Instructions Please!

Technology. You gotta love it. It tends to make our lives easier as we go, right? Actually, right now I feel like an 18th century shaman in the 21st century. I just got my Visa/MasterCard/Debit machine for my workplace. I have discovered that there is a lot more to being the "merchant" than there ever was to just operating it at someone else's work place. I feel a wee bit overwhelmed. The legal agreement is mind-boggling and the instruction manual, well, let's just say that I am more of a "hands on" learner than I am an understander of technical terms in an instruction manual. I have put a call in to a dear friend who has utilized these things in order to see if she can help me tomorrow to figure this all out.

I thought that I was doing well with just being able to blog! Sheesh! A horse! A horse! My kindgom for a horse! (Shakespeare: Richard III). I do feel a little bit like I should be driving a horse and buggy instead of a car. Oh well.

By the way, does anyone out there know how to contact Google and let them know that the bold and italics on your blog site don't work? I log on to the help site and get replies that don't make sense at all. So for you computer wizzards out there, one wizzard to another, if you can help me figure this out, please do!

Oh, wait a minute....what is that? I hear a ringing sound....oh, just my phone. I do at least know how to answer that.

Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Twisters

A friend of mine asked me today about if I thought it would be strange if an inner masculine energy that has to date seemed "parental" should turn "romantic"? This is more common than most people would ever think.

Here's the thing. When the masculine or feminine energies turn romantic, it simply means that it is harmonizing with the opposite pole of energies within. It is like when a guy freaks out about a sex dream about another guy. Well, it simply means that the masculine energy within is harmonizing with the feminine energy within. We all have both of those energies within us. In our western world, guys tend to freak out about dreams like that more than women do. This is probably a result of our homophobic society.

Here is the twist:

Masculine energy is also parental energy, just as feminine energy is parental energy. So when the "parental" energy turns romantic sometimes, whether one is male or female, it freaks us out! But when you look at the human psyche, it becomes quite obvious that we "marry" our mothers or fathers all the time. There is an imprint on our psyches that creates a honing device within to attract us to our parent. Sometimes it is the parent that we most get along with (I have married my mother twice now and dated her 15-20 times!) and sometimes it is the parent with whom there is the most conflict (I really can't tell you how many buddies of mine have turned out to be my father and had to be kicked to the curb!). Either way, it is an opportunity to resolve some issues.

So strange, no, but twisted, yes. It is neither good nor bane; it just is what it is! We need not hold guilt or shame or any negative emotion towards it or we risk messing up the process of sorting it all out within ourselves.

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Have a Seat

We get very busy in our lives. Between being slaves to our technology while we are constantly texting the person who is right across the table from us, and the busy work and soccer schedules, we barely have time to breathe. Then we hear the words, "Have a seat" and we know, we just know that our world is about to fall apart. We have missed something that has been right in front of us all the time, unnoticed, and now it is going to be put right in our faces and we are scared.

Whether it is a relationship that is about to change or a habit that needs to be broken or even a change in the workplace, change is frightening. The thing is that the change is inevitable. The growth as a result of the change is optional. The change would not have ended up being so frightening had we taken the time to have a seat and talk things through in the first place. You see, this would require the risk of conflict. We, as humans, don't like to have conflict in our lives. We avoid conflict at all costs. But what we really need to realize is that there is a difference between conflict and dispute.

If we can resolve things at the dispute stage, conflict need not even occur. Dispute allows us to clarify and to communicate more effectively. Conflict brings us to defensiveness and hostility. Yes, conflict can also get resolved, but it is much easier to resolve things at the dispute level than it is at the conflict level. Most people don't know the difference between the two and equate one with the other, thus going into fear and attack modes immediately. They actually avoid sitting down and talking things out. Then they wonder where it all went so wrong!

I am here to tell you....it all started when you didn't want to have a seat.

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Magical Things

Halloween is my favorite time of year. We get to allow the inner being show itself. Mine is a mischievous Gypsy man. This was one of three outfits for the season. Anyway, it is the one I enjoyed the most because it was so "out there"! These days seeing a man bedecked in scarves and beads and bells is quite the sight. Yet when we think about it, it really has only been very recently in our history here on this earth that this sort of attire has been considered "unacceptable" in a social way. I have Gypsy blood in me, so I thought that I would express it while the occasion was upon us.

All of this got me to thinking about magic. I had a conversation with a friend today that reminded me about wanting to blog about this subject matter. So here I go. I have said in earlier blogs that science is the magic that we do understand and magic is the science that we don't understand. I would like to take this a step further, if I may.

When we observe things around us (which most Westerners don't because they are too freakin' busy texting) we have an inner response to what we observe. For example, I might observe a fountain in the park on a hot summer's day. Now my response might be to also observe the signs that say "Please stay out of the fountain" or my response might be to listen to my blistering hot feet and jump in and allow them and the rest of my hot body (and it is pretty hot, according to my beloved) to cool down. Could I get arrested if I do the latter? I possibly would, but it just might be worth the risk. After all, I would at least not be wading into the river which has a huge undertow that would wash me up somewhere on the other side of the weir and then result in emergency personnel getting involved. Avoiding that sort of incident might make wading in a fountain much more appealing. That, to me, is the magic of life. It is the delightful response to what is right there in front of us all the time. Magic can be heard in the echoes of children's laughter. It can be seen in the warm embrace of two lovers. It really is all magic. It is also the force that created the Universe in the first place. This was not "accidental" as much as "intentional", according to my spiritual teachers. So if that magnitude of magic can exist, then who am I to ignore it? Why would I, of all people, ever want to miss out on a big bang??

I think that it is important to simply pay attention. We have to allow ourselves to look into what is happening around us and actually see what is right in front of our eyes. We also need to put our piddly technology down for a while and just reconnect with nature, otherwise we will simply walk right past that delicious fountain and not even notice it calling to us! That, to me, would be truly tragic.

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

Zebra Medicine

Most people don't even think of zebras as having a powerful medicine. They actually do. First off, each one has its own set of stripes, much like that of a fingerprint. Amongst all the zebras in a herd, a mother and child zebra can find each other based on stripes alone, let alone scent. Zebras also have the benefit of fooling predators by sticking together. It is only when a zebra is out all by itself that it is more visible as prey to its predators. When in a group a zebra becomes part of a larger unit that then looks like one big moving animal that is much too large to attack. So some of the medicine that the zebra brings is that of group consciousness that goes hand in hand with individuality. When in balance, every voice is honoured. When out of balance the group consciousness can become mob mentality.

I have always loved zebras. There has been a strong resonance with them right from the time, as a wee boy of about 3 years of age, I saw my first Tarzan movie. I knew what horses were, but zebras?? Wow!! They have fascinated me ever since. My office chairs are zebra striped and so are some throw cushions in my family room (like the one in the photo). If it were cool for a tall white guy to wear zebra striped clothing, I would be there. Unfortunately, it is not cool at all. So I don't. I just hold zebra medicine in my heart. I actually got to pet a zebra at a zoo when I was around 19 years of age. It was so cool to just reach out and have it come up to the fence and lick my hand, then nuzzle into me through the fence. I totally loved it!

Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

The Witch's Ball

We see things like this every year at Christmas time. Bobbles and balls hanging from wreaths, Christmas trees and even ears! But did you know that this form of decoration had a particular purpose centuries ago? Yes, indeed. This was known as the Witch's Ball. It was used to scry, much as the pendulum is used today. The only thing is that inside the ball would be herbs and crystals and the like. Sometimes even Holy Water was put inside. It was then dangled from a cord and used to ask Spirit questions. It was said that the Witch's Ball would never be able to lie as that was not in its nature. So in a way, it was the very first truth serum!

The Witch's Ball was usually hung around the neck when not in use, and when there was danger afoot, it would signal the wearer with a high pitched squeal. It was also used to create light in the darkness and to guide the witch to his or her destination when travelling or seeking to find someone or something.

I always find it amazing how the ancient usages of things may get lost but the actual symbol itself lives on. I also find it important to remind folks of some of the origins of certain things such as these. The more educated we become, the more likely it is that we can reincorporate the ancient ways into our modern world.

Blessed Be
Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com

The Shruti Box

What the heck is a Shruti Box? Well, it is an instrument that is sort of like a small version of the Harmonium. It creates a droning sound to which chant and sacred toning are easily applies. The word "shruti" is a Sanskrit word that, loosely translated, means "sacred sound". The Universe itself was created from sacred sound. Humans have known this for thousands of years. The Shruti Box, which functions somewhat like an accordion, creates combinations of tones that simulate that sacred sound.

The possibilities are endless! I love to just sit and play the Shruti Box, or chant to the droning sounds of it. I find that it lifts my spirits and takes me places on shamanic journeys that other sounds just are unable to accomplish.

I first encountered one of these delightful instruments at a sound workshop I attended that was put on by Pam Gerand. This incredible woman with an amazing voice brought out this instrument close to the end of the workshop and played it while we chanted Sanskrit mantras. It was incredible. Afterward, I asked her where I could get one and she directed me to the store in Toronto. I ordered it, had it delivered to my brother-in-law's house in Toronto, and my in-laws flew it back with them after visiting Toronto that same week to visit their grandchildren and (Poof!) there was my Shruti Box! I just love it when a plan comes together.

Blessed Be

Trent
www.deerhornshamanic.com