Power Animal Deer

Most cultures believe that we have one or more specific animal spirit(s) connected to us and that can be teachers and guides. These are known as power animals, spirit animals or totem animals. We look at characteristics of deer, deer in world traditions, and what it means if Deer is your power animal.

Common associations for deer and the Deer power animal include the following:

Abundance, Agility, Alertness, Assertiveness, Authority, Beauty, Compassion, Creation, Determination, Devotion, Divinity, Femininity, Freedom, Generosity, Gentleness, Grace, Healing, Independence, Innocence, Instinctiveness, Intuition, Kindness, Longevity, Loving, Majesty, Masculinity, Meekness, Naivety, Prosperity, Protection, Quickness, Rebirth, Renewal, Sacredness, Self-respect, Sensitivity, Sovereignty, Speed, Spirituality, Stamina, Strength, Timidity, Trust, Vigilance, Virility, Vulnerability.

Deer lives on all continents except Antarctica and Australia. They are social animals with great survival instincts but can be strong and brave when the need arises. Deer has exceptionally good hearing, vision, and sense of smell. Their hearing is much more powerful than human hearing. Their eyes are on the side of their head, and so they have a very wide angle of vision. Deer can see in low light and may also be able to see ultraviolet light.

Deer can run fast and can achieve speeds up to forty miles per hour. Deer is also extremely agile. They can jump eight feet high or leap distances of over twenty feet. Deer’s combination of instincts, speed, and agility are key to their survival. Deer also is very graceful in its movement, gentle and protective.

Deer is the only group of animals with antlers. Most traditions believe that their antlers connect them to spirit and gives messages from the divine to people. Their antlers also regrow again after falling off, symbolizing regeneration. The growth rhythm of antlers aligns to the sowing and harvesting of grains.

Threats to deer include over-hunting, habitat loss, and deforestation.

Deer appears in the mythology of most cultures, which may consider deer as symbols of gentleness, grace, kindness, compassion, and the hunt. People often offer deer meat as a sign of prosperity.

In Greek mythology, deer are associated with the goddess of hunting Artemis, who hunts deer, uses deer to pull her chariot, and who turned a hunter who saw her bathing into a deer, which the hunter’s dogs then ate. In Roman mythology, Diana was Artemis’ equivalent.

Celts believed that spirit deer were symbolic of fairies and ancient deities. Scottish legends believe deer are associated with faeries because of their fae qualities. The deer was the symbol of the Celtic God Cernunnos, who had antlers. Celts believed that a white deer brought messages from the spirit world. The deer antler symbolism represents trees and is symbolic of abundance, fertility, renewal. In Norse mythology, the Vikings believed that a giant buck named Eikþyrnir stood on top of Valhalla.

Egyptian temples contained deer images, the deer being sacred to Isis. African tribes consider the deer as an important totem animal, and often used it in harvest rituals. The horn of a deer indicates the fighting spirit of a clan and its chiefs.

In China, the deer is a sign of good luck, happiness, longevity, and fortune. The Chinese word for deer is the homonym of the Chinese word for abundance and synonymous with the Chinese word for income. A Chinese plum-blossom deer is a symbol of officialdom and prosperity. In Tibet, there is a legend where deer help men solve problems. In Japan, deer is sacred, considered the messenger of gods, and associated with longevity, prosperity, and love. The deer was also the vehicle of Shinto deities.

In Native American traditions, Deer is a powerful animal and messenger, deer symbols representing leadership and bravery. There are various Native American deer spirits and gods, such as the Deer Woman spirit who seduces hunters. There are also Deer clans and Deer dances, typically used prior to hunting. The Mexican Huichol People’s calendar is based on the reproductive cycle of deer.

Deer and deer symbols also feature in religions. In Christianity, the deer symbolizes the faithful and is an allegory of Jesus Christ and Christian Disciples, as well as symbolizing the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment. Deer appears in the legend of Saint Eustace, the Roman general Placido who while hunting a deer had a conversion.

In Buddhism, the Dharmachakra, or wheel of transformation, shows deer sitting on a lotus and is a symbol of creation, sovereignty, protection, and the Buddha’s teachings. In Hinduism, the deer omen associated with Shiva denotes sovereignty over nature and symbolizes the lord of all animals, humans, and the King of the Forest. Hindus associate the goddess Saraswati, the goddess who created the Vedas, with deer. In one Hindu myth, Saraswati shapeshifts into a red deer named Rohit.

Deer hunters often use rituals related to the way they dress or load their weapons and may also use rituals to ask for a successful hunt or to acknowledge and respect deer that they have hunted.

If deer or deer symbols and images appears to you it can have different meanings. Deer is associated with characteristics such as gentleness and kindness, or it can be a sign to enhance your intuition and psychic abilities. If you see deer, you may be experiencing their being attracted to your qualities and energy. Seeing a deer is a good omen and brings good luck. Seeing a deer can also symbolize a new beginning or renewal or a positive chapter in your life. Seeing a baby deer symbolizes innocence, and asks you to connect with your inner child, or represent that an important change is about to occur in your life. Seeing a dead deer may mean that you are leaving or need to leave something behind.

People interpret the meaning of seeing a deer in dreams in the following ways. You may need to express deer traits, especially if you turn into a deer, or consider if you are sacrificing yourself needlessly. If you feed a deer in a dream, it may mean you need to help others. If you dream of a deer running, it can represent freedom or fear of being preyed upon. If you are chasing a deer, it may mean you are conquering fears; if a deer is chasing you, it may mean you are running from your fears. If you dream you are hunting or killing a deer, it may mean that you are suppressing feminine qualities.

If you dream of a white deer, it may symbolize positive deer qualities you should adopt. If you dream of a black deer, it may mean you are not accepting your feminine qualities or need to deal with your shadow aspects. If you dream of brown deer, it may symbolize fertility. If you dream of deer antlers, it symbolizes a period of renewal in your life. If you dream of a stag, it may mean you need to express masculine qualities. If there are two male deer fighting it may mean you are aggressive or trying to dominate something or someone.

Call on Deer in the following situations. If you want to follow a healing path. When you want to explore your gifts or seek higher spiritual learning. If you want to enhance your intuition or instincts or connect to spirit. If you want to improve and quicken decision-making. When you want to manage challenging situations with grace. When you need guidance to about new people or situations. When you want to reconnect with your feminine nature allowing you to express compassion and kindness. If you feel your heart has become hardened. If you want to move through your life with more gentleness, peace, and grace. If you want to strengthen a community.

If Deer is your power animal, you are a healer or have latent healing abilities. Deer medicine connects to the heart chakra. You can help others, and are compassionate, loving, and gentle. You can overcome challenges and to be at peace. Deep helps you express unconditional love. You are intuitive, aware of your surroundings and of potential dangers. You listen to your intuition. You can read people and situations accurately. You connect to the earth and spend time in nature. You welcome new experiences and adventures. You have a natural innocence and are in touch with your inner child. You can release things that no longer serve you and enter a new phase that brings new opportunities.

The header photo is Red Deer in Richmond Park by Peter Trimming, CC BY-SA 2.0, link