Butterflies Are Free

Actually, these ones weren't free at all. They cost me perhaps seven dollars at a craft store. I have used them to decorate my altar because I belong to the Butterfly Clan. I consider myself to be quite a moth man indeed. In fact I am so much a moth man that all of my significant others in my life have always been fire elementals. Like a moth to a flame, I get drawn in and have no idea of how hot the encounter is going to get!

Butterfly Clan people are Air elementals. We are able to multitask like crazy and eventually get everything done. We have brilliant minds, when in balance, and egos the size of Mt.Everest when not in balance. Also, when we are not grounded we come across to the rest of the world as total space cadets. Being grounded myself, I find the space cadets to be highly annoying, especially because at that moment they have no intention of listening to anyone who is encouraging them to get their feet back on the ground.

We also need to acknowledge what butterfly stage we are at with any given thing at any given moment. If we are in the egg stage, we know something is about to happen for us, but are not sure what it is. In the larva stage we are new to something and are not quite sure what we are going to do with it. This is much where I am with the technology aspects of my life. Then we go into the caterpillar stage. In this stage we are ravenous for information and absolutely devour all forms of information and knowledge on the topic of our obsession. There then comes a time when we enter the chrysalis stage. This is when we withdraw and cocoon ourselves so that we can integrate what we have experienced and learned. Once complete, we leave this stage and emerge completely transformed as the butterfly or moth. When we do this, sometimes people have a difficult time adjusting to who we now are. They want us to be the person they knew last week, but we have completely changed and are now someone else. If they give it a chance and get to know the new person in front of them, they will find that there is much to be appreciated. If they are resistant, we leave them behind, spreading our wings and finding new social circles in which to thrive.

So there you have it. This is what being an Air elemental in the Butterfly Clan is all about. Transformation of self is of the utmost importance to us.

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Ancient Chinese Proverb

There is an ancient Chinese Proverb that goes, "Before enlightenment, we chop wood and haul water. After enlightenment, we chop wood and haul water." I love that one. It speaks to the simplicity of life. So often I have encountered those whom I lovingly refer to as "space cadets". You know the ones. You find them everywhere. They are so "spiritually attuned" that they have no basis in this world, are completely ungrounded and often do more damage than good in the delivery of their "spiritual messages." These are people who could seriously use some work on their base chakra! After all, the more grounded and stable we are, the higher we can authentically fly.

Those of us who actually do the work involved know that the world still has its demands and we still have our basic human needs. So we chop wood and haul water because it needs to be done. We don't wait around and spend our time meditating when what needs to be attended to is going unacknowledged and neglected. Meditation has its time and place. So does eating and sleeping and working and making ourselves not just "good people", but people who are "good for something." Some of the most spiritually advanced folks I have encountered are very common. They consist of carpenters, mechanics, farmers, social workers, taxi cab drivers, counselors, police officers, mail delivery people, nurses and the like, just to mention a few. These are not people who are discarding their attire, donning strange robes, and trying to save the world by denying the world's importance.

We are here for a purpose. We cannot fulfill our purpose if we are denying the world around us. We can only fulfill our purpose if we are here and now and attending to the needs of the world around us. It really does not matter how simple or how elaborate that work is. We can find enlightenment while chopping wood and hauling water. Enlightenment is about a conscious connection. That conscious connection can only happen if one is in the moment and completely aware of the importance of the simple things in life. And while I am at it, I might as well mention that I don't think we pay people nearly enough in their menial jobs for the work and the service they provide. If someone is serving me coffee, I like to tip them. Yes, they did the job they are paid to do. But I still don't think that they are paid enough. The mere fact that they are there and handing me the coffee says to me that I don't have to go to the trouble of making it myself or cleaning up after myself once the coffee is done. This type of thing is important to me because it makes my life easier.

At first, when someone would leave me a tip for the healing work I do for them, I found it a little strange. I felt a bit uncomfortable with the concept, until a dear friend, who was also utilizing my service, said to me that she felt that my fee was minimal in comparison with the impact that I have in her life. Wow. Now it was my turn to step up to the plate with a healthy dose of gratitude and be able to say a heart felt "thank you." And this type of thing ripples on. I have given money to people that I feel are worth the investment, and I have done so when my own financial situation at times is a little shaky. But it ripples. I then pick up three new clients and they help make up for the smidgen of money that I sent out. If I treat money as an abundant flow, it proves itself to be so.

Well that was a lot of stuff in one blog. So I will sign off here and say:

Keep things simple and go with the flow.

Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com