Imbolc

Today, February 2, 2011, is Imbolc. Imbolc is the Pagan celebration of the First Day of Spring. It is a time when we celebrate the fact that, beneath the icy mantle of the Earth, there are seeds that are beginning to stir and that will gestate and create beautiful greenery in the Summer. It is also a time when we acknowledge the fact that the Light is returning to our world.

One of the traditions that I love to do is to light every lamp (candles included) in the house and walk through with incense chanting, "By all that's Good, and blood of Kin, We welcome the Light and let it in!" I did that this morning because I actually had time to do so. Sometimes it takes me until the evening to have the time, but it really doesn't matter when it is done, as long as it gets done. Yesterday I created more light at my Healing Altar, both as a celebration of Imbolc and, well, because I was tired of the decorations that were there. New meaning had to be expressed. And when better to create something new than on the New Moon?

I like the light that is expressed in this photo, taken by my friend, Bob Menzies, off the coast of Scotland. When an area is used to having grey skies, any amount of light becomes precious and appreciated to the fullest. That is how I have felt this winter. Not a lot of light was experienced because of cloud cover. But today is bright and sunny and beautiful.

That is truly what magic is all about. It is the honoring and expression of the beauty that is experienced in nature each and every day, each and every season, each and every moon phase. The celebration of life begins with appreciation thereof, and continues into an exuberance and abundance that overflows from our hearts to the Earth, out to the Universe and back!

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

Magic and Technology

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Arthur C. Clarke.

As a friend of mine once said, "Science is the magic that we do understand and magic is the science that we don't yet understand." I find it amazing how people get so hung up on "technology" and "science" when what they are actually looking for is what is familiar. If something is in their comfort zone, then it is completely okay for anyone to use it or do it. Imagine what people would have thought in the 1940's if they saw folks crossing the street and talking to themselves as they chatted on their cell phones, or driving down the street talking to themselves on their bluetooths. Oh, and try even just warming something up in the microwave. What about what people would have thought of even the care instruction labels on the inside of clothing back in the dark ages! Those would have been sufficient evidence for someone to be burned as a witch!

Technology is there to help create convenience in our society. It is also beginning to finally be used to create healing. Yet the fact that it is "commonplace" does not negate the miracle that it is, for example, to someone from a third world country. We think that we have it made because of all the technological conveniences that we have. But what if, for example, there was a global disaster and suddenly all electricity was wiped out? Where would we be without lights and heat? We would also be without water because the water doesn't just come out of a tap when we turn it on, it also has to be processed through the water treatment plant which....wait for it.....here it comes.....is RUN WITH ELECTRICITY! Well, that would be okay because we could light candles. My question is, with what do we light them? Most people utilize butane lighters instead of wooden matches. Are your lighters full and stocked up? Are your wooden matches? Where do you think you would get them if they weren't and there was no electricity? The corner store? Nope. In a jungle in a third world country they would not even notice that the electricity is gone. It is not a part of the daily magic. They are much more self-sufficient than we are.

So technology can been seen as magic. But what about when magic can be seen as technology? I grow some herbs in my garden. These herbs can be used to heal. How I use them and what I use them for could be considered "folk remedies" or "magic". Some would "poo hoo" all of that, but it is this technology upon which the synthetic drugs that are promoted in commercials are based. What about when dream walking is used by someone to help someone else to heal? This would be definitely considered magical, yet it is some of this technology that is the basis of covert military operations. How better to control your political enemies than to mess with their minds?

I prefer to keep all the magic on a positive note and utilize it for the highest good of all, and according to the free will of all. That way no harm is done and healing can happen. There are some who make up all sorts of reasons and excuses as to why they can bend the rules this one time. I think that before one acts one needs to definitely contemplate all the ramifications and find the action that will match with the positive outcome, not just match one's personal desires.

So I guess that my invitation to all who practice magic in the traditional sense or in the technological sense is this...think long and hard before you act. And always remember the fact that the world is filled with insta-karma!

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

Magical Things

Halloween is my favorite time of year. We get to allow the inner being show itself. Mine is a mischievous Gypsy man. This was one of three outfits for the season. Anyway, it is the one I enjoyed the most because it was so "out there"! These days seeing a man bedecked in scarves and beads and bells is quite the sight. Yet when we think about it, it really has only been very recently in our history here on this earth that this sort of attire has been considered "unacceptable" in a social way. I have Gypsy blood in me, so I thought that I would express it while the occasion was upon us.

All of this got me to thinking about magic. I had a conversation with a friend today that reminded me about wanting to blog about this subject matter. So here I go. I have said in earlier blogs that science is the magic that we do understand and magic is the science that we don't understand. I would like to take this a step further, if I may.

When we observe things around us (which most Westerners don't because they are too freakin' busy texting) we have an inner response to what we observe. For example, I might observe a fountain in the park on a hot summer's day. Now my response might be to also observe the signs that say "Please stay out of the fountain" or my response might be to listen to my blistering hot feet and jump in and allow them and the rest of my hot body (and it is pretty hot, according to my beloved) to cool down. Could I get arrested if I do the latter? I possibly would, but it just might be worth the risk. After all, I would at least not be wading into the river which has a huge undertow that would wash me up somewhere on the other side of the weir and then result in emergency personnel getting involved. Avoiding that sort of incident might make wading in a fountain much more appealing. That, to me, is the magic of life. It is the delightful response to what is right there in front of us all the time. Magic can be heard in the echoes of children's laughter. It can be seen in the warm embrace of two lovers. It really is all magic. It is also the force that created the Universe in the first place. This was not "accidental" as much as "intentional", according to my spiritual teachers. So if that magnitude of magic can exist, then who am I to ignore it? Why would I, of all people, ever want to miss out on a big bang??

I think that it is important to simply pay attention. We have to allow ourselves to look into what is happening around us and actually see what is right in front of our eyes. We also need to put our piddly technology down for a while and just reconnect with nature, otherwise we will simply walk right past that delicious fountain and not even notice it calling to us! That, to me, would be truly tragic.

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com