Butterflies and Angels

This photo was submitted by the photographer's grandmother, a dear friend of mine. When I look at it I am awestruck at the ingenuity of the photographer. She truly is gifted. It also makes me think about such things as angels and butterflies.

I heard a legend once, in an oral tradition, that the butterflies that inhabit our world are angels in disguise. They didn't want to be tricked by Coyote like Dragonfly had been tricked. So they took on a form that would be forever changing so that they would always be able to break through any illusion that was mustered up, even if the illusion was created by themselves. That way they would always be available to help guide and protect mankind.

I don't know if this legend was just a way of blending traditional lore with Christian lore or what. But it struck me that there really is more in this world, right there in front of us all the time, than we are even remotely aware of. Next time you think about catching a butterfly in a net, think about the quest it might be on and how failing to show up might just endanger someone you know, or someone you don't know. Set it free as it was always meant to be. Take a picture of it and let it go. That way it can be on its way and complete its task. This comes from someone who belongs to the Butterfly Clan around the Medicine Wheel, so take heed!

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

How Eye See It Part 2

I found them! After weeks of looking at designer Vision suppliers for new frames, and after dealing with sales people that either had no personality or who completely ignored my presence in their workplace, and after dealing with inflated prices, and after wanting to find something less expensive that feels as good as my Prada frames, my Love and I were walking into Walmart and there, of all places, was an optical place called "Walmart Vision". I never knew Walmart had a vision centre. The woman there was amazingly helpful, especially in comparison to other people in other vision centres. Anyway, we found the frames! They are funky and cool and I will post a photo of me in them when I get them, which will be next week sometime, or sooner because I think that sooner is more likely. It is absolutely amazing what can happen when one is looking for lawn furniture!

That morning my Love picked a Goddess Guidance card, and what she picked was Mary, whose message is to "expect a miracle". Well, as materialistic as it may sound, finding my new frames was just that...a miracle. Now I will be able to see and be stylish too!

On another note, people may want to watch the movie "Easy Virtue". It has Colin Firth and Jessica Biel in it. It is absolutely hilarious!


Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

How Eye See It

I need new glasses. The bottom half of my progressive lenses needs to be a wee bit stronger. Hopefully that will make things appear sharper. While getting a new prescription does not bother me, as I would rather see than not see, the task of choosing new frames is daunting. I would like something different than what I currently have. Don't get me wrong. I believe I blogged a couple of years ago about how wonderful it was to find my Prada frames! It is just that I am tired of the weight of them on my face and would prefer something lighter.

The challenge that I have is that I can't see the frames I am trying on because, well, I need my glasses to see. So my Love and I went shopping around yesterday and I had her take photos of me in the different frames so I can look at them from a more distant perspective and choose which one looks best on me. So far, after numerous tries, there is no winner. How can I try on so many frames and not get the same "Ahhh, that's better" feeling that I did when I tried on the Prada frames years ago?

And then there is the issue of style. Glasses frames say a lot about a person's style. It is one of the first things others notice when they look at you. They are on your face all the time, except when you are sleeping... well.... unless you count that time in the hay loft.... but I do digress. For me choosing glasses frames is more important than choosing a car. I know I don't spend near as much money on the frames, but I wear the frames, not the car.

So now I continue on with my quest for the perfect frames. I know where I don't want to visit again, that being a particular store with a sales person who had the personality of a cold fish. It amazes me how anyone can stay in business when their workers are like that. Who knows? Perhaps she was the one who owned the franchise. Still....do SOMETHING to show that you are even remotely interested in your clientele!! Anyway, the search goes on and the world keeps spinning. Hopefully I can find a pair of frames before the spinning stops!

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

There Are Many Paths Up The Same Mountain

This is something that my mother always used to say. She was referring to the fact that people like different things. Be it food, religion or sexual practices, there is never one thing that all people can agree upon. One would think that we as humans would have figured that one out en mass, but wars still erupt in the name of all that is sacred because someone can't simply agree that it is okay to prefer something different.

I remember being at a gathering of shamen a number of years ago. At this particular gathering we each took turns doing anything from menial tasks to leading ceremonies. The understood rule of thumb was (and this is something that is embedded in shamanic teachings) "If you are in my circle or in my hut we do it my way". This eliminates the need for anyone to be distracted by the pesky thoughts like, "Jeez, that isn't how I was taught" and allows every participant to simply truly be present for the event, be it washing dishes or performing Soul Retrieval.

I have actually had to tell some people who have griped and complained, in my circles, that they disagree with how I had done something or other because their tradition states that it should be done such and such a way, that when they advance to a level of being a circle leader and I am in their circle gathering they can do it whatever way they prefer, but as long as they are a guest in my circle gathering they can zip it. Most often this creates uproarious laughter in the circle, but the point gets across. When you are in my hut, you do it my way. I offer the very same courtesy when I am in another shaman's hut. That is shamanism 101: No judgements of traditions or practices because they are all correct for their own reasons. If you personally have a problem with whatever is going on you have the option of graciously exiting the event, but you don't bash it before, during or after. You simply remove yourself.

There are many paths up the same mountain. Which one we take depends upon what is the most resonant for any one of us. That is just the way it is.

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Body Art

Personally, I am not into the type of body art where a person looks like a lizard because every pore of their skin has been inked. Having said that, I must also say that I have seen some pretty amazing body art over the years. This masterpiece is on the back of a good friend of mine. He is a Wiccan and his art includes the World Tree, the three faces of the Goddess and the three faces of the God. It is breathtaking to see. When I touched it there was a very powerful energy that came off of the faces and the tree. Such amazing power emitting from such soft skin! It is one of those paradoxes that will stay with me for quite some time.

I have often considered getting inked. The thing is that I am not sure if I will like it as much when I am 90 years old and wrinkly. A dragonfly could end up looking like a falling leaf and a World Tree could end up looking like a withering shrub! What fascinates me is how some people who are not aware of such things as power animals get tattoos of those that guide them spiritually without previous knowledge! There is obviously a resonance that takes place there.

Where a person locates their tattoo is also important. Certain areas of the body resonate with particular energies. For example, the left wrist is very connected to the heart and the heart chakra, so whatever body art ends up there needs to be something that supports the heart and doesn't conflict with it.

There are so many decisions to make when it comes to body art. I know what I would want to have done, but have not decided where it should go. Then there is the pain factor. I am not entirely into pain. It is not that I would not endure it once the decision is made, but it is a factor in making the decision in the first place.

In ancient times body art was a way of conjuring and sustaining connections with power animals, spirit guides and Deity. I already have that connection, so part of me doesn't have a need to broadcast that to the world at large or whomever may see me with no clothes on. I also have ethereal body art that appears to those who need to see it at the time they need to see it most. That does tend to freak people out, but I think it is kind of cool.

So body art for me? Hmmmm. Perhaps for my 50th birthday. I now have 3 more years to consider it!

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

From the Stars We Came...

And to the stars we will return. This is an age old understanding that we did not just become out of nothing. We are all a part of the cosmic soup of reality in this dimension and (what the heck!) other dimensions as well.

I like to keep this sort of thing in mind on days like today, my birthday. I like to remember that I came into this world not as an accident but with Divine purpose. Otherwise it could get overwhelming as to all the struggles that have been endured. I know that all of Existence is counting on me to be and do all that I can in order to fulfill my calling. The ripple effect itself goes far beyond what I would ever intend with any single act of kindness. And I also know that if I were not here, all of Existence would miss me.

I feel truly blessed to have been able to be here as long as I have. The people I have loved along the way and the connections that I have experienced through love and kindness from others is heart warming. I don't think that I have any regrets whatsoever...to date. There is lots of time for regrets later. And ten to one I will have a few considering that I love to have fun and sometimes jump into fun things without a care in the world. I figure, though, that this is when I will know who my best friends are. They won't be the ones I call for bail money. They will be the ones sitting in the cell with me, waiting for bail money!

Today I spend the day doing what I want to do and not what I have to do. This includes an early lunch with my daughters, then watching them in their horseback riding class (something I never get to do because I usually work on Thursdays), then dinner with my Beloved and her parents and a friend, and then a late massage followed by a good night's sleep. I may even fit in some time for a nap! I know I have not yet quite reached my "middle years", but naps are still a very good thing! Happy Birthday to ME!

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

The Bucket List

My Love and I just finished watching the movie "The Bucket List" with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. This is one of the best movies I have seen of late. The relationship that developed between their characters as they faced immanent death was fabulous. They decided to accomplish as much as possible from their "bucket list", which is the list of things you want to do before you kick the bucket.

The concept delighted me. So often we have a retirement list and never get to it because we delay retirement or, once retired, we are worried about money so much that we don't do what we really have always wanted to do, or, worse yet, we never get to retirement because we die before we retire.

I have now begun my bucket list. The first thing on it is to start investing some money; something that I have not done in about 15 years or more. It seems that once one becomes a dad the funds all get sucked into things like strollers and car seats and college funds etc. Now it is time for me to invest in my future. So I spoke with my investment person yesterday and we are in the process of setting up an investment fund. I love it.

The next thing that is in my bucket list is to allow myself the liberty and freedom to go with the flow when it comes to by home based business. I am not going to pressure myself to stay as a home based business or to leave the home again to find an office out in the commercial sphere. Instead, I am going to flow with it and see what develops.

In the movie one of the things on the bucket list was to "kiss the most beautiful girl in the world", which Nicholson's character found out was the small granddaughter that he never knew he had. I don't need that one on my list as I do that all the time whenever I kiss my daughters and when I kiss my Love. The scene brought tears to my eyes though, as it reminded me of when my daughters were just tiny little beings with big eyes and long hair and brilliant smiles!

I think that it is important for us all to have a bucket list. We don't need to wait for retirement or for a death scare to start accomplishing the things on the list. We just need to acknowledge that we are worthy of the pursuits that are on the list.

So...what sorts of things are on your bucket list?

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Building on Inspiration

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

When I teach shamanism to people, sometimes I will talk about and demonstrate techniques. More often, however, I will work at inspiring the students. Inspiration is the key to all drive for knowledge. When we inspire we infuse a person with the spirit of the subject matter. Sometimes we inspire when we don't even know we are doing it. Sometimes we know we are setting an example and follow through for the sake of not just ourselves, but the ones we are inspiring. Both do benefit.

I have always been an avid believer in the right to a free mind. Free thinking is what leads to innovation, invention, and true progress. If we don't progress we are doomed to stagnate and fail. This is why I also am very able to learn from my students in turn. I don't see myself as the big kahuna from whom everyone must learn and to whom everyone must bow down. My students are my best teachers. They are able to look at life and see possibilities that I have not even thought about. As a result, I quickly grow to catch up to them and then we are all that much better off. In fact, I don't even like calling people my "students" and only do so for a frame of reference. I see all of us as teachers and learners in life.

Once inspired, we are able to take quantum leaps into the previously unknown territories and make our way to new understandings of the world in which we live and the universe of which we are all a part. To do this, we most often have to discard our previous thoughts about the way things are and embrace the way they could be. It's a big universe out there. Why would we ever want to limit it to only what we think we know?

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

A Fresh Look

Every now and then, one has to take a fresh look at things. For about 18 years I had worked as a home based business and for the most part that worked for me. Then when huge changes occurred in my life, my home and my work place had to change. I ended up working in a place that was housing several therapists. The difference in having a "community" was wonderful in that I now had people to have lunch with and have an afternoon coffee break with etc. It caused me to take a fresh look at how isolating my world had become when I was only working out of the home. This lasted for a year and a half.

Then, when things began to shift and change and somewhat break down, I began looking for a place to rent where I could set up shop. The market is crazy out there and I was finding myself challenged to find a place that was suitable. Seems no one wants to rent space to a shaman who could end up being a "nuisance" with drumming and incense. So I took a fresh look at how I do my work and weeded it down to bare essentials in order to "fit in" with where I was thinking that I should go.

To my surprise, I discovered last Wednesday night that what I was doing was depriving myself of doing my work in the passionate way in which it has developed. Spirit told me that I should not be trying to adapt my work to suit any landlord and that I actually own the space in which I need to work already!

By Friday night I had moved into my new home office space. I can drum and use incense to my heart's content and not worry about disturbing anyone. The fairies of the land are thrilled that I have moved in "all the way", as they say, and are supporting the new venture completely. I now have a fresh look at what having a home-based business is all about once again. I am very much looking forward to not having to commute to work. I am also looking forward to not having to deal with business relationships that have broken down. I am looking forward to being able to create and maintain a beautiful work place that clients are drawn to and to which they love to come.

With a fresh look, all is as it is supposed to be!

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com