Rights and Freedoms

It seems that the Albany airport has some issues. I just learned from a friend's face book entry that they fired a woman for being a witch. There was apparently a long history of harassment over this. Management suggested that she go into mediation with the offending party to help settle the issues. She refused because, being Wiccan, she did not see any reason that she should have to "explain" her religion to anyone anymore than someone who was, say, Jewish should have to. EHHHEM! Is this the 1950's? Is this the 4th century AD? We do have religious rights and freedoms here in North America! It doesn't matter if you live in the states or in Canada, those freedoms are supposed to be protected. In this case, the bullying was escalated to the point of no return, mostly because management was idiotic in their handling of the situation. You see, I know that there are definitely laws in place preventing people from freely arriving at your door in the middle of the night with torches in hand and burning you at the stake. Unfortunately, these laws come into effect  after the fact. It is high time that there be laws that will actually do some good before a witch is burned. Anti-bullying, Anti-discriminatory, Anti-bullshit laws would be excellent.

 It is amazing how the word "witch" brings into ignorant people's minds fears and paranoias about having hexes placed on their car heaters and such. For the love of God, MAINTAIN YOUR STUPID VEHICLE SO THAT IT DOESN'T BREAK DOWN AND STOP BLAMING OTHERS FOR YOUR OWN IGNORANCE!! The word "witch" has many meanings.  Mostly it means "wise one".  It also has connotations of bending like a willow in the wind, meaning to "go with the flow".  Pagans and witches are simply nature observing folks who mind their own business and do most of their "worship" in the outdoors instead of in a church or temple.  My mother used to tell me that she got more Godliness out of weeding her garden on a beautiful Sunday morning than she ever did sitting in a stale church.  I had to agree.  The church picnic is something that became popular as a social event that would incorporate such philosophies without actually saying, "Better to worship in the Garden than in the House of the Lord".  It is amazing how absolutely everything Pagan has been adopted by the church in one form or another and then claimed as their own idea!  Talk about hypocrisy!  Mostly it was adopted to make the church more appealing to those who were Pagan, in hopes of converting them/us.  But it really didn't work.  What they got was a lot of fearful folks who quiver and shake in their ignorant boots at the mere mention of the word "witch".  It is not very wise of them, now is it?

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

The Budding Trees Moon

According to the Medicine Wheel, we have entered the Budding Trees Moon (March 21-April 19). The medicine of this moon is that of potential. Those born during the Budding Trees Moon are optimists who tend to see the full potential in everything and everyone around them. They serve to inspire the best out of everyone they meet, not by lecturing but by being and example. They are the ones you want on your side when you are forging ahead with a difficult task or a new venture. They see the potential in the endeavor and are willing to say so when you doubt yourself.

Those born during the Budding Trees Moon are adopted by the spirit of the Red Tailed Hawk. This one brings forth messages from Great Spirit and brings the ability to see ahead of where one is now to where one is headed. Sometimes those who are around this type of person will find the person to be a "know it all", but that is only when they are out of balance in their energies. When well-grounded the Red Tailed Hawk individual will be knowledgeable but not arrogant about it.

The plant totem for those born in this moon is the Dandelion. Those born during this time of year are more likely to have slight to large dysfunctions in the liver, and Dandelion Root Tea is what will feed that liver the nutrients it needs. It will also help the liver to detoxify and should be consumed as a weak tea as opposed to a strong tea. That way it does not shock the liver as it does its work.

The mineral totem for those born during the Budding Trees Moon is the Fire Opal. This mineral helps the energy field to remain steady. It helps to reignite the flame of one's existence so that a second wind is felt when one is feeling exhausted.

The Clan that Red Hawk people belong to is the Thunder Bird Clan. This is a clan of seers who are able to tell what is coming down the pike way before anyone else is even remotely aware of it. The first challenge is to not over react to what one sees for risk of being called "crazy" just because no one else sees it. The second challenge is to not say "I told you so" in a way that makes others feel stupid for not being aware enough. Thunder Bird Clan people are of the Fire Element, which is spontaneous and all consuming. There are many forms of fire in our world: The fire of the Sun, which warms our planet and makes life upon it possible; the fire of the Lightning, which energizes the earth's body; the fire of the Volcano, which creates the Stone People; the fire at the Core of the Earth, which keeps the earth's heart beat going; the fire of the Hearth, which warms our bodies and our food; and the fire Within, which keeps us eternally connected to the Creative Source.

With this moon, we have now gone 1/4 of the way around the Medicine Wheel. Only 3/4 of the way to go!

Blessed Be

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

Making a Woman HOT! Part 2 (Photo)

Making a Woman HOT!

There are a few things that I have learned on this subject over the last 40 or so years. Frankly, I don't think I even cared about it at all until I was around 11 or 12 years of age. But after that, like most young fellows I know, it became an obsession. And the funny thing is that the tips that actually work have nothing to do with how often or how well you work out. So the poor sod that posed for this picture is going to have to understand that the flesh alone is a very minimal part of what actually makes a woman HOT. So, here are just a few of the tricks of the trade that I will share with all my readers now.

1: Unless you actually have a body like the guy in the photo....just put the shirt back on. Even if you do have a body like the guy in the photo....don't flaunt it all the time. There is nothing like a tight muscle shirt to titillate the curiosity.

2:  It is best to remove the shirt when working in the back yard on a hot day, not while sitting on the couch drinking beer and watching the game, while at the same time expecting her to fetch you another cold one from the fridge. She is not a golden retriever. Acting like that will not get you any at the end of the day, or even during the game.

3:  Hygiene.  It pains me to actually have to include this one for my clueless brethren, but you really need to create change in your life, so have a shower.  That motor grease under your fingernails may be a turn on to you and your buddies, but it is definitely a turn off for her.

4: CLEAN SOMETHING.....UNASKED....yes, you read that correctly. Especially if it is a toilet or something equally disgusting. And you are not EVER to make a big deal of it. Just clean it. Don't worry. She'll notice. And are you ever gonna get lucky after that!

5: Learn how to barbecue without burning stuff. She loves seeing you cook over hot coals, especially when you just bought her a couple thousand dollars worth of stove and fridge. The reason behind this is that nothing tastes as good as it does when it comes off the barbecue. The fact that she did not have to cook it herself scores you HUGE points. Barbecue cooking brings out the primal in both of you and once you go primal......

6: Whenever you are cooking, be it on the barbecue or in the kitchen (yes, guys, that room over there where the beer is held in that frozen box thingy is called a "kitchen") CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF! There is nothing that turns her off as much as a guy who cooks a meal for her and expects her to do the cleanup.  Know that there is a double standard in play here. If she cooks for you, CLEAN UP AFTER HER. She will be so ultimately impressed with your giving nature that naturally she will be giving in return.

7:  Know when you can't fix it and call a plumber or electrician or whomever you need to do it right.  This humbleness makes her HOT!  Equally so will she be HOT if you stop to ask for directions, or even call CAA or AAA to get you out of the ditch instead of trying to do it yourself.

8: If you have kids, CHANGE SOME DIAPERS! Why should she always get all the crappy jobs?! If you come out of the bathroom with a baby in your arms, hand it over to her and say, "Clean as a whistle", well, let's just say that someone's whistle is gonna get some action later.

9: Never express it if you think that she is unable to lift something that you, from years of doing the brawny labor thing, know she should not attempt. Ask if you can help, and if the answer is "no" then let her decide on her own whether or not to reconsider. And if she does reconsider, be gracious about it. And remember, if it is a particularly warm day, first remove the shirt, then do the lifting!

10: Iron some clothes. Now I must admit that I don't iron her clothes because, well, I hate ironing women's clothes with all the pleats and ruffles and such. But I do iron my own and never ask her to do it for me. This is the 21st century after all. Oh, and remember that ironing clothes is a very warm business, so you need to wear less to do it.

11: Cuddling is a must. Even if you are not a cuddler, you have to learn to become one. Women love to cuddle. Women especially love to cuddle if there is no expectation that the cuddling will go anywhere else. That way she gets to do the initiating.

12: Don't be afraid to initiate. "Honey, how about if I take you out to dinner tonight" are 11 of the most welcomed words she will ever hear escape from your lips.

13: When you get up to refill your drink, always ask if you can refill hers as well.

14: Treat her friends and family as though they are as precious to you as they are to her. After all, they are the ones who will support her, whether she is with you or not. The happier they are with you, be happier she will be with you.

15: Always praise her to your friends and family. Let them all know how much she means to you. Never let any of them put her down, even if what they are saying is true. Politely let them know that what they say may be true, but that they have no right to say it. This creates healthy boundaries. If you have someone who continuously puts her down, dump them. This is a person who is trying to sabotage your relationship and is most likely jealous of it in the first place.

16: Always be willing to drive the kids to their events. The more invested you are in the family, the more invested she is in you.

17: Don't be afraid to drop her at the door of her destination. Door to door service makes her HOT!

18: Always tell her you love her when you are going out the door and when you arrive back, or when she is going out the door or arriving back.

19: Call her up in the middle of the work day to "check in". It shows her that you are thinking of her even when she is not right there with you.

20: Flowers. Not just roses. All kinds of flowers.

21: Candles. Unscented is fine, but lots of them.

22: If she asks you which pair of shoes she should purchase, the correct answer is, "Why do you have to choose?"

23: Go clothing shopping with her. She values your opinion. Learn what looks right fashion wise and put it to use. I will always let her know if an outfit is not that becoming on her. I will also always let her know, "WOW!" when an outfit looks stunning on her. Women appreciate the complete and heart felt honesty when it comes to how they appear. If you have no interest in her looks at all, then she knows you have no interest in her at all.

24: NEVER say she's fat. EVER!!!!! If she needs to actually lose weight to stay healthy, encourage her to be healthy, but never actually make it about weight.

25: Laugh out loud with her, and love out loud with her.....all the time.

So those ones should keep you all going for a little while. Remember that these are tried and true and that they can also work for you!

Blessed Be

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

So...When is enough simply enough?

It saddens me that yet another citizen of our province, after suffering years of abuse from her husband, was killed by him last week.  This is a subject that is all too near to my heart, having had a sister who was in an abusive relationship.  She was, after years, able to get out with her life.  But back then there were no resources for battered women.  Now days there are.  She was a big part of creating shelters for women and children of abuse in our province.

What angers me the most is that this particular woman aparently showed up to work on a regular basis with bruises all over her and no one bothered to help her.  It seems that the old "I don't want to be a part of this" denial system is still rampant.  It is sad and pathetic because, with the right amount of support, this woman could have lived.

Yes, she ran from him.  After he killed her dog who was trying to protect her, she ran for her life.  But she, like so many other women in our world, never made it to help.  He ran her down and stabbed her to death.
There is a large part of me that knows there is a special place in Hell for idiots like him.  That doesn't bring much comfort though.  Nor will it bring much comfort to her friends or family.  I hope that he is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  I hope that he spends a LOT of time behind bars and that when he dies he rots in Hell.

I also hope that everyone around her learns from this.  I hope that this will inspire people to stand up for abuse victims.  It doesn't matter what age, gendre, or race they are.  If they are being abused and we know about it, then we need to help them.

I know why people don't step up.  It is because to acknowledge an issue and help someone to become empowered means that we are automatically challenged to take responsibility.  We don't have to take responsibility for the abuse itself.  We need to simply respond to the situation and help in whatever way we can.  But empowering others as well as ourselves does indeed come with responsibility.  So get ready.  If you are ever going to be strong and powerful you will have to step up to that, come what may. You will have to help others and you will have to see it through to the end.

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

Which Side?

There are many reasons people have for which side of the bed they like. Hopefully when sleeping with another person your preferred side is not the middle. Sometimes people prefer the side away from the window, or closest to the door, or even where the sun doesn't shine in when morning arrives. Sometimes it has to do with which side of the room has better air flow and which one is warmer. We all have our preferences.

Did you know, however, that which side you predominantly sleep on will determine how you relate to your partner? This is fact. It has even scientifically been proven. Here is how it goes...

If you sleep with your partner always on the right of you then you will usually relate more emotionally to your partner. If you sleep with your partner always on the left of you then you will usually relate more analytically to your partner. Either way kind of sucks because it becomes limiting in the way in which you are able to relate.

So here is the solution. Change sides every week. We change the sheets once a week so on the day the sheets are changed, we change sides. That way we relate to each other in a variety of ways. Yes, sometimes someone is preferring the middle, but that just makes it a wee bit cozier.

And then, you may ask, what does it mean when the cat sleeps between the two of you? Well, in cat language that means, "I am queen of this household and you two will connect when I say you connect!" We both love her and give her pets and rubs. But we don't let her determine when the two of us connect. If there is any fuss on her part she is projectiled to her own bed on the chair across from the foot of our bed. She usually doesn't stick around for more than half an hour anyway. What will it be like when we adopt our dog?!

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

Fire Dance

This is a photo of some of the hot stuff that happens at my drum circles!  Singers, Drummers, Dancers all party down!  It was this particular Samhain Celebration Drum Circle that sparked the idea for my friend, Jen, and I to put on our Sacred Motion Workshop coming up in April.

We figured why not incorporate all that we naturally do in a drum circle into a fabulous workshop that helps people to get in touch with their bodies, create motion that will feed the chakras and help one to do shamanic journeying, and get in touch with the sacred elements?  All of this is going to build into some future workshops that we are going to put on that will include deeper Trance Dance and Ritual Dance within the context of Sacred Ceremony.

I absolutely love it when wickedly talented people can pool their resources and offer up something for the community that will nourish the soul.

If any of my readers would like to check out more about the workshop, you can visit my website at http://www.deerhornshamanic.com/ and click on Workshops for more information!

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

Stop Dragon Your Butt!

So often people tell me that they have things that they just never get around to doing because they are so busy with other things in their lives and taking care of other people's things in their lives and taking care of the other people as well. This frustrates me a wee bit. I have been there. In fact, just the other day I was there. I had to remind myself of the words of wisdom that I often share with "those" people....STOP DRAGON YOUR BUTT!!!!

Really, if we want to do something we need to get to it. If we want to accomplish anything in life, we need to do it. If we are the only people in the entire world that will find that accomplishment satisfying or inspiring, we still need to do it. We are just as important as anyone else in the world is. We need to stop sacrificing our own fulfillment for the sake of others needs, no matter how valid their needs may be. If we cannot nourish our own spirits or our own minds, then we are not really fully there for anyone else.

I have Tuesdays off. I have had them off for some time, but because of scheduling and stuff, they were usually spent getting groceries and running a million errands. I have decided to just say "screw it". I need the day off. It is the last day off I have before going back to work and when I am at work I work hard, no matter how much a passionately love what it is that I do for a living. So screw it. If, for example, the groceries cannot be bought on another day, then they don't get bought at all. I am no longer pushing myself to meet everyone else's needs only to sacrifice my own. From now on my day off is as sacred as is my day with my kids. After all, if Dad is not nourished, how is he supposed to nourish the little ones?

So I invite all of my readers to look seriously at how many ways each of you sacrifices your own needs for the needs of others. Once you identify the ways, don't blame other people for it. It is you and you alone who created it. Simply stop doing it. There is too precious little time in each life to spend it doing things that we feel obligated to do while ignoring what it is we are actually responsible for, that being ourselves. Self care is the most important aspect of life. Without it, our lives get cut short.

Blessed Be

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