Don't Freak Your Freak!

This is Lady, an absolutely beautiful albino corn snake who is the crawler friend of a good friend of mine. A lot of people fear snakes. It seems to be hard wired into the human brain. I find that sad. I used to be afraid of them, as I have mentioned in previous blogs. But now I enjoy them. After all, they eat mice, of which I am even more afraid.

Lady came to visit the other day. He, yes it is a he, was quite the guest! He made himself at home, made new friends and brought a huge smile to my face when I first saw him. He liked my other friend more, though. Oh well. Some folks just have snake pheromones. But I was the one who made little hiding spots for him on my coffee table. So he tolerated me. I loved the opalescent sheen on his skin. And I really dug how he would wind into himself as his owner picked him up.

Snake medicine is fabulous. The ability to shed the old, to know the deepest mysteries of Mother Gaia, the ability to move with stealth and silence. They are incredible creatures of the earth and people need to understand more about them instead of allowing their fears to over ride their reason. I look forward to seeing Lady again.

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

So Small You Be!

I find it amazing how mystical and wise a cat can look. That is opposed to when they look like a wild demon! This is our kitty. She is, this year, 14 years old and is one of the most gentle felines I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. There are times that she can look wise beyond her species and age, and times when she looks so silly she just cracks us up. We try not to laugh out loud though as she gets very offended.

Cats, at least house cats as I have heard, have been traced back to ancient Egypt. For some reason, they don't seem to be in any references before that. Scholars and scientists are still trying to figure out why that would be. Personally, I think that they dropped down from the stars and chose to allow us the privilege of worshipping them. After all, that is what the ancient Egyptians apparently did. I am actually more of a dog person. I love the personalities of dogs and the fact that they are a loyal friend and companion always. But I also dig cats because of their "I don't give a rat's ass about..." attitude towards life in general. They are their own boss and we are their staff.

Cats tend to adore me. Here is why...I am more aloof than they are! Have you ever noticed how a person who is allergic to cats is the first one the cats will rub up against and jump up on? It is because that person is not wanting to get near the cat. If it is a dog, I am all over the thing with pets and tussles etc. I keep my distance from cats. Suddenly the cat is all over me! It is like I slathered catnip all over me after showering and the darn thing can't get enough of me. Maybe I have cat pheromones! As much as I find this funny, I also am used to being with dogs, so I do actually make sure that the cats know that they don't own me and I will never worship them. I have to maintain my dignity after all. Suddenly, upon receiving that message, the cats are all over me again!

Come to think of it, that seems to be the same pattern that occurred in my teen years with the girls with whom I went to school! Hmmm.

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

We all know one....

You know the type. This is the type of friend who thinks that they know all about you and what would be best for you in your life. They are full of ideas about what you should do and how you should go about it. They also project a lot of stuff onto you that has nothing at all to do with you. It has to do with them. Their need to help you stems from their own insecurities and a drive to make themselves indispensable in your life. The next thing you know, having taken some of their advice, you are headed in a direction that you would never have chosen for yourself otherwise, and you don't like the ride!

Here is the thing. They did nothing. You did. You are the one who accepted their "help" in the first place. You may have even asked for their help. Whether or not they took the time to really consider what is good for you, you are the one who accepted their opinion and went for it. So really, you can't be angry at them for that part. They are very well meaning.

The thing that we all have to keep in mind when getting friendly advice or even just friendly opinions is this...it is easy to suggest solutions when you know nothing about the problem. I remember a friend of mine being told by other friends that she had to cut her father out of her life. Granted, her father was acting very strangely. But this was a person who, for financial reasons, would have been committing an act of self-destruction if she did this at that time. Later on, she would be able to do this if she chose to. But it was clear to me that the thought of doing this terrified her on a multitude of levels. Did the other friends care about that? It certainly did not look like it. Full of self-righteousness, they basically demanded that she take very drastic measures. I am glad she chose not to, because things would have turned out much harder for her than they have.

The background information did not seem to matter to the other friends. Case in point. They had no knowledge of the actual problem. So why make any suggestions in the first place until you get as much information as possible? I find that people who do that create more harm than good. Some of them even emotionally blackmail their friends to get them to do the "right thing" in their minds. Not cool.

It is only when we have complete understanding of the situation that we are able to give an opinion one way or the other. The other thing about this is that we rarely will have a complete understanding of any situation. We will only have a perspective. It is not like we are ever really a fly on the wall who witnesses all events. We need to allow ourselves to understand that we know basically nothing. Then the only thing we are left with is the only thing that matters...love. We love and we support. That is all we can do. We really can't advise. The person will come to their own conclusions in their own time. We can't push that in any direction at all or we risk depriving them of the opportunity to learn from their experiences. Why would any friend want to do that to another friend?

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

Baby, It's Cold Out There!

I think with the wind chill it is supposed to be something in the neighbourhood of -40 C. Yikes!! At times like this, I am forced to remind myself what the benefits are of living in such a cold climate...

1. No mosquitoes!
2. Sledding down the hills.
3. Frost on the trees...beautiful.
4. Forced cuddling!
5. Leads to Body Heat!
6. Fireplaces.
7. Hot Chocolate.
8. Brighter sunlight as it reflects off the ice.
9. Keeps riffraff off the streets.

and so on. The list can go on, but doesn't really have to. I love living where I do. The cold is something that doesn't last that long anyway and the summers....well, except for last summer where it rained for most of it, are beautiful and with really nice weather. The sun dogs are also amazing at this time of year. I have seen some that were a rainbow ring around the sun, with two more rings on either side of the first ring. This is crazy phenomena, but absolutely lovely to see. I don't read anything into it that is dreadful, as some do. I simply enjoy the spectacle. Sometimes the most amazing meditation comes from just being in the moment, without expectation or fear. Simply be in the moment and enjoy.

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deehornshamanic.com
http://www.youtube.com/trentdeerhorn

The Rest and Cleansing Moon

This moon spans from January 20th to February 18th. The Rest and Cleansing Moon brings us the medicine of knowing when it is time to rest and when it is time to cleanse our bodies, both inside and out. It is an excellent time for going on a fast and internal cleanse (not for the entire duration, of course!) and to visit the spa. Rejuvenation is the key to the Rest and Cleansing Moon.

The Power Animal for this moon is the Otter. This playful one is the epitome of fun! Otter people (those born in this moon) are gregarious individuals who love to have fun and who love to know lots of people. They are the social butterfly of the Butterfly Clan. Intelligent and spontaneous, the Otter is one who is always ready to throw caution to the wind in an attempt to have a good laugh and to slide down the river bank. Otter people are naturally trusting, until betrayed. Then it can take decades to ever earn their trust back. For an Otter person, one's character is the only true thing one owns. So if someone of low or little character should betray the Otter person, that one will never gain the trust back....ever. Otter medicine is also known as "woman medicine" because, whether it is within a woman or a man, it is the most nurturing of the individual spirits of those around the Otter person. Creative and loyal, the Otter makes an excellent friend who will be there through thick and thin.

The Plant Totem for the Rest and Cleansing Moon is the Quaking Aspen. Many Otter people suffer from foot issues of one form or another, and Quaking Aspen leaves and bark, when made into a tea, help to push the toxins that have set up house in the feet completely out of their abode, thus easing the pain and discomfort of the feet. Silver is the Mineral Totem for this moon. Silver is an excellent conduit of energy and helps to purify the body, mind, emotions and spirit.

Being a part of the Butterfly Clan, the Otter person is a natural Air elemental. This brings the medicine of an uncanny, almost telepathic ability to read other's thoughts and emotions. Because of this, the Otter person has to work twice as hard to stay grounded and centered, otherwise those vibes can bombard and create complete imbalance.

Air elementals in general need to honor whatever developmental stage they may be in with whatever situation they are dealing with. There is the egg stage, where potential is understood, but not known. There is the larva stage, where great transitions take place. There is the caterpillar stage, where one is ravenous for information and very passionate about it. There is the cocoon stage, where one just needs to be completely alone and allow the integration of everything to take place. Finally, there is the moth or butterfly stage, where one must honor that at first the wings will be very wet, so not to rush things, and then as they open there is a miraculous discovery of who one truly is. This is only to be followed by yet another stage of eggs. The cycle continues. Considering that Butterfly Clan folks are excellent multi-taskers, is it any wonder there can be stress, considering the many stages that each task may be at in any given moment?

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

An Educated Child

"A child miseducated is a child lost" John F. Kennedy. Sometimes people don't see the things that actually educate children. They think that education absolutely must take place in a classroom with row upon row of students with one teacher at the front of the class, dictating their assignments and lording control over the situation at all times.

I know that the basics of education (math, science and literature) are very important. Into that mix, however, is sometimes lost some essential aspects of learning. Art, Music, Physical education, and, yes, PLAY! The entire world is a classroom, and although I personally have learned a lot from books, I cannot say that my grade 10 algebra has served me well in my life. Nor has my grade 12 geotrig. My understanding of science is not vast, but has now and then come in useful. My love for reading only waned when I was in University and had to read one 500 page novel/day in an intersession class. I swore that when I got out of University I would only read the things that actually interested me. That is exactly what I have done. All in all, I must say that most of my valued education did not in any way come from a classroom setting.

I learned more from my hikes in the woods and my time raising animals on the farm than I ever did in a classroom. It is not that we did not cover things like math, science and literature in the setting of nature. We did. It was just in a far more interesting setting than the classroom could ever hope to be. I got to move around and explore while I learned. Nowadays kids are medicated if they can't sit still. I don't know a kid that can sit still for the length of time the current education system demands. I also learned about my body and how it works in the world around me. That was far more important to me than learning the rules and regulations of football. I also built personal confidence in my art and music education, most of which had nothing at all to do with my schooling.

In some ways, I think I was one of the first kids that experienced homeschooling, although I did attend school as well, boring as it was. I am also aware of the fine line between allowing a child to just be a child and allowing a child to decide that he or she is not interested in learning in general. A lot of parents, homeschooling parents or not, miss those indicators. They get so wrapped up in just day to day functioning that they miss that their child has just spent five days of his or her life and not fed the brain with activity that can stimulate growth and learning. My own children are home schooled and I think that this is an ideal environment for them to learn. I do not, however, think that it is a valid excuse to slack off when it comes to some essentials of learning. I am also quite aware that kids will learn different things at different rates. So I never compare one child to another when it comes to when each learned what. But I do want to be sure that the information is provided in a variety of ways until it sinks in...daily. That way eventually they notice that the pieces have fallen together and they have completed another piece of the puzzle of life.

This is the way to learn. Through opportunity and repetition of a theme, kids will come to their conclusions about how things work. We don't need a classroom setting to learn. We need an open invitation.

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

Publically Flogged

I feel like a geriatric. I have a new computer program that is absolutely wonderful...if I were to know where to find the things that I was used to utilizing in the old program. I don't really consider myself to be set in my ways. Nor do I need to have someone tell me which finger to use to work the mouse pad on the laptop. I am not quite there yet...but close. It took me till today (three full days after the install of said computer program) to find where my emails were being forwarded to and how to access them on my screen. It is a good thing I am bald because I sure feel like there are a lot of grey hairs having their way with me!

Sheldon, on The Big Bang Theory, said it best when he said, "It's not that I think that every elderly person who struggles with technology should be publicly flogged, but if we were to do that to just one or two of them it may give the rest incentive to try harder."

I think that I may be one of the first ones out there on the whipping block!

I will try harder, Sheldon! I will! I promise I will! Ahhhhh! Stop hitting me!!!!

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

Get to the Point!

Time flies like an arrow and fruit flies like a banana. Think on that one for just a moment.....chuckle!  Because time flies like an arrow I find that I have very little patience with folks who beat around the bush. Communication is always much better when direct and to the point. I don't tend to play games about saving face or about buying into someone's personal drama.

Sometimes I have been called things like "heartless" when I inform someone who is talking in circles that I don't have enough time left on the earth to waste any of it with a circular discussion. People often don't know what to do with someone who tells them to get to the point. Well, here is a novel idea.....GET TO THE POINT!!

It is not that I don't have any compassion for someone who is emotionally hurting or anything like that. In fact I am, more often than not, a big soft teddy bear when it comes to emotional wounds. It is also not that I have an extremely masculine way of communicating. In fact, monosyllabic communication irritates me just as much as does circular communication. I just figure that if it can be said concisely in 10 words or less then it should be said that way, as opposed to having to sift through all the flowers and the thorns and the weeds and the vines and the rats nest of superfluous junk that comes out of people's mouths at times when all they really want to say is something like, "Yes, I would like a glass of water please," or, "No thank you, I can't stay for coffee as I need to be somewhere in 15 minutes." Nope, what we get instead are the many round about reasons why they can't stay and how coffee is awful for everyone and I should not drink it either (which I don't anymore by the way!) and how unless it is bottled water they just can't stomach it because Saskatoon City water (which by the way is the cleanest water in North America!) is so harmful to them and on and on.

So here's a communication for you.....Get out because I don't have time for this garbage.....door slams.

Believe it or not, I am actually not angry while writing this. I am having fun with it. And no, nobody has especially irritated me of late with their horrible communication. I just saw the photo of the arrows and what came to mind was "GET TO THE POINT!" so that is what I blogged about. Teehee.

Blessings
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com
http://www.youtube.com/trentdeerhorn

Organ Donations

Okay, so the photo is my sick sense of humor coming out. I figured it would be better than a photo of an ooey, gooey heart or kidney or something. But seriously, there is something that is relatively unknown in our culture regarding organ transplants. What is unknown is that each organ holds soul energy from the person from whom they originate. Soul energies are held in several parts of each individual. The Egyptians categorized these parts as: Ren (your name), Your Energy, Akh (your Ghost), Kah (Life Force) Bah (Your Soul) Shiut (Your Shadow Self) and Seku (Your Physical Remains). If you like, you can look up the Egyptian Book of the Dead and read more about that.

What I wanted to touch on, however, is the Seku, the physical remains, as they pertain to organ transplants. It is important to understand that each organ in the human body actually holds within it soul consciousness. So if a transplant is to occur, it is important to either introduce the soul energy of the donor to that of the recipient and make sure that all is compatible on that front, or to help the soul energy of the donor to leave the organ and go into the Light and then transfer the soul energy of the recipient's organ to that of the donor. It is not just a matter of physical tissue being involved. There are important spiritual aspects to the entire procedure. Unfortunately, you will not find many medical practitioners who are willing to address the importance of this. That is why it is up to us to ensure that the introduction or soul exchange happens.

I have noticed that when that is not addressed the risk of rejection goes up much higher than it needs to. And then if the body accepts the organ, but the spiritual aspect has not been addressed, the recipient experiences things that medical practitioners will only refer to psychiatrists, who don't usually have a clue when it comes to spiritual things. Having a loved one who has received an organ transplant and has had experiences since said transplant until we were able to address the spiritual side of things, I know how important it is to cover all bases. So my invitation to you is that if you or anyone you know is to receive an organ transplant, please make sure that the spiritual aspect is addressed. And no, you don't necessarily have to refer them to myself. Any well trained shaman will be able to help with this aspect of life.

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

Earth Renewal Moon

On December 22nd we entered into the Earth Renewal Moon phase. This time, which extends to Jan 19th, is a time for us to get our second wind for the year that is coming up. We are able to now look back on the traditions and rituals that feed our souls and we are also able to let go of those that do not. There is a subtle stirring within the earth at this time and the seeds of life are beginning to get restless for the spring, but much preparation is still needed.

The power animal for this moon is the Snow Goose. The Snow Goose helps us to remember the patterns of life and the cycles of life. It helps us to know when we are to get up and move to a new destination or take on a new project. It also helps us to instinctively know how to communicate with stones and crystals and how to follow the energy of the earth, even when those energy lines are shifting!

The Birch Tree is the medicine plant for this time of year. The leaves of the birch tree make an excellent tea that calms and rejuvenates. The Clear Quartz Crystal is the mineral totem for this time. It helps us to remember the traditions of old and the meanings behind them. It also helps us to see things clearly and to channel healing energies to ourselves and to those around us.

This year I have committed to sharing some of the information that I have gleaned over the years once a month in honor of the moons around the wheel of the year. I hope that you will find the information useful and that those born within the time of each moon phase will get to know their personal medicines more intimately. You can also find some further information on this in Sun Bear's book, Medicine Wheel, Earth Astrology. It is a fascinating read. You will find that there is some information that I share that is not from this book, and that is because I don't believe in only relying upon a book for information. I gather information daily and learn through experience, as I hope you will also do.

This New Year promises to bring excellent things as we get closer to the cycle that culminates in the changes for 2012! These changes are not catastrophic in any way. Let Hollywood own that idiotic fear mongering. The changes are awesome and powerful, yes, but also healthy and positive. Enjoy them. Happy New Year!

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