It is very important to remain in the now, in the moment. Too often we allow our lives to get completely out of control and we end up living in the past or in the future, not even paying attention to what is right in front of us. This is how we lose our connection to each other and to Great Spirit.
Whatever we do in our day, let's all put our full attention into that. This way we are able to give each thing and each person its due respect. If we eat, put full attention into that. If we listen, put full attention into that. If we walk, put full attention into that. This way we become vessels for Great Spirit to act and speak through us and to us. Stay in the moment, stay in the now.
Warmest Blessings
Trent Deerhorn
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
Shamanic Journey: Mind
The mind is full of clutter. Most of the clutter has to do with conditions and attitudes we have been raised to think of as real. So the mind becomes a series of gears and pulleys and wheels and really doesn't do it's job. The job of the mind is to be a servant to us. We are to receive information through the mind, but then process it through the intuitive aspects which allow us to flow with the universal and natural energies. Too often we are convinced that what our minds tell us is automatically rationally true. So we allow our minds to run us, instead of allowing ourselves to run our minds. So here is a little exercise for you:
Go into a room alone and record your voice as you freely speak whatever comes to your mind. Do this for 5-10 minutes. Just allow yourself to chatter on and don't worry about what comes out of your mouth. Then put the tape away and listen to it in a day or two. You will be surprised at the rubbish that came out of your mouth and how your mind is actually working in a dysfunctional way.
Now here is a journey for you to take. You don't need to use a drum for this or anything, but you can if you like, or put on a drumming CD. Most journeys take you to the other realms. This one takes you into the inner world of the mind. This is not to say it is the mind's domain. This is YOUR domain. You get to choose what goes on here. So allow yourself to get comfortable and go within. Find a peaceful place in which to do this. Find your own inner place of peace within. Allow yourself to talk with the mechanic of your mind. See what this one is like. Explain to the mechanic that you need to run a different program; one of peace, love, joy, inspiration, strength, empowerment of self and others. To do this the original programs must be deleted in order to make room. So allow the mechanic to delete the outmoded programs of self-doubt and low self-worth. Then install the new programs. See how this changes the mechanic. Then notice how this changes you. Breathe that change through every cell of your body. Know that you are now the MASTER OF YOUR MIND. Nothing can happen in there now without your permission. If anything negative begins to sneak in, you can boot it out. You and the mechanic are now partners in this process. It is indeed that simple. Now come on back and feel the benefits of this journey. And I welcome you to comment on your experiences of this journey and the after benefits of it!
Blessed Be!
Go into a room alone and record your voice as you freely speak whatever comes to your mind. Do this for 5-10 minutes. Just allow yourself to chatter on and don't worry about what comes out of your mouth. Then put the tape away and listen to it in a day or two. You will be surprised at the rubbish that came out of your mouth and how your mind is actually working in a dysfunctional way.
Now here is a journey for you to take. You don't need to use a drum for this or anything, but you can if you like, or put on a drumming CD. Most journeys take you to the other realms. This one takes you into the inner world of the mind. This is not to say it is the mind's domain. This is YOUR domain. You get to choose what goes on here. So allow yourself to get comfortable and go within. Find a peaceful place in which to do this. Find your own inner place of peace within. Allow yourself to talk with the mechanic of your mind. See what this one is like. Explain to the mechanic that you need to run a different program; one of peace, love, joy, inspiration, strength, empowerment of self and others. To do this the original programs must be deleted in order to make room. So allow the mechanic to delete the outmoded programs of self-doubt and low self-worth. Then install the new programs. See how this changes the mechanic. Then notice how this changes you. Breathe that change through every cell of your body. Know that you are now the MASTER OF YOUR MIND. Nothing can happen in there now without your permission. If anything negative begins to sneak in, you can boot it out. You and the mechanic are now partners in this process. It is indeed that simple. Now come on back and feel the benefits of this journey. And I welcome you to comment on your experiences of this journey and the after benefits of it!
Blessed Be!
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Karma
People often give me the blank stare when I speak about karma. "Oh, that's that Middle Eastern mumbo jumbo!" they often say. Well, first off, it is not a philosophy that is exclusive to any particular area of the world. It is a universal concept. It is the law of cause and effect. Quite simply put, if I were to harm you, it would come back to me. If I were to bless you, it would come back to me. When we become conscious of this reality ( and that is where some areas of the world are far ahead of our western world philosophy) we would be able to end all wars. There is no sense in repeating history without taking a moment to learn from it. When we look at cause and effect, free of the concepts of blame, we clearly see karma in immediate action. It no longer matters who did what to us, we know that it will come back to them. So then we are able to look with foresight at every action we take, or every action we don't take, and see what we consciously choose for ourselves and the ripple effect of karma that flows from that decision. It is what responsibility is all about....the ability to respond. When we respond with a compassionate heart, we create excellent karma!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Honoring the Ancestors
Confucius said, "When the dead are honoured and when the memory of the most distant ancestor remains alive, the strength of a people attains its fullest expression."
Today I went on a shamanic journey. Holding a piece of pipe stone in one hand and swirling the rattle with the other, I was taken on a twofold journey through time and space back through my ancestral lines on both sides of my family. Lo and behold, they ended up intertwining numerous times through the genetic history. No inbreeding or anything like that, but certainly a connection every hundred years or so. I found this fascinating because I had never seen the interwoven aspect in any previous journeys. I had only found the individual aspects as they pertained to the issues at the time of each journey. This time I was wide open for all the information (or at least as much as I could handle) to flood through.
While this was happening, I was also aware of the presence of the ancestral spirits all around me in my temple. Some had "issues" they had not resolved with each other, but all were willing to be there for me while I journeyed. The amount of love and support that I experienced coming from each and all of them was absolutely INSANE!!! It brought tears to my eyes and I now know that in many ways, I am also a catalyst for them to heal their own stuff between each other. At the end of the journey, all the spirits entered my heart chakra and radiated throughout my physical being. Then all the light slowly faded away and I felt some of them touch my cheek as they bid me farewell. It was beautiful. I am so honored. I truly have developed a deeper connection and respect for each of them as I integrate their stories within my DNA. Ancestors of all Time And Space, I thank you!
Today I went on a shamanic journey. Holding a piece of pipe stone in one hand and swirling the rattle with the other, I was taken on a twofold journey through time and space back through my ancestral lines on both sides of my family. Lo and behold, they ended up intertwining numerous times through the genetic history. No inbreeding or anything like that, but certainly a connection every hundred years or so. I found this fascinating because I had never seen the interwoven aspect in any previous journeys. I had only found the individual aspects as they pertained to the issues at the time of each journey. This time I was wide open for all the information (or at least as much as I could handle) to flood through.
While this was happening, I was also aware of the presence of the ancestral spirits all around me in my temple. Some had "issues" they had not resolved with each other, but all were willing to be there for me while I journeyed. The amount of love and support that I experienced coming from each and all of them was absolutely INSANE!!! It brought tears to my eyes and I now know that in many ways, I am also a catalyst for them to heal their own stuff between each other. At the end of the journey, all the spirits entered my heart chakra and radiated throughout my physical being. Then all the light slowly faded away and I felt some of them touch my cheek as they bid me farewell. It was beautiful. I am so honored. I truly have developed a deeper connection and respect for each of them as I integrate their stories within my DNA. Ancestors of all Time And Space, I thank you!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Traditions and Adaptability
My wisdom for the day (I choose one every day from cards, books or from a bin of random ones) is from Chogyam Trungpa, who writes, "We must discover the link between our traditions and our personal experience of life. It is the now - the magic of the present moment - that connects the present with the wisdom of the past."
I so agree with this concept. There is nothing like empty ritual to completely destroy our spiritual connections with our ancestors, our families, our culture. Some say that ritual is the foundation of tradition. I don't agree. I think it is the other way around. Our history has led our people to adopt certain traditions that lead us to expressing them in certain rituals. But history has many loops and holes and twists and turns which continue to unfold into the present. So we need to become adaptable and allow our traditions to hold us steady as our rituals shift with the changing ebbs and flows of the present situations and circumstances. After all, we can no longer survive with the rituals of the ice age. We had to adapt in order to survive. But the essence of what was can still be found in the current traditions. We simply need to look deeply enough. I am also still processing the entire concept, so if anyone out there has something that he or she might like to add for this shaman to also ponder, you are more than welcome to do so. After all, I am adaptable!
I so agree with this concept. There is nothing like empty ritual to completely destroy our spiritual connections with our ancestors, our families, our culture. Some say that ritual is the foundation of tradition. I don't agree. I think it is the other way around. Our history has led our people to adopt certain traditions that lead us to expressing them in certain rituals. But history has many loops and holes and twists and turns which continue to unfold into the present. So we need to become adaptable and allow our traditions to hold us steady as our rituals shift with the changing ebbs and flows of the present situations and circumstances. After all, we can no longer survive with the rituals of the ice age. We had to adapt in order to survive. But the essence of what was can still be found in the current traditions. We simply need to look deeply enough. I am also still processing the entire concept, so if anyone out there has something that he or she might like to add for this shaman to also ponder, you are more than welcome to do so. After all, I am adaptable!
Monday, December 17, 2007
Yule Enjoy This
It has been a very long time since my last posting. My apologies to all my readers. This time of year gets very busy, to which I am sure you can all relate. My wife was asking me more about Yule the other day. It made me realize that there is some stuff that folks might not know.
First off, the full moon in December is called the Oak Moon. Why? Well, now that you asked....it is because it is named for the Oak King. The Oak King and the Holly King are brothers in the realm of Deity. Twice a year they battle for the hand of the Maiden Goddess. At summer solstice, the Holly King wins the battle and so we begin to have less light from the sun and darkness descends upon the world. At Yule, or winter solstice, the Oak King wins the battle. Thus we have increasing light come into our world. So how does this pertain to our current belief structures? Well, first off, when you look at the myth of the birth of Jesus you will find a lot of similarities to those of other birth stories of other deities. Basically the Son of God (Sun of God) is born. There are a lot of other things involved as well when it comes to the similarities of religious beliefs, but I would like to look more at some of the deeper meanings.
Within us all there is always a struggle between the Light and the Dark. This is an eternal struggle and, for those who think that they can win one over they other, let me tell you that the only way to win this particular struggle is to abandon it completely. The more we try to be only Light, the stronger our shadow side will emerge. The more we try to be only darkness, the stronger our light side will emerge. Jung would love this stuff! Anyway, the thing is to allow both to coexist in harmony with each other, each a powerful ally to the other. So we need to be strong and gentle along with a little wild and crazy. That way we don't drive ourselves bonkers trying to wear a mask that will only fit part of the time and only serve to smother us the rest of the time.
Yule is a time for indulgence. My favorite indulgence at this time of year is chocolate. Why do we indulge? Because our ancestors did. It was a time to celebrate the bounty of the coming year. So eat lots, drink and be merry and full of cheer. We don't have to be gluttonous drunks in order to do this. We just need to give ourselves permission to become less anal about having to show up at the gym (you pick your own personal dogma here!) on Christmas morning to make sure we don't break our routine workout for even a nano second. We can have that little Hershey's kiss and not worry about putting on 10 pounds. We can laugh and have a great time losing weight by laughing with friends, which will make up for any we put on in the last 5 minutes! We can celebrate! CELEBRATE! Now, for all the hyper religious folks out there, I would just like to point out the difference in spelling. It is spelled C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-E. Not c-e-l-i-b-a-t-e. That is where the most fun part of indulgence comes into play! Yes, most of Christmas traditions are based on pagan traditions that are about 4000 years older that Christianity itself. So what? This just means that we can all have a LOT in common for a change.
So don't be so afraid of the dark. After all, that is where the true benefits in the difference in spelling takes place! This is also probably why there are so many September babies born the following year.
Okay, so it is late at night when I am writing this and I am just going to post it and not worry about editing. That will mean that I will rely on you, the reader, to comment on it to let me actually know if you did indeed enjoy this posting. What say you?
First off, the full moon in December is called the Oak Moon. Why? Well, now that you asked....it is because it is named for the Oak King. The Oak King and the Holly King are brothers in the realm of Deity. Twice a year they battle for the hand of the Maiden Goddess. At summer solstice, the Holly King wins the battle and so we begin to have less light from the sun and darkness descends upon the world. At Yule, or winter solstice, the Oak King wins the battle. Thus we have increasing light come into our world. So how does this pertain to our current belief structures? Well, first off, when you look at the myth of the birth of Jesus you will find a lot of similarities to those of other birth stories of other deities. Basically the Son of God (Sun of God) is born. There are a lot of other things involved as well when it comes to the similarities of religious beliefs, but I would like to look more at some of the deeper meanings.
Within us all there is always a struggle between the Light and the Dark. This is an eternal struggle and, for those who think that they can win one over they other, let me tell you that the only way to win this particular struggle is to abandon it completely. The more we try to be only Light, the stronger our shadow side will emerge. The more we try to be only darkness, the stronger our light side will emerge. Jung would love this stuff! Anyway, the thing is to allow both to coexist in harmony with each other, each a powerful ally to the other. So we need to be strong and gentle along with a little wild and crazy. That way we don't drive ourselves bonkers trying to wear a mask that will only fit part of the time and only serve to smother us the rest of the time.
Yule is a time for indulgence. My favorite indulgence at this time of year is chocolate. Why do we indulge? Because our ancestors did. It was a time to celebrate the bounty of the coming year. So eat lots, drink and be merry and full of cheer. We don't have to be gluttonous drunks in order to do this. We just need to give ourselves permission to become less anal about having to show up at the gym (you pick your own personal dogma here!) on Christmas morning to make sure we don't break our routine workout for even a nano second. We can have that little Hershey's kiss and not worry about putting on 10 pounds. We can laugh and have a great time losing weight by laughing with friends, which will make up for any we put on in the last 5 minutes! We can celebrate! CELEBRATE! Now, for all the hyper religious folks out there, I would just like to point out the difference in spelling. It is spelled C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-E. Not c-e-l-i-b-a-t-e. That is where the most fun part of indulgence comes into play! Yes, most of Christmas traditions are based on pagan traditions that are about 4000 years older that Christianity itself. So what? This just means that we can all have a LOT in common for a change.
So don't be so afraid of the dark. After all, that is where the true benefits in the difference in spelling takes place! This is also probably why there are so many September babies born the following year.
Okay, so it is late at night when I am writing this and I am just going to post it and not worry about editing. That will mean that I will rely on you, the reader, to comment on it to let me actually know if you did indeed enjoy this posting. What say you?
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Solstice Gatherings
Having missed this week's drumming circle, I find myself waiting with great anticipation for next week's Yule Ceremony. The Winter Solstice is a very meaningful time for me. Besides all the stuff about the mystical aspects of what the Solstice is, I find that personally it is a time of joy and light. This was affected for a while after having numerous members of my family (mother, father, mother-in-law and sister) die very close to each other over just a couple of short years. For a while there, I found the Yule season challenging. That is all part of the grieving process. But now I am back to experiencing the light and the joy of this time of year.
I enjoy getting together with friends and family and just visiting or playing board games. I very much enjoy the Christmas lights that are all around the house and the city. I adore the way the moonlight plays off of the sparkles in the snow. These things are magical to me. They remind me that in every glint of snow and in every star in the sky there is a connection with every cell of my body and that I am at one with all of Existence. Every light on the Yule tree reminds me of the endless light within my heart and the connection my heart has to all those around me. I also end up spending a LOT of time blowing snow out of our driveway. This is an arduous task, but it does give me time to think about my many blessings. One of the most delicious things for me is to get on a sled or toboggan or whatever and SLIIIIIIIDE down a hill. I think this appeals to my Otter Medicine. Climbing back up the hill is another story, but well worth the effort because I can then have the thrill of the slide once again!
I enjoy getting together with friends and family and just visiting or playing board games. I very much enjoy the Christmas lights that are all around the house and the city. I adore the way the moonlight plays off of the sparkles in the snow. These things are magical to me. They remind me that in every glint of snow and in every star in the sky there is a connection with every cell of my body and that I am at one with all of Existence. Every light on the Yule tree reminds me of the endless light within my heart and the connection my heart has to all those around me. I also end up spending a LOT of time blowing snow out of our driveway. This is an arduous task, but it does give me time to think about my many blessings. One of the most delicious things for me is to get on a sled or toboggan or whatever and SLIIIIIIIDE down a hill. I think this appeals to my Otter Medicine. Climbing back up the hill is another story, but well worth the effort because I can then have the thrill of the slide once again!
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