Stepping Stones

I find that it is important in my life to recognize what things and situations and relationships are solid and will be consistent through my life, and which ones are stepping stones. Some have thought that I have difficulty with commitment, but it is quite the contrary. I have no problem committing to things and situations and even people that I think are going to be around. The others, well, I treat those areas as transitory, a stepping stone in life's journey.

So how do I know what is solid and what is not? Sometimes it is a matter of guess work. Sometimes it is a matter of instinct (which I have certainly learned to trust), and sometimes it is a matter of patterns. Patterns you say? Yes, patterns. You see, I watch patterns in situations and circumstances and patterns of behaviour. When I see a pattern that is consistently non-committal or wishy washy, or even a pattern of disloyalty, smoke screening and betrayal, I step aside and do not commit to that. Sometimes things change. People are, after all, able to grow. But that sort of thing requires conscious connection and decision making on their part. Let's face it, every situation and circumstance will turn out of the quality of the people involved. So when I back away it is because I notice something that is not authentic. When I get closer, it is because I see that something is worth the investment. This is not a judgement. It is a discernment.

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

What We Really Want

Have you ever noticed how much of what we want is actually dictated from early childhood onward? I remember being told as a small child that I liked liver. Actually, liver disgusts me. It makes my stomach ill and even to get it in I basically have to gag it down. But liver is supposed to be good for you, so I was told that I like it. I had to eat it until I was around 5 and would not eat anything associated with it, not even the potatoes that were beside it on the plate.

In life, we often are told, directly or indirectly, what we are supposed to like. Sometimes that means food, other times it means colors, now and then it means the style of clothes or hair we wear, but most often it has to do with more profound things, such as what we do for a living or what sort of people we befriend. Now the good thing is that sometimes what we are told to like or what is assumed that we like actually matches what we do like. More often what we are told to like is not at all what we do like. This is why it sometimes takes years for a person to figure it all out. We start to believe what others have told us about who we are and what we are and, through this belief, we lead our lives in misery. We wonder why the heck we are having a midlife crisis when we are only 25!

Each crisis in our lives, however, is an opportunity for realignment. When we are miserable, we need to look at what would actually make us fulfilled. For example, I knew that I did not like being a salesman. I was darn good at it, but it did not fulfill me. When I finally decided that I had to embrace my teachings as a shaman and start living my life in attunement with that path, things became much more fulfilling and joyous. That does not mean to say that it became easy. This is not a path that I tend to advise others to take, mostly because it is hard work that sometimes scares the bejeebers out of you. Anything that demands that we look at the most messed up parts of ourselves and heal those parts is going to be grueling.

I know a person who was at one time a quantum physicist. This was a highly challenging career and one that was mentally stimulating. But what this person really wanted was to become an artist. Now that this person is an artist, fulfillment naturally flows. The monetary pay is much less, but the joy is exponentially greater.

We sometimes have to allow ourselves to come to full bloom on our own. This cannot be accomplished with anyone tugging at the buds, or squeezing them in hopes of making them bloom on their time and in their way. It simply has to naturally occur. And then the fruits of our labors are succulent and sweet.

Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Where You Want To Go

"You don't have to go where you don't want to be to get to where you want to be. You can go from where you are to where you want to be." Jerry & Esther Hicks.

So often we throw pebbles in our own path! We make things so difficult for ourselves that we are unable to see the goal past all the blockages we've put up. Then we feel like we are spinning our wheels and getting nowhere, escalating our frustration levels. Then the frustration in and of itself becomes a blockage to what we are trying to accomplish! So often I hear people say, "I would love to do this, but my job does not allow for me to have the time to do so." My answer......GET ANOTHER JOB OR MAKE THE JOB WORK FOR YOU INSTEAD OF YOU WORKING FOR YOUR JOB.

Some of those pebbles we throw down can be jagged beliefs that we integrated into our psyche. Some of them can be well rounded routines and habits that we have a difficult time breaking out of. Sometimes these things, from the outside as well as from the inside, can actually look appealing and beautiful, but are no less an entrapment than something that does not look so nice. We need to be able to develop a certain level of discernment and authenticity in order to actually know what is going to be healthy and enriching for ourselves.

This takes time and patience and a great amount of dedication. Our culture does not promote very well the concept of being dedicated to ourselves as much as it admires those who are dedicated to a cause and sacrifice all of themselves to said cause. Being dedicated to ourselves is a cutting edge concept that will lead to a healthier society. After all, how can we possibly be there for anyone else if we are not there for ourselves and making sure that we are well enough to put out for another? Oh, sure, there is the adrenaline rush and the ego boost that comes with accomplishments that are publicly acknowledged and admired. Frankly, I would rather my tombstone read, "Beloved Friend" than "CEO of General Motors" or something. We need to take stock of what is actually important in our lives. For me it is myself, my children, my Love, my Friends, my animal friends. Within those connections there are many ways in which the importance is expressed. This way I am able to live a life that is enriched and fulfilled.

Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com