A Message from the Deer

Yesterday morning, I drew a card for our Humpday reading. It was The Deer of Delta card from Alana Fairchild’s beautiful deck, White Light Oracle. But its meaning just didn’t resonate with me. The deer felt right, but not the message from the guidebook. 

Task-oriented that I am, I forced myself to write something, but it wasn't right. I looked up the meaning of the deer spirit animal, but that didn’t feel right either, so I set it aside.

By the end of the day, I was reminded of something.  When this happens, and it will, let it go, and let the meaning come to you. This doesn't make the guidebook wrong, the universe just has another message for you. 

Late that afternoon, I still had nothing on the deer card. I thought about drawing another one from a different deck, but again, the deer felt right. For a long moment, I studied the card with the gentle embrace of the doe and her fawn. 

Without thought, I closed my eyes, took some deep breaths, and called in the message. 

When I open my eyes, there at the edge of the wood stood a young stag, staring at me. It felt as if he was saying, “I was aware of you and I been waiting for you to become aware of me.”

I picked up Gidget to keep her from barking and scaring him off. We moved closer and continued to study each other, one human, two animals, one energy—curiosity. There was no fear, just interest. 

Which deer is your mom? I thought. Were you the playful spotted fawn I saw in the Spring? Are you the one who wandered through my garden, inspecting my plants, taking a nibble or two?  

And I imagine him thinking, “Are you the one who was kind enough to put out those beautiful plants for me? Do you have more? I’ll come back in the dark of night to check.”

Gidget simply watched with curiosity.

As he walked toward the wood, I studied the movement of his muscles. He stopped again, so I snapped more pictures.

We exchanged one last moment.

Will I see you again, young buck?

Will I see you again, kind lady?

Will I get to see again and get to bark at you and chase you into the wood?

I almost missed this precious exchange. How often do we get so caught up in our to-do’s that beautiful moments slip by without notice?

The message of the deer is simple. Trust what you are feeling. Let go of someone else’s meaning if it doesn’t resonate. Simply call it in and let go. Then, open your eyes to the simple wonders in the present moment. That's where you'll find your message. 

Until I see you again….