Tirza Schaefer: Romance Author & Goddess Facilitator
Deer
Power or Spirit Animals have their very own way of teaching and guiding you, or just spending time together. They are a wonderful source to connect to nature and the animal kingdom. They can also guide you to the Lower World to work on the deeper parts of your psyche, your instincts and intuition. Check out more Power Animals here.
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Keywords
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Wisdom, unconditional love, quiet observation, awareness of consequences, inner peace
Peace & Power
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The deer family contains 43 species, from reindeer to the Chinese water deer. However, the deer I am talking about here is the one commonly known in mid-European woods nowadays. In Germany, the roe deer is the most common, followed by the red deer. Both species look very much alike and for the purpose of this article, can be used interchangeably. The most common deer in North America (think Bambi), the white-tailed deer, have great similarities, too, and are also included, as well as any deer that are very similar to these.
Lately, I have encountered Stag more and more often, which is why I am writing about deer now. It actually all started with me connecting more to my own ancestors, mostly of the land I live on. I’ve asked them to protect the property and my apartment, as well as my family and we get on great.
As I write this, I am only a month shy of turning 53, and it has taken this long for me to feel at home in Germany. I’ve always felt I belonged more in the UK, my spiritual home, where I lived a decade in my 20s, Spain and Ireland are also contestants. Those are the countries I’ve always felt most at home in. But these last couple of years, including going through menopause has seen some profound shifts inside myself, and Stag obviously thought it was time for me to work with him.
Similar to when Wolf came to me in 2012, Stag started gently by me seeing images on social media, hearing people talk about hunting and then neighbours who moved left a few things behind, among others, a grey candle stick in stag form. It is absolutely not my style, but it now lives in my living room and waits for me to connect more closely with my new spirit animal who came to teach me and share his wisdom with me. As 2024 seems to have time speeding up, as many have remarked, I didn’t really find the time at first, but then, the gentle nudges increased, and I heeded the call.
My first impressions were a profound feeling of peace and power. Stag is not to be trifled with, but he is not excitable, even if that is a bit different in nature when it comes to territory and the ladies of the tribe, of course. However, as it is only him and me in our encounters on the spiritual plane, there is no need to fight. And his strong presence soothes and strengthens me.
But let me start with giving you a quick overview of the deer as an animal in nature. In most species, you’ll find that the males grow antlers which are bony extensions growing out of the skull and are typically used for fighting amongst each other. In only one, the reindeer, the females grow antlers, too.
The Cycle of Birth, Death & Rebirth
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We can find deer in palaeolithic cave paintings (the ones in Lascaux, France, include some ninety depictions of deer), and they have been a part of the human experience throughout time. In medieval times, hunting deer became a sport for the nobility and to this day, many people rely on these animals as not only a source of food, but also clothing and tools, i.e. using antlers as handles for knives. And because deer lack, especially in Europe, natural enemies, they have taken over much of the forests to the point of damaging their natural habitat and herds need to be culled each year.
In many coats of arms, dating back to medieval times, we can find deer, typically stags. My own hometown of Bergisch Gladbach has grown by various villages being united under first two, then one city. The former independent one, called Bensberg, has the head and antlers of a stag in its coat of arms. Bergisch Gladbach itself has a lion, Berlin has a bear.
Unlike antelopes and other bovids, antlers are shed and continually regrown, whereas bovids’ horns stay or remain gone, once they lose them. Cows in modern farming plants usually have their horns removed in order to avoid them causing each other (and maybe also the humans who work with them) greater damage. As the horns don’t grow back, this only has to be done once.
Stag and Doe are the Yin and Yang of the power animal spirit world. Most animals are generally looked at regardless of gender, but with a few, the distinction is noted, like with lions, for example. Or scorpions, as they have such an emphasis on motherhood in their symbolism. However, even though the female is mentioned, the male usually doesn’t get any attention. With lions or deer, both sexes are prominent, maybe because they are so distinctly different even to look at, but also in general behavioural terms.
Looking at the stag, the antlers he wears are impressive and because they are shed and regrow, they symbolise birth, death and rebirth ad infinitum. The doe and fawn don’t have such a powerful presence of leadership, they are more passive, yet no less powerful. We must learn to lead, but we must also learn to give space to receive, to wait, to create that nurturing space in which great things can grow over time – in their own time.
A deer’s coat colour generally varies between brown and red. It can be a dark, rich chocolate brown, have a tinge of grey or a pronounced reddish hue, depending on species. Several species feature white spots on their brown coats even beyond the age of immaturity. As deer mould twice a year from summer to winter coat and vice versa, the colours can also vary in the same species and even individual animal according to season.
Deer are excellent swimmers and jumpers. They don’t have a gall bladder but, instead, four stomachs. The forks in the antlers are designed to grip into each other when two bucks are engaged in a fight without risking injury to their faces. The size of the antlers is also correlated to the individual’s social status in the herd’s hierarchy, and those delay more in shedding their antlers. Males with larger antler also tend to be more aggressive and dominant over others. Most deer with one rare and occasional exception enjoy a plant-based diet.
Mythology & Folklore
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Since the very beginnings of writing, deer have been part of the recorded historical human experience. They have not only been mentioned as physical resource, but have been part of many fables, fairytales, and in other mythologically significant contexts. Deer, mostly stags, are mentioned in Sumerian writings, in the Rig Veda, the oldest Hindu scripture, and in the Bible, for example.
In fairytales, does (female deer) are usually enchanted princesses and stags enchanted princes. In European mythology, stags are often the kings in the animal kingdom, the white stag being the most revered of all, for its wisdom and seen as an omen of spiritual awakening.
Deer symbolises a connection to the spiritual realm, the Otherworld. It also brings gentleness, sensitivity and grace into your life and calls on you to cultivate and embrace these characteristics. It appears as a messenger from the spiritual world and nurtures the heart’s expansion, bringing peace, something sorely needed at the time of writing, October 2024, when there is not only cruel war among nations in the world, but also a general shift to extreme political shifts, mostly right-wing, which breed hatred, distrust and division in the common people. The European elections earlier this year have shown a pronounced shift to the (far-)right across most countries.
Deer reminds us that it is only with a peaceful loving heart that we can achieve connection, understanding, balance and a way forward to finding solutions that serve all concerned in the best possible way. It brings messages of celestial realm, helping individuals on their spiritual journey, whilst teaching us the virtues of wisdom and foresight. Deer stops us from charging headlong into battle, but rather pause, consider the consequences of such rash, ill-advised actions and brings patience and wisdom to contemplate on better ways of conflict-solving. It is a great teacher of ethics, the extension of spiritual ideals in the mundane world.
Deer is connected to the heart chakra, and its gentle presence opens us up to unconditional love, compassion, and vulnerability. By opening the heart, it allows the flow of love in and outwards, both giving and receiving, which in turn encourages us to form deeper, more meaningful connections. With Deer spirit, we learn about heightened awareness, timeless wisdom, kindness, and grace.
The advocacy of gentleness and approaching life’s challenges with a peaceful intent, resonates deeply with me at this time, both in my personal life, as well as on the global stage. To put this into practice when you’re hurt, feel wronged, even traumatised, is not always an easy feat to pull off, but let me assure you from personal experience, that the more you make peace with events of the past and shortcomings in others, the more inner peace you will be able to find, the more healing you will experience – and the more healing, love, compassion and understanding you can bring to the world.
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A deer moves through the forest gracefully as it takes all twists and turns in artful strides, and this example shows us how to navigate our own lives better by not reacting strongly to events that redirect our path, or even put up roadblocks and curveballs. Instead, see those as opportunities to grow, deepen existing and learn new skills and find the teachings and deeper meanings in all that occurs on those circumferential winding roads. Where would you be now without them? How often has a setback or sidestep blessed you in a way, big or small, you couldn’t have imagined?
If I may draw on my own experience, I am not a good navigator. If I am in unfamiliar territory, I tend to get lost, and yes, I’ve even managed it with Google maps directions. Go figure! But as I was looking to find my way, I discovered new places, talked to strangers and put a smile on their faces or received some valuable information or insight from them… I’ve always left those encounters with a smile and a lighter heart, a little chuckle at my own folly at times.
Maybe you can remind yourself in times of challenge that whatever happens will ultimately lead to your personal (and interpersonal) growth? Cultivate a trust in the journey, that it will lead you to your correct destination. And there are many along the way, not only a single one at the end.
Returning to the stag mentioned at the beginning of this article, he is with me now, as I write and I’m asking him for a message to bring to the world. I feel peaceful, empowered and protected in his presence, and this is the message he brings:
Quantumphysics & Consequnces
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I am glad, you have come to recognise me, watching over you silently in the woods of the spirit realm. You used to love to play in the woods as a child, and you were excited about the many animals living there. However, you never had any interest in stags until recently when I entered your consciousness. Your personal development in connection to your ancestral roots, the land and nature you come from and live on, the pre-Christian tribes and beliefs you are only starting to discover now, are all a part of this. But as much as I watch over you on your personal journey, the reason I told you to bring me to the world through your public work is because it is time on a global scale.
I will not say ‘I come in peace.’ Because I am peace. Not the kind that will be enforced magically upon my appearance. There is still the trifling matter of free will, or free choice. Most of humanity get easily excited about things and swept away with the tide of mass popular psycho-emotional energy. This is not an accusation or placing blame, merely an observation. Just like deer, you are herd animals. You need to feel you belong to a group.
But this also has in consequence that certain groups feel threatened by and covertly or overtly attack each other in order to self-protect or dominate. Once tempers are heated, things get out of hand. As fear triggers the flight or fight mode, fight is most commonly the norm in direct confrontation, whereas fear often is the overriding emotion when feelings of being threatened by a force more undefinable or larger that an individual or a few individuals come into a play.
I have come to tell you, that you, as an individual member of the ‘masses’, what you’d call the ordinary folk, are by no means helpless. As a group, you can move mountains. And it doesn’t need any force, meaning exerting domination, if enough of you unite behind this one common goal: bringing peace to the world. This sounds utopian to your ears, I am sure, and it certainly is, because you as a species have not managed to be still and contemplate and reflect long enough to be truly aware of the consequences of both alternatives.
One is being swept up in the highly charged mass emotional experience that currently presides worldwide, whether individuals find a use of (physical and military) force necessary and justified or is appalled and distressed by precisely this course of action being currently played out in various parts of the world.
This is not to play the blame game, taking sides, or appealing to your moral codes and ethics. You are not children who still need parental guidance in forming ideals for your later lives. I am here to simply open your hearts and remind you that you cannot manifest peace on earth as long as there is no peace in your own hearts. This is neither a threat, nor a doomsday prediction. It is simply a reminder of the universal laws of attraction and creation.
The Power of the Heart
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You, as a collective, create enough distressed, fearful and even hateful emotions to provide the breeding ground for aggressive conflicts to play out globally. And I am not even only talking human action. Look at nature. It is waging a war all of its own. Storms, floods, and all manner of un-natural events occur. This is directly aligned to your mass consciousness and actions taken to harm nature and one another.
Now that I have briefly laid out to you why things are happening the way they are and how they are connected, let me tell you this; one heart open and filled with love to overflow is stronger than a hundred filled with maliciousness, hatred or even abject terror. You do not need to reach a majority in numbers to turn the tides, so do not resign yourself to doomsday gloom. All of creation is created in such a way that the frequency of unconditional love is the strongest. Also, just like fear and anger, it is highly contagious.
One shining heart radiating high frequency energy, i.e. unconditional love for all the world, can sway hundreds of others it is near to. Think of concentric circles, the ripple effect, and how each ripple touches – and lights off – others to become their own epicentres of light, much like what happens when many stones, many raindrops fall into a body of water.
Yes, you must take action, as you live in the physical world, and without action, nothing will happen, but you must take action aligned with the frequency of love and a deep awareness of the consequences of those actions before you take them. Don’t freeze up and overthink, bring yourself into a state of high frequency and let yourself be guided by the Divine Wisdom that rests in your own heart, the one, I am here to call forth within you. It is not that you don’t already possess it. You do. But I have come to gently and lovingly remind you that it is there, help you uncover it, acknowledge, listen and nurture it.
Know that you are protected. I am lending you my strength and the magic and medicine of wisdom, love and protection, of leadership, so you may guide and empower others. Nurture that inner peace that resides in the holiest centre of your heartspace. Call it forth as often and as long as you possibly can. And with this radiating out into the world, go forth, take action. It will be much more effective, too.
On an individual basis, let me remind you that I am always here to work with those who genuinely seek peace within themselves, who want to build strength, step into their leadership roles to guide, nurture and empower others, not to exert dominance over them. When you lead with your heart, with love and wisdom, when you act in alignment with that, you will, indeed, perform miracles.
The Silent Presence
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Stag stands there between the trees, majestic, stoic, still, almost unmoving. The energy of power, yet of benevolence, protection and care are palpable. He is telling me, he is here to stay. I am ready to walk with him and partake of his medicine, learn from his teachings and acquire new knowledge and skills, a new perspective on things. He came when I had reached such a level of inner peace that I was able to align with him.
It’s taken me years to get here. It’s not infallible, of course. I am sure not even Buddha was able to sustain complete inner peace 24/7. And I definitely have my triggers. But I have removed much of them out of my life over the past years, be it in my outer environment, or within me, doing intense healing work to (partially) neutralise them. I guess, I am at Stag-level now. So there is a lot more work to be done. But I feel greatly encouraged and motivated to continue on my journey, knowing that Stag is with me, every step of the way, observing silently, moving gracefully, blessing me with his presence.
Connections
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Artemis (Greek)
Flidais (Irish-Celtic)
Saraswati (Hindu)
Sita (Hindu)
Deer Woman (multiple Native American peoples)
Diana (Roman)
Buddha (Buddhist/Hindu)
Cernunnos/Carnonos (Gallo-Roman)
Odin (Norse)
Lakshmana (Hindu)
Naigamesha/Harinegameshi (Hindu/Jain)
Runtiya (Luwian-Anatolian)
Heracles (Greek)
Saint Giles (French)
Saint Hubertus (Belgian)
Saint Eustace (Roman)
King Clovis I. (Frankish)
Beowulf (Anglo-Saxon)
White Deer/Stag/Doe (European/Native American/Hinduism)
Eikthyrnir (Norse)
Stag (Hittite)
Magical Deer (Huichol-Mexican Native American)
Qeresh (Judaist)
Sacred Deer (Kurdish)
Furfur (Occult demonology, The Lesser Key of Solomon)
Goldhorn/Goldenhorn White Stag (Slavic/Uralic)
White Deer (Shinto-Japanese)
Anhanga (Tupi-Guarani, Brazilian-Native American)
Heart Chakra
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