The deer, a food source, pagan totem, and Disney favorite is one of the most widely distributed and successful mammals on the planet. From England to China, South America to Australia and North America to India the deer is able to survive and prosper nearly everywhere. Nearly all male deer grow antlers throughout the year and these antlers are individual to the species. They are also selective eaters choosing to browse on selected leaves rather than graze on everything like cattle.
Lessons Deer Can Teach Us
As a totem, the deer can teach us many lessons, some of which may not be apparent at first glance. Many of the lessons are internal ones dealing with emotions and how we interact with others and this can scare some people.
Gentleness
The most important lesson that deer will teach us is the lesson of gentleness. Being gentle is not the same as being a pushover or a doormat. It is a lesson that teaches us how to nudge people in the right direction rather than push them there. It teaches us how to deal with the wounded people in our lives rather than dealing with them by pushing them to one side when they need us the most. It teaches us how to touch the hearts of those around us.
Innocence
This totem will also teach you about being innocent. Again this is not what it seems as being innocent is not believing everything that is told to you or falling for every trick in the book. Being innocent is about seeing everything in a new light-loving the wonder that is in that light. This lesson is about feeling love for those things that maybe wouldn’t receive that love and being amazed at that feeling inside you.
The deer totem has amazing senses, being able to hear a twig snap or see a shadow move in twilight. These senses can sometimes come to our aid by giving our intuition a gentle nudge away from possible danger. Listen to these nudges and trust in your instincts and you will often find yourself in a nicer place than you were before.
Negative Side of the Deer
On the negative side deer can be skittish and this can sometimes translate into your life. It can take a brave and patient person to love the deer person as it can take time for the deer person to become comfortable enough with a person that they do not bolt at the first sign of trouble. The deer person though does not have trouble attracting people to them as they have the inner beauty and serenity that deer have the world over.
Overall the deer is an amazing creature and it can be an amazing totem. It can take time to understand all the lessons that it can teach but given the time and effort, it is well worth learning all it can teach. Embody the quiet, serenity and beauty that a deer has in the wild and you to will learn its lessons.
