When we really see

We can find things all around us that are not always visible to the human eye. As I was photographing my daughters I noticed that in the background there was a fountain that seemed to be calling me. So I took a close up of the water. As I did, I found that there was a trickling voice that was speaking to me. Being a shaman type of person, I chose to listen instead of ignore. This photo captured the image of the water spirit that presented herself to me that afternoon. The messages that I received from her remain private for now, as she was telling me what was flowing my way in the not so distant future. But I thought that it was really cool that the camera actually caught a shadowy image of her standing there. I saw her in more detail, but I was seeing her as the water flowed, not as it was frozen in a snapshot. I thought that I would share it with my readers in case it validated anyone else's experiences with such things.

Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Ears To Hear

This is one of my favorite things. This conch shell was given to me by a friend who found it while diving in Hawaii. It is actually quite large, and I find it most comfortable to hold with both hands instead of just one.

The conch shell is a gift from the ocean and from Mother Earth. Its medicines have to do with proper boundaries (thus the shell part) and with having ears to hear. It's ocean sounds can only be heard if there is relative silence around us. If there is too much chatter it becomes more difficult to hear.

This is much the same as gatherings. When there is more chatter going on it is amazing how difficult it is to hear the person who is looking right at you and speaking to you. This is part of why I don't go to a lot of social gatherings, especially in public places such as restaurants and bars. The noise level makes it impossible to connect with anyone. Funny how people swarm there to connect with others, yet the opposite effect is more true.

The conch shell teaches us that we need to use our mouths and ears in proportion. We were given one mouth and two ears for a reason. Yet it becomes to easy for people to inflict upon others their verbal diarrhea. So often people don't even listen to each other when there are only two people in the room. No wonder folks end up not feeling validated in their lives!

A wise teacher once said to me, "Everyone knows how to be quiet. Few know when." That stuck with me. Personally, I don't get off on the sound of my own voice. I know some who do. I keep those interactions limited. I find it easier to hear what people are saying when I come from a place of silence, both outwardly and inwardly. This is probably why I get some people who ask me why I don't share everything at one time. They think I am holding back, when actually I am holding space.

Many Warm Blessings for the New Year 2009!

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com

Distractions

Have you ever noticed how many mental tangents you experience in, say, a five minute period? Try this. Have a conversation with someone. While that person is speaking to you, listen. Just listen. Don't interrupt with your own thoughts and stories of your own experiences while they are talking. Don't interject your perceptions while they are talking. This is an exercise in the art of conversation. One person talks. Just ONE person talks. Then the other person responds when the first person is FINISHED talking.

Now that the rules are clear, listen to what the person is saying. Now listen some more. In the amount of time it took that person to finish, how many thought tangents have you had? How many places did you go that had nothing whatsoever to do with what the person was saying? Grocery lists, taxes, tasks lists, did I return the call to so and so who left me a message last week? When was that appointment that I was supposed to keep? I bet if I got the kids off to school on Wednesday there would be time to paint the living room. All of these kinds of thoughts are distractions. I will venture to guess that you experienced quite a few, and if so, welcome to the western world's version of reality.

Now, every time you have a tangent distracting you while someone is talking to you, breathe it out and away. You don't have to be labored in your breath, or that becomes a distraction in and of itself, even for the other person. Keep your lips closed so that you aren't saying anything that will interrupt, and breathe it out and away. Bring your mind back to the present moment and the conversation at hand.

You will find that as you do this, you will become much more attuned to what is being said to you, picking up on the subtleties and innuendos, and that in doing so you will discover deeper meanings in everything that is communicated. You will also find that in doing this you will be more aware, eventually, of the surroundings in which the conversation is taking place. Details that you would not have noticed that were perhaps in your peripheral vision, become part of the entire experience.

In ancient cultures there was something called the Talking Stick. This was a stick that was created from certain types of trees (the medicine of which was indicative of the energy that moved through the talking stick) and decorated with leather, fur, beads, feathers and the like. In council meetings, the talking stick would be passed around and each person had an opportunity to voice his or her thoughts and feelings. This also gave everyone else the opportunity to actively listen. As the talking stick moved around the circle, each person's individual voice would be not only heard, but honored as well. Each member of the circle would be in the moment with the conversation and would be able to train themselves to pay full attention to what is being said.

Now, how many times in the course of the day do you find yourself interrupted when you are trying to say something? Annoying, isn't it? Perhaps the talking stick should be introduced to the general populace. If each of us, however, trains ourselves to be good listeners then we can jump start the whole experience. We can then take those with whom we converse to a new level of awareness, simply by going there ourselves. After all, we do have two ears and only one mouth for a very good reason!

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Frogs in Mating Season

Master Taisen Deshimaru said that, "Words are as noisy as the song of the frog in the mating season." Have you ever noticed just how much can be communicated with just a look? We often hope that Spirit will communicate to us in words that we can understand. But perhaps these would just be messages. A message is when I phone home and say, "Hey, Honey, I think I left a burner on, could you please turn it off?" whereas a communication is when I arrive home at the end of the day and caress and kiss her neck.

My partner has noticed that I don't talk that much when I'm home. That is how I am. She'll get used to it, just as I have gotten used to her beautiful voice. I enjoy talking with her and laughing with her. But she brings this out in me. It is not my "normal" way of being. Folks who see me at work often think I am a chatter box because I verbally communicate exceptionally well. But they don't see me at home. There I am more silent than anything. I like silence. Sometimes I think that if we all would just stop talking for a moment and feel the silence, we would experience the communication. That is how it has always worked for me. Spirit tells me I am a good listener. Perhaps this is why I was drawn to becoming a shaman. In the meantime, I simply enjoy the silence. No incessant croaking or chirping.

That is not to say that we don't need to verbally communicate. We just need to make sure that it isn't just the sound of our own voices that is turning us on. People often get used to hearing their own "wit" being voiced and forget to listen to others. We need to be able to say, in as minimal a way as possible, what needs to be said. Then we can allow the energies of the words to fill the empty spaces between the words and between those in conversation. That way complete understanding can be achieved.

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Time Will Tell

I have heard that phrase many times. But just now, when I was contemplating what to write about, it went through my head. Not in the same way my own thoughts go through, with my voice inside my head, but with a whole other voice. So I decided I would follow that and see what happens.

I previously wrote about the FOG. The way we deal with the FOG is to wait until it clears so that we can also have clarity as to what our next step will be. That way we don't inadvertently step off a cliff. There have also been times in my life, however, when it was not about the FOG within me or within my own mind. I have had moments where I have had to just wait something out in order for clarity to show itself. Usually this has to do with other people's motives and agendas, or with the energy flow needing a certain "something" in order to have everything fit together at the right time and in the right place. For example, I moved to the city that I live near to 24 years ago. I was moving because I was going to enter university. But I was aware that what I was studying in university was only the tip of the iceberg for me. I did not know where it was going to lead, but I was willing to trust and take a leap of faith. Once I settled in, I found that the energy of the city had the feel of "home" that really resonated with me. And as time went on, I was able to find myself fitting back into my shamanic roots and providing the service for the community that it so needed at that time. Well, I still do, but I am talking about the past right now. I had to take a leap of faith and know that "time will tell" me what steps I needed to take and when. Having some antelope medicine with me (that which tells us exactly when to take which action) I have found that if I just follow my instincts they never lead me astray. Even if the journey is difficult, it is always so worth it. Every step brings me closer to understanding myself and the world around me on a much deeper level.

So yes, time will tell. But what this also fosters within us is the ability to develop patience within. I can be harder on myself than anyone else in the world. But I have learned that if I give myself some space to just sit with something that is going on, I will find my own inner wisdom voice that lets me know exactly what I need to do. Spirit tells me that I am a good listener and that is why they like to work with me. I recently told someone that I am quiet because I am listening. Most people just interrupt and then wonder why they don't get the memos from Spirit. I don't like to interrupt Spirit. I like to work with Spirit as a willing partner, allowing myself the sense of adventure that comes with going with the flow and allowing time to tell.

Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com