Doe, A Deer

A long time ago, not long after I moved out to Seattle in the early 90s, I had an interesting lesson that has stuck with me. And I'm finding it still pertains today.



As I remember it, I had been having a stomach ache for a long time, acouple days I think. On my lunch break I went to the local park that had become a sacred space for me, and I sat among the trees and prepared to call on Panther medicine to help me battle whatever was causing my pain. Panther carries the energy of personal power which I was going to assert, through his intercession , against whatever was keeping me from feeling my power. Fire against fire. Claw against claw. Fang against fang. I would show this unwanted energy who was the boss!


I never quite got that far because, when I closed my eyes a vision came to me. A person wrapped up in a Native American blanket, only where the human head should be, emerged the neck and head of a fawn. Deer whose medicine is gentleness. And as I paused The doe's head faded out to be replaced by that of an elderly Native woman, head bowed, eyes closed, half smile on her lips.


The message I gathered was that I was safely wrapped in the blanket of the Universe. There was no need to fight, but rather gentleness would be the better route. I stopped fighting and surrendered. My stomach ache was gone by that evening.


That was a lesson I've never forgotten. Thank you Grandmother.





So recently there has been quite a bit of change in my world. I did a Medicine Card reading to help me sort out what was going on and how to deal with it. This is what I got:


In the East is Opposum reversed. He is the actor of the animal kingdom and his message is to play dead, the defense of no defense. Echoing my earlier lesson, he is saying not to fight. The only catch is that, in reverse he's saying not to believe your own act. Don't get caught in the drama of the situation. Play along, but be "in the world not of it."


The South holds Coyote. Similar energy being the trickster, but again warning about getting caught in your own traps (i.e. Wile E Coyote). Also though, he brings a more playful attitude, encouraging us to laugh at ourselves and not take the situations so seriously (for example -- when your cat walks across the keyboard while you're intently typing this very paragraph, not only putting an entire line of "v"s zipping across your page, but also shutting down your laptop).



In the West, the place of water, appropriately swims Beaver, the builder. Emotionally things are coming together and a good foundation is being built for what is to come, and as a result of this building many things will pool and expand in ways not even imaginable.


The North, the place of Earth, is Elk. His medicine is stamina, indicating that, even in the practical areas there will be enough energy and resources to fulfill my plans and dreams.


And finally, in the Center, the one who ties all these elements together, is Spider, the weaver, the creator, reminding me that I am at the center of my reality, I am the one creating my world and my future, and it will be just as I have dreamed it.

But the thing is that all of this, the building of my new reality, the fulfillment of my dreams, hinges on one thing. Letting go. I am not fighting for what I want or need. I am going along, doing what I need to, not taking the outward appearances seriously or getting caught in the drama, because it is my golden thread, my path, that I am weaving. And my path, my dreams, are held safely in the blanket of the Universe. I will proceed with gentleness. There is no need to fight.

Thank you Grandmother.