is challenging to address the things that need addressing. But we have to make the effort if we are ever going to grow. As my sister used to say, "It's now time to put the big girl panties on." We sometimes just have to buck up and be mature about addressing things before they get out of hand and before we lose some sacred part of ourselves. When we let things eat away at us or allow others to take advantage of us, we diminish ourselves until there is nothing left of us. Why wait for such a crisis to happen? It is so much easier to just say what you think and feel. Yes, we can be kind and compassionate about it as well. But we must be authentic and have some personal integrity in life. After all, if we have no integrity, then we really have nothing at all.

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Space....the final frontier....

When I see photos like these of things happening in space, it makes me realize just how small we really are. There is so much that we really don't know about going on in our neighbourhood. Something like this can send out enough energy through the universe to eventually impact what happens on our own little rock in space. But for now, it is really quite beautiful to see.

Some of my paintings turn out like this. I remember one in particular that I sold a number of years ago. When I created it I felt like there was something pretty big that I was tapping into. It ended up being bought by an astronomer who told me that they just got a photo of that "event" in space the week before. He was astounded to find that I had painted it over a year prior to the show. He couldn't help but purchase it. I did not know what it was that I was painting. I just painted it.

We all have that ability. When we go into the "zone", which for me is painting, we access information that is beyond that of which we are currently conscious. It doesn't have to be painting. It could be doing anything creative. Working with mechanics or carpentry is also creative work. Stirring the sugar in the sugar bowl is creative. Knitting is creative. Whatever it is that gets us in the zone is what will lead us to that connection.

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com