Does anyone out there watch Sex and the City? Reruns of it are everywhere. I enjoy this show because it has incredible humor in it. There is a scene where Carrie Bradshaw is looking at a pair of shoes in a window and from her lips comes the utterance, "Hello, Lover!" I laughed myself silly!
Then it happened. Just tonight. It happened to me. I was in a store to try on a pair of shoes. This is no ordinary pair of men's shoes. This is a pair of Cole Haan shoes. Cole Haan was bought out by Nike. Nike put into the Cole Haan shoes their air technology. This pair of fabulous slip on leather shoes does indeed feel like sinking your whole body down into warm butter. And then with the air technology, they are so incredibly light that you can hardly feel them on your feet! They are the absolute sexiest pair of shoes I have ever owned in my entire life. Yes, I bought them. And I didn't even blink an eye! I just bought them. Before I could even think about it my card was whipped out and my John Henry was on the dotted line! Honestly, I want to wear them to bed! This pair of shoes may actually make me want to wear socks! This is something, as previously mentioned in another blog entry, that I hate to do. Socks make me feel like I am suffocating. But socks with these sexy shoes......I will put the darn pair of socks on if it means that I can wear these shoes!!!!
These are the small luxuries and necessities in life. It is important, especially with an Achilles tendon like mine, to have excellent support in foot wear. So this pair of shoes is a must. "I guess that I will try them on if I have to! But I am certainly not sold on liking them and for this price....wait a minute....I get a sensation like that and I only have to pay this much??? SOLD!"
Think good support. If our feet give out, the rest of us have nothing to stand on!
Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
The Original Shaman
Did you know that the original shamans were artists as well? It is true. Shamans of ancient times would go into trance as they painted the figures of animals on the rock walls of their caves. In this trance state, they would "tune in" to where the animals were grazing. They would then let the hunters know where to go to find the herds for hunting. It was an ancient form of achieving a GPS coordinate. Considering that we all survived the ice age, I am pretty sure the system worked well.
In modern times, shamans like myself don't have to actually do that sort of thing. Yes, we purchase our groceries at the store like everybody else! Imagine that! But art still plays an important role in the work that I do as a shaman.
When I "tune in" to a person's past life, for example, one of the ways in which I do that is to start drawing them in that past life. As the portrait unfolds on the paper, the details of the lifetime also unfold. When I do a Spirit Energy Portrait I "tune in" to the person's aura, chakras, past lives, power animals, spirit guides and so on, and then place them strategically into the portrait as I paint it. There are also other images that, over time, emerge from within the painting. These images give me messages as well.
I find that even just stirring sand or sugar can put me into that trance state of consciousness, as does looking at a glassy surface such as water or ice, or a crystal. I think that once one catches on to how to access that part of the brain, then the brain takes every opportunity it can to exercise that muscle system within it. Stirring my coffee can do it, washing dishes by hand, brushing teeth, and, when I had it, washing my hair. Life itself becomes a meditation that allows me to channel whatever I need to whenever I need to in order to get the messages from Spirit through to me or others. Having said that, I am needing to be very clear that I don't want crowds of people in the bathroom while I shower! Pllllllease! Remember, I don't have hair anymore!
Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com
In modern times, shamans like myself don't have to actually do that sort of thing. Yes, we purchase our groceries at the store like everybody else! Imagine that! But art still plays an important role in the work that I do as a shaman.
When I "tune in" to a person's past life, for example, one of the ways in which I do that is to start drawing them in that past life. As the portrait unfolds on the paper, the details of the lifetime also unfold. When I do a Spirit Energy Portrait I "tune in" to the person's aura, chakras, past lives, power animals, spirit guides and so on, and then place them strategically into the portrait as I paint it. There are also other images that, over time, emerge from within the painting. These images give me messages as well.
I find that even just stirring sand or sugar can put me into that trance state of consciousness, as does looking at a glassy surface such as water or ice, or a crystal. I think that once one catches on to how to access that part of the brain, then the brain takes every opportunity it can to exercise that muscle system within it. Stirring my coffee can do it, washing dishes by hand, brushing teeth, and, when I had it, washing my hair. Life itself becomes a meditation that allows me to channel whatever I need to whenever I need to in order to get the messages from Spirit through to me or others. Having said that, I am needing to be very clear that I don't want crowds of people in the bathroom while I shower! Pllllllease! Remember, I don't have hair anymore!
Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com
Monday, July 28, 2008
The Way of the Wise Man
In my wonderful book titled "Awakenings" by Danielle and Olivier Follmi, there is a quote from Chuang-tzu that reads, "To act with the minimum of effort and obtain the maximum results, such is the way of the wise man."
This concept can be found in such practices as Tai Chi, Wyn Tsun and many others. In these martial arts, one does not aggressively strike out so much as both not be in the way of an aggressor striking out and to use the force of their strike against them. Thus we dodge the strike, grasp the arm that is striking and pull it along the path of the strike right past us. The aggressor usually goes through the wall with minimum effort on our part.
But this concept can be applied to every day life. The photo that goes with the quotation in the book is of a shimmery body of water with a group of people on a small sail boat moving along with the wind pulling them. Talk about minimum effort in application! Besides sailing, we can also "sail" right through various challenges in our lives with minimum effort as well. The trick here is to know what we truly want and who we truly are. Everything that does not fit that knowing simply falls away from us and can no longer clutter our paths. This is not to say that getting to know who we are and what we want is without effort. But once we discover the simple truths about ourselves, the rest comes easily. Try it. You might find it to be quite enjoyable!
Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com
This concept can be found in such practices as Tai Chi, Wyn Tsun and many others. In these martial arts, one does not aggressively strike out so much as both not be in the way of an aggressor striking out and to use the force of their strike against them. Thus we dodge the strike, grasp the arm that is striking and pull it along the path of the strike right past us. The aggressor usually goes through the wall with minimum effort on our part.
But this concept can be applied to every day life. The photo that goes with the quotation in the book is of a shimmery body of water with a group of people on a small sail boat moving along with the wind pulling them. Talk about minimum effort in application! Besides sailing, we can also "sail" right through various challenges in our lives with minimum effort as well. The trick here is to know what we truly want and who we truly are. Everything that does not fit that knowing simply falls away from us and can no longer clutter our paths. This is not to say that getting to know who we are and what we want is without effort. But once we discover the simple truths about ourselves, the rest comes easily. Try it. You might find it to be quite enjoyable!
Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Color Coordination
There are some out there who tend to think that it should not matter what you look like or how you dress in order for people to respond positively towards you. I used to think this as well. Then I realized that I had gone through years of not really feeling worthy of nice clothes. I felt guilty if I spent any money on myself whatsoever and channeled all that energy towards making sure there was a roof over my family's heads and clothes on their backs. It should have been clothes on our backs. And any time that there was some money spent on clothing for me, I was racked with guilt and some remorse that I should spend that on me instead of on someone else. During this time, I also found that there were some around me with similar political ideals about fashion. But these folks tended to dress down so much as a response to good fashion sense that they began looking and, dare I say, smelling like vagabonds. I felt that it was one thing to have old clothes, and quite another to not at least wash them!
So now I find myself back in the game of fashion coordination. Colors either go well, or not. And I am not willing to wear something that doesn't look good. So my clothes closet is going through a major overhaul. I am not talking about spending thousands of dollars to be a clothes rack. I am talking about simply looking sharp and feeling good about myself again and knowing that I deserve to look good and dress well. Some people have never had this as an "issue", but I have and so I am going to resolve it promptly.
I write this as I am preparing to go shopping at Walmart. Okay, okay, I know that it is not the best place on earth to shop. But there are some things that I cannot get anywhere else for as good a price and I refuse to spend more than necessary for those things. But getting ready to go there reminded me that I am dressing to look good, even if it is just to go to Walmart. There are no longer any occasions where I am going to allow myself to look anything but good.
And I have found that clerks and bankers and total strangers on the street are responding not just to my attire, but also to my energy. This is now an energy of self-respect and self-worth. I like having it and I certainly like being treated as such. So go ahead and treat yourself! Buy that nice shirt or shorts or pants or skirt or whatever the case may be. Don't overcharge your credit card because that would be stupid. But don't convince yourself that you aren't worth the investment in good clothes. I know from experience that this is a depressing path to journey upon.
Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com
So now I find myself back in the game of fashion coordination. Colors either go well, or not. And I am not willing to wear something that doesn't look good. So my clothes closet is going through a major overhaul. I am not talking about spending thousands of dollars to be a clothes rack. I am talking about simply looking sharp and feeling good about myself again and knowing that I deserve to look good and dress well. Some people have never had this as an "issue", but I have and so I am going to resolve it promptly.
I write this as I am preparing to go shopping at Walmart. Okay, okay, I know that it is not the best place on earth to shop. But there are some things that I cannot get anywhere else for as good a price and I refuse to spend more than necessary for those things. But getting ready to go there reminded me that I am dressing to look good, even if it is just to go to Walmart. There are no longer any occasions where I am going to allow myself to look anything but good.
And I have found that clerks and bankers and total strangers on the street are responding not just to my attire, but also to my energy. This is now an energy of self-respect and self-worth. I like having it and I certainly like being treated as such. So go ahead and treat yourself! Buy that nice shirt or shorts or pants or skirt or whatever the case may be. Don't overcharge your credit card because that would be stupid. But don't convince yourself that you aren't worth the investment in good clothes. I know from experience that this is a depressing path to journey upon.
Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com
Friday, July 25, 2008
A Vegimite Sandwich?????
Have you ever had one of those embarrassing moments where you are singing along to a song on a CD or on the radio and then have someone point out to you how you have the words all wrong? My love pointed out to me last night that I had yet another set of words wrong to the Men At Work song "Down Under". At least I think it was Men At Work, and I think the song is "Down Under", but I no longer am very sure of anything!
"He just smiled and gave me a vegimite sandwich." So what the heck is a vegimite sandwich??? I don't even know if I am spelling it correctly, but after reading the next line, you may not care either. Apparently down under they have this thing called vegimite that is like a peanut butter substitute, but is actually more like lard and tastes even worse. I is very popular down there. When it was described to me, I decided that there is a very good reason that I live up here in Canada. We actually have peanut butter. Not being allergic to legumes, I can eat all the peanut butter I want. And it doesn't have to taste like lard!
And then I also discovered something divine! My Love's parents own and operate Premala's Spicy Sensations and make all sorts of delicious Indian food and sauces and chutneys etc. They make something called Pachadi. Now, this is actually said more like "muchity" with a "p" instead of an "m". It is very important that you know how to say the words correctly. Her family is an excellent group of instructors when it comes to other language and being able to pronounce things correctly. But I think it is also because there is power in words. So if I say Love incorrectly, it is not going to have the same power as when I say it correctly. Much the same for the names of food, people, articles, animals, etc. So you need to say it right. And what the heck is Pachadi anyway? Well, it is a peanut butter based spread that is spicy. I am not talking the hideous kind of spicy that you get at cheap knock off imitation Indian food places. I am talking about absolutely wonderful flavor. That is the way they make all their food. The spice is not to knock your socks off (which I rarely wear anyway), but to bring out the flavor of the food and the blend of aromas and textures. They also bless their food every time they prepare it, so it is laced with the goodness of the gods! By the way, you can get this stuff at the Farmer's Market in Saskatoon, where they have a booth. And if you do, make sure that you ask for the recipe for the Chickpea Curry. The story will amaze you!
Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com
"He just smiled and gave me a vegimite sandwich." So what the heck is a vegimite sandwich??? I don't even know if I am spelling it correctly, but after reading the next line, you may not care either. Apparently down under they have this thing called vegimite that is like a peanut butter substitute, but is actually more like lard and tastes even worse. I is very popular down there. When it was described to me, I decided that there is a very good reason that I live up here in Canada. We actually have peanut butter. Not being allergic to legumes, I can eat all the peanut butter I want. And it doesn't have to taste like lard!
And then I also discovered something divine! My Love's parents own and operate Premala's Spicy Sensations and make all sorts of delicious Indian food and sauces and chutneys etc. They make something called Pachadi. Now, this is actually said more like "muchity" with a "p" instead of an "m". It is very important that you know how to say the words correctly. Her family is an excellent group of instructors when it comes to other language and being able to pronounce things correctly. But I think it is also because there is power in words. So if I say Love incorrectly, it is not going to have the same power as when I say it correctly. Much the same for the names of food, people, articles, animals, etc. So you need to say it right. And what the heck is Pachadi anyway? Well, it is a peanut butter based spread that is spicy. I am not talking the hideous kind of spicy that you get at cheap knock off imitation Indian food places. I am talking about absolutely wonderful flavor. That is the way they make all their food. The spice is not to knock your socks off (which I rarely wear anyway), but to bring out the flavor of the food and the blend of aromas and textures. They also bless their food every time they prepare it, so it is laced with the goodness of the gods! By the way, you can get this stuff at the Farmer's Market in Saskatoon, where they have a booth. And if you do, make sure that you ask for the recipe for the Chickpea Curry. The story will amaze you!
Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Commitment
Have you ever had one of those people in your life who says things like,"We should get together for a visit/coffee/tea" etc. and then never follows through? I received an email to that effect not long ago, responded with my available times and, as per usual, have not heard back. When this happened I realized that I have somehow accumulated 3 people like that into my life in the last couple of years. This surprises me because I usually don't tolerate this sort of behavior. But they kind of snuck in.
So now what? Well, as I have had to do before to remove klingons from my robes, I will give each of them one chance out of many that they have had to step up or get out. I don't do this without actually telling them that I am doing it. That would just be one big game. But when I tell them that I am noticing a pattern in behavior and that I don't like it and won't put up with it and then make plans with them, they had better show up. Yes, emergencies can happen. But when we planned it for a month in advance and then "friends from out of town have dropped in and I need to be with them tonight" happens, then I know that my time and energy is just not important enough to let the friends from out of town know that you are busy and that they can give advance notice next time.
I think that some people just don't know how to say "no" to others. If they did, then they would be much more committed to following through with set plans and less likely to whimsically change them because some one breezes through town for an evening. But then one wonders what the relationship actually is with the ones who breeze through town? Perhaps there is something there that is actually much more enticing than what I have to offer? If so, just say so and we are good. Don't let me stand in the way of a good lay! But do be honest with me and with yourself as to why you are doing what you are doing. And then don't blow me off the next time we have a coffee date.
So that is the shaman's rant for today. Unfortunately, I may have actually done similar stuff to friends and not even known it because they were too timid to call me on it. I hope not. I do like to deal with things up front. That way we let go of all the drama!
Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com
So now what? Well, as I have had to do before to remove klingons from my robes, I will give each of them one chance out of many that they have had to step up or get out. I don't do this without actually telling them that I am doing it. That would just be one big game. But when I tell them that I am noticing a pattern in behavior and that I don't like it and won't put up with it and then make plans with them, they had better show up. Yes, emergencies can happen. But when we planned it for a month in advance and then "friends from out of town have dropped in and I need to be with them tonight" happens, then I know that my time and energy is just not important enough to let the friends from out of town know that you are busy and that they can give advance notice next time.
I think that some people just don't know how to say "no" to others. If they did, then they would be much more committed to following through with set plans and less likely to whimsically change them because some one breezes through town for an evening. But then one wonders what the relationship actually is with the ones who breeze through town? Perhaps there is something there that is actually much more enticing than what I have to offer? If so, just say so and we are good. Don't let me stand in the way of a good lay! But do be honest with me and with yourself as to why you are doing what you are doing. And then don't blow me off the next time we have a coffee date.
So that is the shaman's rant for today. Unfortunately, I may have actually done similar stuff to friends and not even known it because they were too timid to call me on it. I hope not. I do like to deal with things up front. That way we let go of all the drama!
Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Staff Meetings
I am working in the coolest place that anyone could work in. The Aquamarine Healing Center is filled with wonderful people who come from a variety of different modalities of healing. And you should be a fly on the wall during our staff meetings! As opposed to former staff meetings where I was wondering if this was going to give me a staff infection, at this center we do fun stuff, including business discussions, like drumming and laughing and things like that. Happiness and laughter heal so much as well. I feel blessed and honored to be a part of it all.
Blessed Be
Trent Deerhorn
www.deerhornshamanic.com
Blessed Be
Trent Deerhorn
www.deerhornshamanic.com
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