Reflections from the Shaman's Hut

by Trent Deerhorn, Deerhorn Shamanic Services

The Round Table
 

Over the many years of my practice in Shamanism I have encountered a plethora of opinions and attitudes about who is and is not allowed to practice. The term "Cultural Appropriation" has been tossed around numerous times since it became a popular thing to accuse people of committing. The common idea that a person must be of a certain colour has been flung around for years. The attitude that anything magical cannot be trusted in the hands of males has been thrown at me from the time I was born an exceptionally gifted child.

But despite all of this nonsense (and nonsense it is), Spirit still saw fit to assign me this role in our world. Yes, sometimes it is scaryto put myself out there, looking as male and as white as I look, and do the work. But not one individual amongst the naysayers has been able to even once show anyone that there is any valid reason for me to not do this work. The reason for that is because I am exceptionally good at it. I was born for this. And I am passionate about it. Even if it were illegal for me to practice what I do, I would still be finding ways in which to do it because I believe in it so strongly and because it helps so many people.

What folks need to realize is that Spirituality is a Round Table. NO ONE gets to sit at the head of it. There is no head. Like everything else, it is a circle and that circle is never-ending and all-enduring. Everyone at the table is equal and everyone brings to the table something that can contribute to the entire feast of paths and choices that we all have on our spiritual journeys.

What I find most funny is that it seems to be the most insecure amongst us who will point fingers at others and claim some spiritual path as theirs and theirs alone. They do not even realize that the term "shaman" is a European term from hundreds of years ago. The etymology of the word would indicate that the practice originated in that area as well. But seriously, it really doesn't matter, because shamanism is a world-wide universal practice that has existed for thousands of years in every culture and in every country on every continent around the planet. So to have anyone say that so-and-so has no "birthright" to practice this is ignorant at best and racist at worst. Shamanism is the birthright of every single person who walks the face of the earth. No one owns it. No one could.

For more articles from the Shaman's Hut, visit Trent's blog at www.deerhornshamanic.com