Calling the Deer

Deepheart, mountain guardian
who harries the hunter
and knows what belongs to us
and what does not,
give us your speed,
your ability to read the land,
to see what is behind us and around us.
-

May we grow with the seasons
into your branching wisdom
putting up antlers as taproots into the sky

to draw down the power of heaven,
reaching into the wounded places
to heal and make whole,
walking as living candelabra,
crowned with light,
crowning each other with light.

I wrote this invocation many years ago, on a mountain in the Northeast where I lead advanced gatherings of shamanic dreamers. It is a very special place, where we draw on the deep fires of Earth, and the spirits of the land, and where the healing energy of the Deer is very strong.
     The symbolism of the antlers is vitally important in every tradition that knows the cervid family. The antlers represent spiritual connection; they rise above the physical body into the spirit realm. They also embody the power of regeneration; the bones die and fall away and grow back stronger and greater than before. 

Art: L'Arbre et la Brume by Annick Bougerolle

Star in the water, and the princess who came back from the toilet

I do a ton of radio interviews. I rate hosts according to their ability to improvise and go with the flow rather than sticking to a script or a set of prepared questions, and also according to whether they have a sense of humor. When the subject is dreams, a very important distinction is between hosts who share personal experiences and those who do not.
    Sandiee Peters, the host of "Soul Chat", gets high marks in the last category. I had fun on her show last night, especially when she recounted two moving dreams of her own.
    At a time she was feeling down and somewhat lacking in confidence, she dreamed she saw a red starfish under the sea, shining like a star in the sky. This filled her with hope and optimism. As she looked again, infused with wonder, she saw many other red starfish in the waters. She woke feeling confident and happy, ready to take on the world. She remembered, "I came out of that dream knowing I am a star."
    We discussed starfish. One of the things Sandiee knew about them is that they grow back. "If they lose an arm, they can grow it back." So one of the qualities of starfish is regeneration. I learned, in some quick overnight research, that some starfish can not only grown back a lost arm; they can even grow a whole new body from a lone surviving arm. Now that is a master regenerator. What a marvelous ally when life calls on us to grow back something hat has been lost or diminished!
    Dreams require action, to embody their energy and guidance. We discussed what Sandiee might do now to celebrate the star of the sea, now it was again shining brightly in her ind. She told me she is going to Puerto Rico, and will look for a red starfish, and keep it close to her.
    This lively discussion led her to recall another dream. "It's a little embarrassing," she began. "I'm looking in a toilet and I see there is a woman down there in the bowl, all folded up." To Sandiee's amazement and delight, the woman now emerged from the toilet bowl, raising herself up to impressive height, and revealed herself as a princess, assured of her power and beauty. On waking, the dreamer felt really good, as if she had received a gift.
    "If this were my dream," I suggested, "I would think about a part of my feminine power that may have been dumped or consigned to the toilet by others but is now rising again, unstoppable. I would want to claim that power, and walk with it, and require others to recognize and respect it."
    Through both of Sandiee's reports, we see the power of dreams to put us back in touch with parts of ourselves that may have been submerged by life, and bring back a royal and shining self.

Photo: Red starfish in Maldives waters by Anne Moulet