The Shift

"Well done is better than well said." Benjamin Franklin. There are always those who will criticize us as we are learning to do something, or even if we have been doing it for years. There is always the know-it-all who thinks that he knows better about everything than anyone else. We need to ignore these folks and just do what we do and what works well for ourselves. Anyone can talk on and on, and very eloquently, about how to do something. But we need to look at whether or not they can actually do it.

I meet a lot of people who think that they know all there is to know about shamanism because they have read books about it (sometimes only one!) and they have met a shaman somewhere in the world and worked with that person (sometimes for only a week!) and think that they know all there is to know on the subject. I have worked with shamanism for over 40 years and still don't know all there is to know about it. That is just in this lifetime alone. I must admit that when I run into these pretenders I do get a wee bit annoyed. I am also human after all and I do eat and watch t.v. and pay the mortgage. Pretenders tend to want others to give them accolades for just knowing something. They don't actually know how to put the thing into practice. It would be like thinking that because you have a Martha Stewart cookbook you are instantly a master chef. It doesn't work that way with anything in life.

There is a shift going on in the world and people are becoming aware of it. This shift has to do with the rise of the Divine Feminine energies in and all over the Earth. We have known for thousands of years that these shifts take place. And now that one is at hand, there are many who want to jump on and join the band wagon. I think that it is admirable to want to respond to the shift. But to do so in a way that is all about ego is counter to what the shift is about. We do need the ego as a gage of how we view ourselves, so please don't get me wrong because I am not one of those who thinks that the ego is an evil entity. But when we allow the ego to rule us in a "Look at me! I know all about shamanism! Follow me and I will lead the way!" type of way, then the ego is definitely needing to be reined in.

Pretenders. You gotta love and guide them, because to incinerate them is illegal, not to mention chuck full of karma that would then have to be worked off. My hope is that the pretenders will come to realize that they need to learn how to do instead of just talk about it as though they are experts. They would be of much better service to the world that way.

So listen to the trees and the wind and the subtle voices of the animals. Listen to your heart and to the earth and respond to that of which you become aware. Stay grounded and fly high and view the stars as an extension of your own consciousness. Know that we don't need a space ship to travel to other worlds. Know that there is as much of the universe in your thumbnail as there is in a constellation. Know that the Feminine is flowing through you and calling to you every day and that to respond will set your spirit free.


Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Pretenders

Have you ever met a pretender? This is someone who likes to be seen as being one way when in actuality they are something different altogether. I know I have met a few in my life. These are usually the ones who will also try to diminish those of us who are authentically on our path and doing our work in self discovery and healing. Sometimes it is not easy to spot a pretender until you are so far in that backing away is, in and of itself, a major challenge.

But the pretenders are here for a reason (I think). I have found myself to gain great strength each time I have had an encounter with one of these folks. Yes, the lesson is difficult and often painful, but as I move on from it I find that I become stronger within and have the ability to spot other pretenders a lot faster next time. Then these ones wonder why the heck I keep my distance. Well, once one becomes more "real" I have great joy in spending time with them. But until then, I don't want to waste my time or energy trying to be their friend. And, with Otter medicine within me, I find that if you fool me once, shame on you, but if you fool me twice, shame on me. So as harmonious as I am, I also have the ability to discern who is healthy and who is not. Pretenders are not healthy. That does not mean that they can't get healthy. It just means that right now they are not.

Living together and existing together is an art form. Sometimes we can over work a painting and wreck it before it had a chance. Sometimes a paint won't mix properly with the consistency of a different color. Then the texture of the paint and the color of the paint all seem kind of wonky. The same goes for human relationships. Know when the mix is a good one and don't even apply the poor mix to your canvas!

Blessed Be

Trent