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

Butterflies Are Free

Actually, these ones weren't free at all. They cost me perhaps seven dollars at a craft store. I have used them to decorate my altar because I belong to the Butterfly Clan. I consider myself to be quite a moth man indeed. In fact I am so much a moth man that all of my significant others in my life have always been fire elementals. Like a moth to a flame, I get drawn in and have no idea of how hot the encounter is going to get!

Butterfly Clan people are Air elementals. We are able to multitask like crazy and eventually get everything done. We have brilliant minds, when in balance, and egos the size of Mt.Everest when not in balance. Also, when we are not grounded we come across to the rest of the world as total space cadets. Being grounded myself, I find the space cadets to be highly annoying, especially because at that moment they have no intention of listening to anyone who is encouraging them to get their feet back on the ground.

We also need to acknowledge what butterfly stage we are at with any given thing at any given moment. If we are in the egg stage, we know something is about to happen for us, but are not sure what it is. In the larva stage we are new to something and are not quite sure what we are going to do with it. This is much where I am with the technology aspects of my life. Then we go into the caterpillar stage. In this stage we are ravenous for information and absolutely devour all forms of information and knowledge on the topic of our obsession. There then comes a time when we enter the chrysalis stage. This is when we withdraw and cocoon ourselves so that we can integrate what we have experienced and learned. Once complete, we leave this stage and emerge completely transformed as the butterfly or moth. When we do this, sometimes people have a difficult time adjusting to who we now are. They want us to be the person they knew last week, but we have completely changed and are now someone else. If they give it a chance and get to know the new person in front of them, they will find that there is much to be appreciated. If they are resistant, we leave them behind, spreading our wings and finding new social circles in which to thrive.

So there you have it. This is what being an Air elemental in the Butterfly Clan is all about. Transformation of self is of the utmost importance to us.

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

The Winds of Change

For those of you who don't know me, I am an Air elemental. I belong to the Butterfly Clan, according to the Medicine Wheel. We often do 10 things all at one time and multi task with that very well. We are expansive thinkers and very sociable creatures. All of this is wonderful, for a Butterfly Clan person. However, we can also change with the wind. And when we do, we can drive other elementals around us crazy. Just when you think those butterfly wings are nailed down, poof! We flutter off and don't come back for quite some time. We are too busy socializing to be nailed down to anything.

This is actually a delightful medicine to carry. You see, most people find change to be something that threatens them. They have gotten stuck in the fight or flight aspects of reality. Butterfly Clan people take empty handed leaps into the unknown and find ourselves with either a nice solid place to land or with wings that help us learn how to fly more efficiently.

I have recently taken such a leap. I have also experienced the judgement involved in taking that leap. Some find it to be extremely threatening to their paradigm of reality. They respond with hostility and uncertainty about who I am and what I am about. I feel that if they ever really knew me at all, they would have realized that their opinion of me matters little to me. So I am not that concerned by them.

What I am very impressed with is the amount of support that I have received from the community at large. Some have been in exactly my situation and have been way too afraid to do anything about it. They admire my courage. Some are in awe of the fact that I can do what I have to and still do it in a harmonious fashion. And most are very happy for me. These are people who "get it" when it comes to life and matters of the heart. And I just want to put out there that each and every one of them means a lot to me. This is not just because of the support (although that is wonderful in and of itself) but because they are on the journey and having the same challenges and struggling with the same issues. They, like me, are human. They are not caught up in the dogma of expectations. They are simply trying to do what is right for them. So to all of you out there, I thank you. Go gently.

Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com