On December 21, Winter Solstice, and the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, some Animist friends gathered in zoom to honor the long night during this challenging time of Covid-19 pandemic. We focused our honoring on the Antlered One, Deer Mother, Deer Goddess.
I created this headpiece to honor Deer/Elk/Reindeer and I shared the poem below which I wrote to honor the Antlered Goddess:
We call to you, antlered mothers of four legged beauty.
Grazers of prairie, meadow, forest, desert, steppe, mountain and valley around this nourishing Earth.
Elements feed grass.
Grass feeds you.
You feed so many, especially during the cold cold winters.
Thank you all antlered kin for-
Making paths of least resistance for us to walk when we cannot see them.
Holding all of creation in your antlers, year after year.
Feeding so many Beings since the beginning.
Showing us humans the gentle power of the one some call “Deer”.
May the rains come in just the right amount to feed you.
May your numbers be balanced so you can live vibrant lives here on Earth.
May our journey together continue.
Thank you.
“Oh wondrous headed doe… Amongst its horns it carries the light of the blessed sun…” ~ Hungarian Christmas Folk Song
You know this right? The Reindeer who guide Santa’s sleigh are female. The males shed their antlers in winter, but the females are larger, stronger and they retain their antlers…and she leads the herd in winter. So, Rudolph is actually Rudolphina. This is one more example of how so many aspects of “Christmas” are rooted in the old Animist ways of “Europe”.
In Miranda Green’s book Symbol and Image in Celtic Religious Art she states, “animal symbolism associated with goddesses reaches it’s apogee with horned female images, usually adorned with antlers.”
Listen for the wisdom of the Deer Goddess in the season of the Divine Feminine during the long nights and cold days.
I host multiple circle a month, trainings each year, and personal sessions for those who want to work with me. Find out more HERE
Deer Petroglyph on Sandstone
