Deer as your Animal Guide

Conservation Efforts

It may not seem that deer need our help to be able to survive on this planet because they live everywhere, however, there have been a few extinct deer species, such as the Irish Elk who perished about 8 million years ago. Closely related to the Fallow and Red Deer, scientists are currently studying the Irish Elk to find out the reasons for extinction. Was it because of the weight of his enormous antlers which — in this sample they found in 2005 — spanned across 12 feet? Answers will help other deer species to remain stable.

The Pére David’s Deer, aka Milu, indigenous to the river valleys in China, is endangered in the wild and won’t be moved to the lesser but still highly dangerous ‘critically endangered species’ status until their numbers in the wild stabilize. They experienced hunting, floods and war which left them in this state. At one point, there were only 18 left in captivity and due to diligent conservation and breeding efforts, there are 2,000 in China and an estimated 8,000 worldwide, making it one of the most successful reintroduction projects in history.

Many of the endangered or threatened deer species live in tropical forest areas and so are now losing their homes due to deforestation for agricultural development.

Everyone can help save wildlife in the forest. It’s not only the deer who are suffering, Many species of animal, human included, is affected by deforestation. It’s a global human-made problem and so, we all have the ability and responsibility to help curb deforestation.

I wrote about deforestation in the ‘Get Active‘ section where I introduce the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals for Nature, namely #13: Climate Action, #14: Life Below Water and #15: Life on Land.

Our own survival on this planet we call home depends on how we treat our environment and animals, so I hope with this mini-series, you’ll feel a calling to take action because we can’t rely on our governments to reach these goals by 2030, which was the plan. We’re seeing that corporations and industries aren’t doing enough to clean up their supply chain. Many are still committing ecocide which is defined as “mass damage and destruction of ecosystems – harm to nature which is widespread, severe or systematic.”

And so, it’s up to each individual to pitch in to help save all life on Earth, including our own. It’s not overwhelming either. I wrote several easy, actionable tasks that will help you save money and species!

Power to the people!

What we can learn from Deer

• Innocence, grace & peace: Deer exudes feminine energy of pure goodness and grace. Seeing the world through the eyes of a child — with their ‘doe eyes’. Deer symbolize innocence and with it, invite others into their soul. Sometimes, that’s not good, i.e. when they invite the wrong souls in, but with their highly sensitized instincts and sense of smell as well as their deep intuition, they’re a hard prey to catch for natural predators. That’s why wolves hunt easy prey like sheep first. Use her gifts to draw in the right people!
• Play & wonder: Deer are teachers of wonder and play. This may be a sign for you to stop being so serious all the time and reactivate the child within you to have some fun! 
• Creativity & innovation: This full moon brings with it intense life-changing energy. You could have this urge to jump and create something completely new which sounds amazing, but I feel with this moon, reflecting, letting go of something that’s ‘burning inside you’ and forgiving are at the forefront and need to be attended to first. And that’s one reason why Deer showed up right now to help you do this in a creative way with ease and grace, and with lots of heart. This could mean letting go of or mending a relationship or part of one before moving on with starting a new project at home or in your business.
• Gentleness, love & compassion: With their kind and gentle spirit, their energy is most felt in the heart chakra. Deer help us lead with compassion, even in difficult situations. ‘Kill them with kindness’ comes to mind when dealing with a bully or challenge within a relationship because who can be angry with or harm a deer (excluding hunters)? This is deer energy! With their majestic antlers, the males stand proud and lead with their hearts which makes them the true King of the Forest whom others enjoy following. Be that kind of a leader.
• Caution & alertness: Deer are always on alert. If you spot one in the woods, they usually freeze and hold eye contact with you. If they sense danger or aren’t used to many humans, they will quickly leap away the moment you cut eye contact with them and within milliseconds, they are out of sight. Just like that. They know every inch of their forest and can navigate it with grace, speed and skill. They are a bit color blind and can’t see reds and oranges which is why tigers go unnoticed. They have to rely more on their sense of smell and sound. This invites you to listen to your intuition and not only rely on what you see. Your intuition will give you the answers, especially when it’s a warning to not get caught in the headlights. If you sense danger or something negative in any situation, move on: don’t sign that contract, start a relationship with that person or make any major changes if it doesn’t feel right. Reflect first. Beware of those predators and listen to your heart and intuition instead.
• Naive fearfulness: Their cautiousness could also initiate attention focussed on your fears. Are you scared of ‘being in the spotlight’ or becoming someone’s target? Deer warns you this could happen, but reminds you that your internal gifts are so much more powerful and will help you to stand up tall and proud and look at your fear head on.
• Forgiveness & self-sacrifice: Deer know they may get hunted and killed. But it doesn’t make them hide or revengeful. It is what it is. Simple as that. This is a lesson for you to understand your value and worth and when you do that, you will realize that sacrifice for the greater good is not considered a loss but rather abundance in simplicity. This does not mean you should sacrifice your own worth or forgive to please others. This is inspiring wisdom to view your worth as a gift of incredible power. Forgiveness is one of the first steps to embracing authentic self-love needed to value yourself and for that, you must sacrifice your ego and these old stories telling you to always put others first. Taking care of yourself is not selfish, it’s considerate and more helpful. “Put your mask on first in case of an emergency in the airplane before you can help your child.” Simple rules that when broken, will be more harmful for everyone involved.

Questions to ask yourself

• Am I blind to the danger of this particular situation or relationship?
• How can I lead and communicate in a mindful and heartfelt way?
• What is my intuition telling me about this particular situation?
• Who do I need to forgive? Myself perhaps?

Final words from Deer

Some people reject Deer energy because they consider themselves to be rough and tough and with ‘innocent’ feminine Deer as a guide, it may seem like a misfit. If you are having thoughts about this too, let this full moon energy help you cut chords with your ego. Stand proud and think of the mighty King of the Forest. Deer is listened to, loved and respected. Gentle-souled Deer is a mighty and powerful guide, not helpless and weak! She reminds you to lead with the most important connection you have, your heart.

Call upon Deer energy to help you lead with vigor.

Spider as your Animal Guide

Conservation Efforts

Why should we even discuss conservation efforts for spiders? Aren’t they super abundant and just plain everywhere? Well, yes, and no. Or rather, who knows?

Not only do people not want to think about them, neither do scientists. Out of Europe’s 4,154 spider species, only a few species have received national protection. In the United States, 12 spiders have been listed as endangered. Out of a total of 341 spider species (IF I counted correctly) who have been assessed by the IUCN Red List, 8 are extinct (EX) and 31 critically endangered (CR). Being on this list doesn’t grant protection, but it will help conservation groups seek protection. With over 40,000, that’s a lack of representation.

We know so little. All I know is that if we lost spiders, we’d have an insect plague and I’d probably have 500 mosquito bites instead of the 17 on my leg that have been harassing me all week! That’s my prediction, because there’s no real evidence out there to know what would happen because the work has yet to be done to figure this out. We know we need pollinators to survive on this planet and we know how we react around harmful bugs and we know what pesticides do to living beings and our environment, so it’s important that we don’t lose our grip with spiders and allow them to become extinct.

That said, it certainly isn’t easy finding and counting spiders, but I think it comes down to human perception. More funding will go towards a more compassionate-feeling animal as for an arachnid. I get it. But they are amazing and help us so much with more things than we realize.

If you’re interested in finding out more about these amazing and vital animals and want to help in some way, please look at these websites: 

• International Society of Arachnology
• European Society of Arachnology
• Australasian Arachnological Society

What we can learn from Spider

• Creativity: The main symbol of Spider is creativity. Call upon this intricate design-maker when you’re in a creative rut. The next time you spot a spider’s web, look at it closely. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch her in the act. Just watch her mastery, it’ll be meditative and maybe you’ll get a sign while watching.
• Connection to the natural world: Spiders are crucial for the chain of life and therefore, play a very important role for Mother Earth. I picture them guarding her cave, like in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Follow the spiders and you will find the answers. Sorry, Ron, butterflies will appear another time! Use Spider’s position to help ground you and connect with Mother Earth.
• Weave your own reality & truth: Spider gives you the power to create your own destiny. Your truth may be different than the norm. Spiders are also seen as ‘different’ which makes others fear them. Spider is telling you to own your uniqueness and design your own story. She does this by giving you the gift of effective communication and shows you how to find solutions to your challenges in a mindful way.
• Mindfulness: While weaving your truth, there is possibility of thinking too much about what others may think or say. This is not about them, your life is about you. Who are you? Why are you here, right now? No matter what the answer, it’s YOUR answer, however, Spider is also telling you to be mindful and smart when weaving your life. Spider has 8 legs and the number 8 symbolizes infinity. The possibilities are endless. This gives you many choices and many paths, so take the time now to explore those choices and once you’ve chosen one that feeds your soul, then take responsibility for it.
• Patience: Just like Alligator, Spider waits for her prey to either fly into her web or finish walking past so that they have the perfect opportunity to eat lunch without much effort. Often, they prepare their prey for later. There’s not always a need to devour lunch right away, you can enjoy it for dinner. There’s even a species called Common Goldenrod Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) who changes her color to blend in with a flower so that she can attack pollinators. This teaches you to wait for the right moment to strike, be it start that project, buy that new house, get married, have a child, etc. This full moon especially will send off ‘LET’S GO NOW!’ vibes and this may just be a message to make sure you know what you’re doing before making any crazy decisions you may regret later. Always keep mindfulness and patience at the forefront in your web weaving activities.
• Loneliness: Of the 40,000 some odd species, only about 24 of them live in groups and share communal responsibilities. Otherwise, they are solitary animals. With their fear-inducing aura in many humans, this could mean that you may be considered intimidating for others. Spider people — those with Spider as their power or totem animal — are challenged with being in big crowds and feel more comfortable in their own element. This could be a problem when you crave interaction, especially during this pandemic. Learn to lure in the right people who will raise your vibration with your spidery seduction skills.
• Freedom & ease: A spider lets the wind carry her, from tree to tree, or window sill inside the house to the ground safely below. Take their gift of free-falling and ease and let things happen as they come.
• Self-sacrifice: As with Deer, Spider also symbolizes self-sacrifice as a tool used for the better good. The female Stegodyphus dumicola, native to South Africa, allows babies to eat her alive. This species live in a large community and share nests and childcare. Since only 40% of the females are able to reproduce because of their slow maturing process, the virgins will allow her sisters’ babies to eat them! Wow. And we all know about the male Black Widows, who by the way, don’t ALWAYS get eaten. In fact, there’s only one species of the many black widow genus Latrodectus who always indulges in male cannibalism and she lives in the Southern Hemisphere. Many times, the males are allowed to mate again. To bring this self-sacrifice symbolism into real terms, no, this does not mean you need to sacrifice yourself to make someone else happy. It means that the entire collective will be better off if you change something you may feel is a sacrifice. In our world today, this could just mean riding your bike instead of driving, eating more vegan meals, making your own soap or deodorant instead of buying these products in plastic. These things may ‘sound’ like a sacrifice to you (‘where’s the beef?’), but Spider doesn’t see it that way. She knows that it will benefit everyone and so is more than willing to do her part. Mother Earth needs every individual to do their part as well.

Questions to ask yourself

• Am I designing the most effective life for myself?
• What can I do for the greater good without giving up too much?
• Who can I lure into my web to nourish my soul and help others?
• What is my truth? What makes me unique?
• Am I ready to create this new thing or do I need to tick a few more boxes first?

Final words from Spider

Fear not the Spider. She is an extremely beautiful and powerful guide. Spider is the master ingenious creator of prosperity and intricate design. Use her gifts to find the right moment to start creating your masterpiece and find those who will support you during every step of the way. 

Call upon Spider energy when you need a boost in creativity.