Friday, September 17, 2010

The Black Fawn

I don't know about you, but I cannot read the acknowledgement on the bottom left corner of this photo. So I apologize to whomever took this picture if I am infringing on any copy write stuff. I also applaud you for taking such an amazing photo, whoever you are!

This one came to me via email and I have now saved it as my screen saver. The reason....I can relate. It reminds me of myself when I was a child. I was always running full throttle with joy in my heart and loved being in the great outdoors. I was also different from the other kids I knew....actually from most of the other people, child or adult, that I knew. So in a way it is a representation of my freedom as well as of my greatest challenges.

The challenges were to find a way to "fit in" and to connect on a social level without compromising my own uniqueness and to find a way to not have my uniqueness put me into dangerous situations. I am still a part of the herd, but not in a way that helps me to "blend in" very easily. There are others like me out there, but we tend to stay as hidden as possible just out of self-preservation.

So along the way I discovered that I needed to grow thicker skin. That meant that in order to not get all caught up in society's expectations of me I had to find a way to not give a crap about what those expectations were. This was not an easy task by any stretch. I had to find ways of gaining speed and leaping far and high in order to escape those expectations. I think that I have, for the most part, become quite successful at this. It has not been without a few stumbling blocks along the way. But each time I stumbled I discovered a new way to not stumble the next time.

So now here I am, a fully grown black deer(horn) and someone who helps others to find their own paths amongst the world of expectations and limitations. In a way, I guess that I am helping them to join my herd of misfits. Not that I want followers by any stretch, but at least some amount of strength comes in numbers. That way we can all support and watch out for each other. Unfortunately, we do still live in a world where "different" is considered to be dangerous. Human responses to "different" can be quite aggressive at times. So ya, we all need to stick together and support our uniqueness while helping each other to still function in a dysfunctional world.

Blessed Be
Trent
http://www.youtube.com/trentdeerhorn
www.deerhornshamanic.com
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2 comments:

Kate Althouse said...

Love this post! It has come to me as I struggle with how much to put myself "out there" with regards to a new project. Yeah, the world can be a harsh place for us misfits! = ) But reading this has helped me look at it from a different perspective. So thanks!

You likely know this quote: "...as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." (Marianne Williamson). Thanks for being you and letting your light shine! You've inspired me to transcend my own fear and do the same.

Here's for sticking together in our unique herd!

Trent Deerhorn said...

You are most welcome! Yes, I am familiar with that quote. I love it. And I think that the more of us that let our light shine, the more there will be who shine back to us in return.