Crafty and Wise

My eldest daughter, bless her heart, likes to tease me about getting away with things. Innocent things, of course, but she likes to poke fun at dear old dad. I tell her that what she has in youth and vitality I posses in old age and treachery...and I know she has to sleep some time. Her response is that statistically speaking, women outlive men, and that considering the VAST age difference, she won't be worrying about losing much sleep. You gotta love a kid who can think on her feet.

My grandmother and my mother were both very crafty and wise. They had the ability to see into the deepest aspects of one's being and determine if what the person was telling them was true, false, partially true, or whatever. They would also communicate in ways that would turn phrases all around and have a person divulging more about themselves and their intent than the person ever thought he or she did. I hope I have a smidge of that ability myself. In my own crafty and wise way, of course. So I think that the whole "thinking on her feet" thing is something that my daughter comes by naturally.

Part of that is also knowing how to become an adaptogen. I heard that. "What the heck is an adaptogen???" An adaptogen is an ability to energetically meet the needs of the moment. For example, Lavender is an herbal adaptogen. Mist your bed sheets with lavender water a half hour before bed and you will have the deepest and most relaxing sleep you have had in a very long time. This is because it adapts to the needs of your energy in the moment. Part of thinking on your feet has to do with flowing with the need and also with perceiving what is actually going on around you in the moment. Try this sometime. Stand on a street corner and don't blink for about 5 minutes. This is more difficult that it sounds. But often when we blink we miss something. In that 5 minutes you will be surprised what all you see for the first time. A mentor of mine once had me do that while I was talking with him. After 5 minutes my eyes were sore. He asked me how many navy jackets with white stripes down the sleeves I had seen in that amount of time. I told him six. He said only 5 passed in front of me. I reminded him that the sixth one joined the group behind me after they had passed. He smiled. With your eyes wide open, you actually do have eyes in the back of your head.

As we perceive more around us, we are able to respond to what we perceive. Then we go with the flow more easily than we did before. Allowing the senses to awaken after their long sleep can be exhilarating and fun, and for some it can also be scary. But the more we allow ourselves to awaken, on whatever level we choose, the easier and more fulfilling life can become.

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