Impulses

We all have impulses. If we didn't we would not experience things such as impulse purchases or road rage. What we do with our impulses is what counts the most. Jung divided the personality into three categories. The Ego, he said, was the sense of self, the knowing about who we are in the world and within ourselves. A lot of people bash the ego because they only want to see it as rampant and self-serving. That is actually something else. The Ego is the sense of self that defines us from the rest of those around us, which is actually a very good thing, even though we are all one as well.

The Super Ego is like our conscience. It is the part of ourselves that says, "You know, you might be angry with that driver but it is really not a good idea at all to pull your gun out and blow his head off as you drive past him." We need the Super Ego to keep us in check because if we didn't have it there would be nothing but chaos all around us all the time.

The Id is that part of us that is most impulsive. I equate the Id as the "Inner Desires", which is also a part of our ID. The Id is the one that will say to us, "You know, it's only chocolate cake. What would it really hurt if you had a fourth piece?" Sometimes our inner desires are not healthy for us. We have to be able to control some of them in order to not sabotage ourselves along the way. To keep our heads in the sand and think that our bodies will simply process that fourth piece of chocolate cake with ease is simply a heart attack waiting to happen.

So when we look at our inner desires, we do have to look at what is best kept as a fantasy and what can actually be incorporated into our lives as an expression of desire. I might fantasise about rolling naked in millions of dollars of Canadian 20 dollar bills, but to I really want to experience the paper cuts on places that should never be sliced? Indulgence is something that needs moderation. When we don't moderate our indulgences we tend to overdo it and end up with deep regrets. Every year at Christmas time we indulge in Christmas dinner. Sometimes, after say the third helping, we complain about being too full and thus being in pain. Well, we could always stop after the first or second helping. Yes, Christmas is a time of indulgence, but we don't have to over do it even for a special time of year.

I invite everyone to look at what you view as indulgence vs necessity. See what you come up with and see how many antics the Id will take you through to convince you that an indulgence is a necessity. At the same time, I invite you to allow some of your deeper inner desires to come forth and allow yourself to play with them. It won't kill you or anyone else for you to allow yourself to address one or two inner desires. After all, even the Id needs some attention now and then!

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

The Night Shift

I call it the night shift because I seem to do a lot of work during that time. As many of you know, I am a dream walker. I get messages in my dream state, connect with others through the dream weave to deliver messages and send healing energies, and have a whole other job at an ethereal collage that can be accessed through the dream state. I often joke that 90% of what I do for the world I don't get paid for and few know about.

But that is what makes some of it so special. It is like being an anonymous donor. And that anonymity gives me a feeling of even more authenticity in my work because I don't have to deal with people's feelings of gratitude that sometimes gets mixed up with feelings of obligation. The gratitude part I can accept whole heartedly. But when it becomes obligation then people get a little strange with what they feel they must do for you, whether you want them to or not. Sometimes, because of the abilities I have been born with, people will treat me like I am something from out of this world or like I am a god or something. Please! I pass gas just like everyone else! I am human and, yes, I need to be loved and honored, but not worshiped. I think that it is easy for everyone to get caught up in false humility (Who? Little ol' me?) and also to get caught up in ego trips (But of course you worship me...I'm so above everyone in the world!). I would rather that everyone just be themselves, authentically.

John Mason said "You were born an original. Don't die a copy." I have to agree with this. It is more important to be a first rate version of yourself than it is to be a second rate version of anyone else. After all, that way we can avoid the temptation to buy into mob mentality. We can also then move 50 or more years ahead in consciousness and help to pull the rest along into the 21st century. Sometimes it can be a game of tug of war. But if they pull back too hard, just let go of the rope. After all, they have free will and can make their own decisions. But we also don't need to be tied down to them. We can simply continue to move forward.

Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

The Shadow Spirit

People have been asking me a lot of questions about the Shadow Spirit lately. So I thought I might write a little bit about it. First off, we all have one. Secondly, not all of us are aware of our Shadow Spirit. Thirdly, not all of us want to be aware of it.

The Shadow Spirit is the magical part of us that came into being in the Otherworld the moment we realized that we, ourselves, are magical beings. They will sometimes be with us for lifetimes. They are extremely powerful in their magic and in their passion for life. So yes, there is some discretion that is needed when dealing with our Shadow Spirits. You see, we can make them an ally, or we can make them an enemy. The choice really is our own. But whatever choice we make, conscious or otherwise, will be followed through on the part of the Shadow Spirit.

Now, the Shadow Spirit is not the Jungian shadow part of our psyche. That would be more the Id. I always remember the distinction between the two this way...the Id is our sense of Inner Desires. The Ego is our sense of self, and the Super Ego is our sense of our Super Consciousness, or the grand consciousness that connects us all.

Although the Shadow Spirit is aware of all of these aspect of our psyches, it is not distinctly any one of these. We can think of it like this...I have a twin. My twin is not with me right here all the time, but my twin is always connected to me, ever since we were conceived. I can feel my twin's thoughts and feelings as easily as my own, even if my twin is in another country altogether. I can get flashes of my twin's life and experiences from a distance and my twin can get flashes of mine. Sometimes my twin and I fight with each other. But we know we will always be a part of each other and we love each other deeply, so we do our best to get along and work well together.

So why are people so afraid of the Shadow Spirit? Well, depending on your own fear based dogmas, the Shadow Spirit can appear to you as a very powerful demon, or as a very powerful angel. It really depends upon your own willingness to embrace the magical and mystical part of yourself, even if you have not yet gotten to know it really well.

For those who want to know more about this, I would recommend reading a book by Lord Foxglove titled Advancing the Witch's Craft. But do be prepared. You can't just pick up the phone, dial it and then hang up as soon as your twin answers on the other end. You have to be willing to communicate. Your twin has caller i.d. and will keep calling you back if you dial, even once. So be ready to do the work, or don't even start. And it is work, but the work is well worth it.

In Spirit, Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com