Yeats wrote, "In custom and ceremony are innocence and beauty born." I love that. I find that no matter how intense a ceremony is, it births a new being within, one that is innocent and full of potential. There are customs that do the same. And when we observe custom, such as showing respect to others, beauty is abundant in our lives.
I am now doing Shamanic Tea Ceremonies. This is an opportunity, through ritual and custom, to have a special tea, and then have the leaves read. This is an ancient form of divination, one that matches the runes, casting of bones, reading the flames and scrying through the water. The ritual itself is simple and beautiful, and then the reading is powerful and multidimensional.
I have had this training for over forty years. And I used to do this for a living way back. So why did I get away from it? Well, other things just seemed more important at the time. But I am now at a place in my life when offering this service once again is of tantamount importance. Perhaps it is simply the offering of the ritual and the divination process. Perhaps there is something more that it is leading me towards. In any case, I will take the leap. After all, as Edward Teller says, "When you come to the end of all the light you know, and it is time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen; either you will be given something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly." I am going to completely trust this process. I already know, from the tea ceremonies that I have already done recently, that they are even more powerful that they were many years ago. So there is confidence on that front. But, as with any form of divination, one never knows what one will see. So there could definitely be some adventures along the way. I am an adventurous sort, so....game on!
Blessed Be
Trent
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Hot and Sweaty
Tonight the Transformational Tuesday Drumming Circle had a Full Moon Ceremony. We did a manifestation (or series of them) for 2008. Interesting that someone pointed out (you know who you are) that there were 8 of us at this ceremony for manifestations for 2008, and that out of the eight there were 4 hoop drums and 4 Jembes (I never remember how to spell that, sorry).
It was a very powerful ceremony indeed with lots of spirits in attendance. Some of them actually touched some of us physically and worked on healing our energy systems. Now is that cool or what?!
I am so grateful to all who came out and helped make this circle a success. Each of you brings such a vibrant energy to the mix, the flavor of which cannot be reproduced by anyone else anywhere in space or time.
Blessed Be
Trent
It was a very powerful ceremony indeed with lots of spirits in attendance. Some of them actually touched some of us physically and worked on healing our energy systems. Now is that cool or what?!
I am so grateful to all who came out and helped make this circle a success. Each of you brings such a vibrant energy to the mix, the flavor of which cannot be reproduced by anyone else anywhere in space or time.
Blessed Be
Trent
Monday, January 21, 2008
The Body
We have such strange messages about our bodies....too fat, too thin, not toned enough, not tanned enough, not strong enough, not soft enough, too short, too tall, the list can go on and on and on.
The thing is that the body is the temple. It is the only one we have this time around. The temple is for holding. This speaks to a number of layers. From the time we are born to the time we die we all need to be held. It does not matter how much time passes between these two major events. We still need to be held. Our bodies heal faster with human touch. Our emotions heal when we are held. And our bodies also hold our soul energies while we are here. Our bodies are the temples of our souls. This is why we simply need to love it, bless it, and keep it as healthy as we possibly can with the cards that we are dealt. If we abuse our bodies or if we dirty them up with silly stuff, we are abusing our souls. We need to appreciate our bodies for what they are and to celebrate our bodies as something of the Divine, instead of something that is out of "original sin", whatever the heck that is supposed to mean. We all have a piece of God/Goddess in us. That makes our bodies as Holy as any Deity. Our bodies are sacred vessels that house our souls and through which our spirits are able to express themselves.
So for all of us who have ever in our lifetimes had negative messages about our bodies, I encourage a real re-evaluation of the validity of any of these messages as well as a serious infusion of Holy consciousness into who and what our bodies and ourselves really are.
Blessed Be
Trent
The thing is that the body is the temple. It is the only one we have this time around. The temple is for holding. This speaks to a number of layers. From the time we are born to the time we die we all need to be held. It does not matter how much time passes between these two major events. We still need to be held. Our bodies heal faster with human touch. Our emotions heal when we are held. And our bodies also hold our soul energies while we are here. Our bodies are the temples of our souls. This is why we simply need to love it, bless it, and keep it as healthy as we possibly can with the cards that we are dealt. If we abuse our bodies or if we dirty them up with silly stuff, we are abusing our souls. We need to appreciate our bodies for what they are and to celebrate our bodies as something of the Divine, instead of something that is out of "original sin", whatever the heck that is supposed to mean. We all have a piece of God/Goddess in us. That makes our bodies as Holy as any Deity. Our bodies are sacred vessels that house our souls and through which our spirits are able to express themselves.
So for all of us who have ever in our lifetimes had negative messages about our bodies, I encourage a real re-evaluation of the validity of any of these messages as well as a serious infusion of Holy consciousness into who and what our bodies and ourselves really are.
Blessed Be
Trent
Celebrations of Success
I was in a store with my family today and my 12 year old found something that she thought she might like to purchase. She is very conscientious about making decisions, especially when it comes to money, so she wanted our opinions on whether or not we thought it would be a good purchase. Yes, it is a very nice object. Yes, it is also something that comes with a sizable price tag. So I told her that if she truly wanted it, and she knew that she had enough money for it without breaking her bank account, and she knew that she would get a LOT of use out of it, then she can feel free to purchase it. But I also told her that she needed to do so without looking back. She needed to fully enjoy the thing and not in any way feel guilty about the buy. She decided to wait. Later today I had to go back into town, so she came along with me and we also went back to the store and she bought it. I was so impressed with her ability to contemplate and to remove herself from the environment of the store so that she didn't feel pressure to purchase something and could then make a clear decision. She loves it and she does not fee guilty in any way. And the best part was that I got to spend some one on one time with her on the trip into town.
All this seems to be somewhat meaningless to some, but I know in our consumer driven world, it is difficult to foster skills that allow us to purchase with responsibility instead of out of instant gratification. Also, this evening I pulled an Osho Zen Tarot card and got the one called "Success". About success he writes:
Welcome it, enjoy it, and share your joy with others - and remember that all bright parades have a beginning and an end. If you keep this in mind, and squeeze every drop of juice out of the happiness you are experiencing right now, you will be able to take the future as it comes without regrets.
This brings to mind how often I have heard people say things like, "Had I only known this was about to happen, I would never have____________" (fill in the blank). Most often the regret has been about spending some money on something that later, in hard times, seems frivolous. I always look at it as a situation where one has done the best one can knowing only what one has known at the time. So what if you lost your job right after your vacation to some tropical location? Did you enjoy the vacation? Good. Now move on and look for another job and stop feeling guilty about having had a well needed vacation. People guilt themselves much too often. And then we wonder why we don't enjoy our lives.
So squeeze every drop of juice out of the happiness you are experiencing right now.
Blessed Be
Trent
All this seems to be somewhat meaningless to some, but I know in our consumer driven world, it is difficult to foster skills that allow us to purchase with responsibility instead of out of instant gratification. Also, this evening I pulled an Osho Zen Tarot card and got the one called "Success". About success he writes:
Welcome it, enjoy it, and share your joy with others - and remember that all bright parades have a beginning and an end. If you keep this in mind, and squeeze every drop of juice out of the happiness you are experiencing right now, you will be able to take the future as it comes without regrets.
This brings to mind how often I have heard people say things like, "Had I only known this was about to happen, I would never have____________" (fill in the blank). Most often the regret has been about spending some money on something that later, in hard times, seems frivolous. I always look at it as a situation where one has done the best one can knowing only what one has known at the time. So what if you lost your job right after your vacation to some tropical location? Did you enjoy the vacation? Good. Now move on and look for another job and stop feeling guilty about having had a well needed vacation. People guilt themselves much too often. And then we wonder why we don't enjoy our lives.
So squeeze every drop of juice out of the happiness you are experiencing right now.
Blessed Be
Trent
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Spirit Energy Portraits
Today I have finally finished one of my Spirit Energy Portraits (www.deerhornshamanic.com and click on Gallery or Spirit Energy Portraits) for a client. I get so revved when I do one of these. They are a beautiful and powerful illustrated interpretation of a person's aura, spirit path, power animals, Spirit Guides, and past lives. I find them to be awesome to create because they are completely an intuitive process that then gets put into action. This is how the masculine and feminine energies are supposed to work together. Most of the time when I am painting them my eyes are closed. I go into a trance state and allow the portrait to basically be channeled through me.
I am equally amazed at the fact that more things come to the surface long after I have delivered the portrait to the person. Images emerge and present themselves on what seems an ongoing basis and each one adds to the flavor of the portrait. This is too cool.
Blessed Be
Trent
I am equally amazed at the fact that more things come to the surface long after I have delivered the portrait to the person. Images emerge and present themselves on what seems an ongoing basis and each one adds to the flavor of the portrait. This is too cool.
Blessed Be
Trent
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Pretenders
Have you ever met a pretender? This is someone who likes to be seen as being one way when in actuality they are something different altogether. I know I have met a few in my life. These are usually the ones who will also try to diminish those of us who are authentically on our path and doing our work in self discovery and healing. Sometimes it is not easy to spot a pretender until you are so far in that backing away is, in and of itself, a major challenge.
But the pretenders are here for a reason (I think). I have found myself to gain great strength each time I have had an encounter with one of these folks. Yes, the lesson is difficult and often painful, but as I move on from it I find that I become stronger within and have the ability to spot other pretenders a lot faster next time. Then these ones wonder why the heck I keep my distance. Well, once one becomes more "real" I have great joy in spending time with them. But until then, I don't want to waste my time or energy trying to be their friend. And, with Otter medicine within me, I find that if you fool me once, shame on you, but if you fool me twice, shame on me. So as harmonious as I am, I also have the ability to discern who is healthy and who is not. Pretenders are not healthy. That does not mean that they can't get healthy. It just means that right now they are not.
Living together and existing together is an art form. Sometimes we can over work a painting and wreck it before it had a chance. Sometimes a paint won't mix properly with the consistency of a different color. Then the texture of the paint and the color of the paint all seem kind of wonky. The same goes for human relationships. Know when the mix is a good one and don't even apply the poor mix to your canvas!
Blessed Be
Trent
But the pretenders are here for a reason (I think). I have found myself to gain great strength each time I have had an encounter with one of these folks. Yes, the lesson is difficult and often painful, but as I move on from it I find that I become stronger within and have the ability to spot other pretenders a lot faster next time. Then these ones wonder why the heck I keep my distance. Well, once one becomes more "real" I have great joy in spending time with them. But until then, I don't want to waste my time or energy trying to be their friend. And, with Otter medicine within me, I find that if you fool me once, shame on you, but if you fool me twice, shame on me. So as harmonious as I am, I also have the ability to discern who is healthy and who is not. Pretenders are not healthy. That does not mean that they can't get healthy. It just means that right now they are not.
Living together and existing together is an art form. Sometimes we can over work a painting and wreck it before it had a chance. Sometimes a paint won't mix properly with the consistency of a different color. Then the texture of the paint and the color of the paint all seem kind of wonky. The same goes for human relationships. Know when the mix is a good one and don't even apply the poor mix to your canvas!
Blessed Be
Trent
Friday, January 18, 2008
Arranging my life
This evening I attended my friend, Cathy's, community drumming circle. It was such an enriching experience to see so many smiling faces around the circle as we became at one through the sound of the drums.
My own circle, Transformational Tuesday, is starting up on the 22nd of January for another series of gatherings. We are going to be having a Full Moon ceremony. I can hardly wait for that. I find the ceremonial drumming circles to be so incredibly powerful. I can feel the positive ripples in the energy go out on an endless stream of consciousness.
Those of you who are reading this might also want to check out my website at www.deerhornshamanic.com to get up to speed on some of the upcoming workshops and classes that I am offering this Winter/Spring.
And now on a completely other note, and the reason that I began blogging this evening in the first place: The other day I was arranging a Japanese flower display. As I did so I was suddenly aware that not everyone is conscious of small things like this and their importance in the scheme of things. I arrange flowers, Japanese or otherwise, in a bit of a ceremonial manner. I see this simple act as contributing to the beauty of the world around us. And as I do this task, I am conscious of how every petal and every leaf is also related to the clouds and the sun and the earth. Every plant requires the fertile soil in which to grow and can only do so because of the sun that warms that soil and the clouds that bring it the nourishing rains. We depend upon the same things to survive. And we and the plants also depend upon each other. Our breath alone is an exchange of energy that allows each to nourish the other. So when I am arranging the flowers I am also arranging my life. I am beautifying my environment and I am beautifying myself.
Blessed Be
Trent
My own circle, Transformational Tuesday, is starting up on the 22nd of January for another series of gatherings. We are going to be having a Full Moon ceremony. I can hardly wait for that. I find the ceremonial drumming circles to be so incredibly powerful. I can feel the positive ripples in the energy go out on an endless stream of consciousness.
Those of you who are reading this might also want to check out my website at www.deerhornshamanic.com to get up to speed on some of the upcoming workshops and classes that I am offering this Winter/Spring.
And now on a completely other note, and the reason that I began blogging this evening in the first place: The other day I was arranging a Japanese flower display. As I did so I was suddenly aware that not everyone is conscious of small things like this and their importance in the scheme of things. I arrange flowers, Japanese or otherwise, in a bit of a ceremonial manner. I see this simple act as contributing to the beauty of the world around us. And as I do this task, I am conscious of how every petal and every leaf is also related to the clouds and the sun and the earth. Every plant requires the fertile soil in which to grow and can only do so because of the sun that warms that soil and the clouds that bring it the nourishing rains. We depend upon the same things to survive. And we and the plants also depend upon each other. Our breath alone is an exchange of energy that allows each to nourish the other. So when I am arranging the flowers I am also arranging my life. I am beautifying my environment and I am beautifying myself.
Blessed Be
Trent
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