Deer and Spider: Your Animal Guides for the Full Moon in Sagittarius on May 26, 2021

Photos by Rinnie Deer on Unsplash and 12019 on Pixabay
Meet Deer and Spider:
Your Animal Guides
At this Full Moon Eclipse in Sagittarius
Graceful deer and creative spider want to guide you during this particularly thought-provoking super full blood moon eclipse! Yes, all that super, full, shadow energy wrapped up in one!
First of all, we have the largest supermoon of the year. A supermoon occurs when the moon is closest to the Earth at a given time along the axis. This moon will be closer to the Earth and appear larger than any other moon this year.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun and moon are on exact opposite ends of the Earth, causing the moon’s glow from the sun to be shadowed by the Earth.
If you’re in Australia, western USA, western South America, or South-East Asia, you are in for a treat! Try not to miss this! I’m sending you clear sky wishes so that you can witness the total lunar eclipse and then watch the moon turn reddish for about 14 minutes.
The eclipse will peak on Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at 4:13 am San Francisco, 8:13 pm Tokyo and 9:13 pm Sydney, so if you want to watch the entire eclipse, start watching about 1 ½ hours beforehand. That will be easier said than done in the Americas, but if the skies are clear and you can manage it, set your alarm, grab a cup of tea and warm blanket and enjoy the spectacle!
This moon inspires changes or a shift with something in your life. In fact, it’s one of the most intense transits this year! This is a ‘finding your true life’s purpose’ energy and is a powerful time to cleanse.
Let go of your emotional waters to give space to set intentions that will rejuvenate you over the course of the next few months. This is not an energy that lasts for only a week or two while the new moon energy comes in. No, this powerful energy of a supermoon lunar eclipse extend through the period of the next three months or so.
This means Deer and Spider have chosen to guide you for quite awhile, not just a short ‘here’s your message, bah bye’. They’re here to inspire you and help you through the ups and downs until you don’t need them anymore. And remember, you can always call on any animal guide when you need their gifts for any particular time!
This is a time >for reflection, forgiving, cleansing and letting go!
Looking back: Polar Bear and Dragon: Your Animal Guides at the New Moon in Taurus on May 11, 2021.
Deer and Spider as your Animal Guides
During the New Moon in Taurus two weeks ago, Polar Bear and Dragon were your animal guides. This time while shuffling, I barely started and the Deer flew out of the deck. Quicker than ever before!
So, it’s not a coincidence that I had my very first encounter with two deer just a few hours beforehand in the meadow on my dog walk. I recently moved to a less wooded area (but with more water) and have been mourning their presence a bit because I’ve only seen one deer twice in the past 9 months. Apparently, there are only three in my area.
They were about three meters away, which is pretty close. Luckily, the meadow is super high now and my labrador, Nala, didn’t notice them. They may not have noticed her either. She just patiently waited for me while I stood there, connecting with the deer.
The three of us held eye contact until the one in the back moved closer to me and the other and then they both started to eat again. I felt they already knew me spiritually as I did them. Deer has guided me many times since my mom passed away in 2016 and so I’m proud to share the gifts and challenges of Deer with you during this powerful moon. I couldn’t have wished for a better guide for anyone!
And oh, how I love Spider wisdom! I’m always willing to take anyone’s house spider outside, so please just ask if you have the urge to squash her. Spiders are useful, important and highly creative. They’re a true gift as a guide, so if you’re scared, try to continue reading with an open mind and just embrace her messages.

Photo by Amee Fairbank-Brown on Unsplash

Photo by Erik Karits on Pixabay
Deer as your Animal Guide

Card deck used: What’s your Spirit Animal? by Kelly Eckert. Illustration: Animal Spirit Design. Background Painting: ‘Unless’, Jess Lohmann.
Deer, oh deer, what big beautiful eyes you have. Who doesn’t melt when looking into the soul of a deer? Their pure beauty and grace light up any dark forest.
Males with majestic antlers are truly the King of the Forest.
In total, there are 43 species in the Cervidae deer family, including Reindeer, Elk, Moose, Caribou. For this reading, I will talk about the spirit of the average deer we think of, not these larger family members. They have their own special meanings and will be featured if and when they show up for you on another day.
Deer has always had a deep spiritual meaning. Being an important companion in the forest, indigenous people, such as the Maya Indians, sometimes called themselves “Deer People”. Deer was considered to be their main blood forefather.
Ancient Celts believed that the deer is a symbol of the sun, fertility, and vitality and that they lead troops of hundreds of fairies as the stag cut through the forest with his antlers. Cherokee folklore tells the tale of a seductive shapeshifting “Deer Woman.”
Species: 43
Subspecies: > 100
Family: Cervidae
Indigenous to: Every continent except Antarctica.
Habitat: Woodlands, prairie, tundra, mountains, swampy areas, even rainforests.
One of a kind: Deer is the only family in the world to have antlers.
Standing proud: Antlers are the fastest growing bone in mammals in the world! They are being studied to produce more efficient and effective therapies for bone diseases and fractures in humans. As long as they use the fallen off pieces, I’m OK with that kind of animal testing.
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!

Original photo by LubosHouska on Pixabay
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

Card deck used: What’s your Spirit Animal? by Kelly Eckert. Illustration: Animal Spirit Design. Background Painting: ‘Unless’, Jess Lohmann.
As with Deer, Spider is a symbol of graceful, feminine energy. Don’t believe me? If you’ve ever watched a spider weave her web, she moves elegantly and is very precise, trying to make the perfect web, even when she knows of its vulnerability and she may have to build a new one the following day.
Before I write any more about arachnids and their spiritual meanings, let me just say that if you are afraid or don’t like spiders, to first remember how relevant to our world they are.
They eat mosquitos and many other harmful insects, however, many people are quick to squash one just because they’re ‘creepy crawly’. I can’t hold them in my hands either like my daughter did a tarantula a few years ago, but I always take them outside if I feel they need to relocate from my home. Please consider this too.
I’d also like to invite you to watch a few episodes of Lucas the Spider, a jumping spider designed by Joshua Slice to help humans overcome their fear. His nephew voiced Lucas. Every episode is incredibly adorable and I guarantee you won’t cringe while watching Lucas crawl. Here’s a video about real jumping spiders in Australia.
After you watch a few episodes and read their messages for you below, I hope you’ll have a different opinion of them. Please comment below about your thoughts, I’d love to hear them.
Species: > 40,000 known
Indigenous to: Spiders are everywhere except Antarctica. Sea spiders are NOT spiders.
Habitat: Where don’t spiders live is the question to ask! Spiders are the 7th most diverse living being on Earth.
We are family: All spiders have 8 legs and 4 eyes.
Strength in numbers: Spiders are so diverse and abundant that experts believe 1 million spiders live on 1 acre of land (maybe 3 million in the tropics) and that a human is never more than 10 feet away from a spider. That number varies, depending on the source.
Importance: Vital for a healthy ecosystems, spiders eat harmful insects (more than birds and bats combined), pollinate plants and decompose dead animals and plants.
Spinners: All spiders spin silk, but not all spiders spin webs.
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:

Original photo by Dev Leigh on Unsplash
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.
Want to learn more?
Do you feel close to Deer or Spider? Please comment below and let’s talk!
Wishing you an exciting super full blood moon eclipse experience. WOW!
Peace and love,

As I was beginning my full moon ceremony in my room this evening, I spotted a spider next to my mat! I, of course, said “oh! Hi!” And then got scared! And got my husband to take the tiny being outside.
Afterwards, I felt as though it was a sign, so I looked up “what do spiders mean on the full moon?” And found your article! I am grateful for what you’ve shared–everything about the spider resonates with me right now. I am grateful for this sign. Thank you, for sending me the spider’s message, since I was too frightened to receive it in the moment!
Oh, Kelsey, I am absolutely thrilled to read your message! Thank you for taking the time! We had several discussions about spider energy this past week in a spiritual group I’m in! She showed up for me in a meditation as well — in my hand — so creativity is abound this full moon!! What I adore more than anything is that you said ‘Oh, Hi’ first before knowing the meaning. That’s so sweet of you and shows how compassionate and empathic you are. I hope you enjoyed your ceremony, thrilled to read about that, too. <3 Thank you!!!
Great article. I enjoy reading it.