The Tribal Tattoo

I am noticing a lot of "Tribal" tattoos this summer. It is as though suddenly there is a HUGE fad for that. Someone designs some funky looking pattern and calls it "Tribal" and suddenly everyone with a desire to connect with the primal within is getting at least one of them inked onto some part of their bodies.  Connecting with the inner primal being can be accomplished much more easily if one attends, say, a drumming circle, or goes camping in the wilderness (and by that I don't mean Central Park!).

Please don't get me wrong. I happen to LOVE tattoos. I have found, over the years, that people instinctively, without conscious knowledge, get themselves inked with their power animal or plant totem. It might be amongst a lot of other stuff that is inked on that means something or other to that individual, but the fact that they didn't know that it was their power animal or plant totem and still were resonating enough with that energy to get it inked on is, to me, admirable. But the marketing of the "Tribal" tattoos I personally find to be silly. Most of them have no meaning unless, like the one on this guy's arm, they are linked in with something that actually does have meaning, like the Yin/Yang symbol on his wrist. The rest of it is fluff. It might look "cool", but then it becomes cool fluff.

I think that if we are going to ink ourselves with things, those things need to have deep meaning. After all, it is going to be on us forevermore, so it better be something that isn't going to just fade away as the fad disappears. That is also why I have never had one done. I have energy tattoos, that some people have seen, that move around on my body like they are "alive". It never fails to freak people out when they first become aware of these "invisible" markings. But to get something inked onto my body that will last forever, well, that is just too much of a commitment for this 21st Century shaman!

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

The Big Winds Moon

Well, if anyone has looked outside or stepped outside in our area of the world, they will understand what is meant by the Big Winds Moon! The blizzard that it is blowing in is nasty to the point where I turned around on the highway this morning and came back home. Zero visibility is simply too crazy to risk driving in. So what is the purpose of the Big Winds anyway?

Well, the winds at this time of year actually serve the purpose of moving the trees around. That movement of the trees helps to gently work the roots in the ground so that the frozen ground gets shifted around the roots. This loosens everything up so that the soil is soft in the spring and when the melting happens, the nutrients are able to get to the tree roots faster. Cool, huh? It is all about preparation. That is the actual medicine of the Big Winds Moon. People born during this moon (Feb 19-March 20) tend to, when in balance, be some of the most well-prepared people in any given situation. They are the boy scouts and girl scouts of the Medicine Wheel.

Part of that preparation aspect of their personalities has to do with the fact that the Cougar is the power animal that adopts individuals born during this time. The Cougar is the power animal that brings the medicine of great Leadership. A Cougar person will not randomly do things just for the fun of it...not when they are responsible for so many others in their lives. After all, being a good leader has more to do with what is good for all the people, not just the individual agendas of small groups of people.  Like the cougar will approach a ravine, assess it, backtrack another 20 paces and sit there and contemplate jumping across the ravine, the cougar person will also prepare for such things with as much diligence. Once prepared, the cougar will take a running leap, fly through the air, tail perfectly balancing its body for the mid-air journey, and then land perfectly on the other side. Once it knows that it can do this, then any other time it comes towards the same ravine it will know ahead what it did last time and simply keep running and jump...perfectly. Once the jump has become mastered, the Cougar person will also allow that to lead into quantum leaping through life.

Cougar people tend to be the types who are very independent and don't care very much about the minor needs of the individuals around them. They are more concerned with what will actually help the masses. Instead of fishing to feed everyone, the Cougar person will teach everyone how to fish for themselves. The Cougar person has no tolerance for the helpless or the pathetic. A Cougar person does not ever waste his or her time with those who cling onto the apron strings. In fact, a Cougar person is more likely to slice and dice anyone they meet who is a sniveller or a whiner. Thus the Cougar person tends to be an excellent parent who teaches the young to think for themselves and to be independent contributors to society.

When out of balance a Cougar person will take great joy in being cruel with actions and with words. They will want to be dominant at all costs and will toy with people's emotions. They will cull the weak out of the herd and eat them up.

The Plant Totem for this moon is the Plantain, which helps to nourish the body through the endocrine system. The Mineral Totem is the Turquoise, which helps the individual to express themselves and what they spiritually see as relevant with eloquence. It also helps to connect the individual to the Spirit of everything around us.

People who are Cougar People are part of the Frog Clan, which has to do with the deep water/soul level of reality. They are able to communicate in "deep talk" quickly and to have visionary insights. Frog Clan people were the first to discover the art of Scrying through the surface of the water and thus gleaning visions of what is, was and will be!

Blessed Be

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

Caring for Animals/Caring for Self

We have a few animals around our home. Two birds, a cat, two dogs and several wild birds that we feed through the winter. We used to also have two guinea pigs and several fish. That got to be just too much work. When one begins to resent the work involved more than one enjoys the relationship with the animal, it is time to find them a new home.

The same could be said for relationships. Yes, all relationships take some work and care. But there are some relationships that require much more high maintainence than others. These ones tend to drain the heck out of our energy. We find ourselves twisting into pretzels trying to make something work, anything work, within this kind of relationship and still end up exhausted on a deep soul level. If something or someone doesn't feed your soul, then it is far better to not have it and look for something or someone who does. I have never yet met a person who has made that hard decision and regretted it later.

I find caring for animals generally fulfilling. The relationship between a human and an animal can be extremely magical. For example, it is rare that I don't pick up on my dogs' thoughts that they would like to go outside for awhile. It is also rare that I can't pick up on where the cat is. We have a bit of a telepathic connect. I remember dreaming one night that my dog had her chin on my bed and when I opened my eyes I saw her lips move as she mouthed the words,"I need to go outside and pee right NOW." Suddenly I really did open my eyes and there she was with her chin on my bed. I whispered,"Do you need out?" and she bolted for the door with such speed I knew I'd better be hot on her tail before she lost control of her bladder.

It is man's (by that I mean all human beings for those who are anally politically correct) job to care for the earth. That includes the earth's creatures. This is why we feed the birds outside as well as feed our own animal family. If we didn't do this, they could certainly die in our -48 C weather. As it is, some probably will die. The wheel turns. But if we can help in any way, we certainly will. I was very pleased this summer to find a few deer also utilizing our land as a grazing zone. The only challenge was allowing that while keeping our dogs away from them. The relationship between dog and deer is what it is. The dogs chase and the deer run. Hopefully the deer come back and the dogs get used to their presence in the pasture as much as they did the presence of the horses a few years ago.

I find that caring for the animals, domestic and wild, to be something that connects me on a deeper level with nature. Learning their language is important as well. I have learned to mimic the sounds of each of my pets. I figure if I expect them to understand my language then I had better learn to speak theirs as well. What I am saying could be completely stupid in translation, but at least I am attempting the process. That is all we can do really. If we give it some effort, there is bound to be some good results.

Blessed Be

Trent