Buck Deer

One morning a few summers ago, I awoke at dawn. The temperature was predicted to reach the mid-nineties so I soaked my garden in the cool morning air. As I turned the water off, I was treated to a rare sight–only a few feet away strolling along my sidewalk were four, young buck deer. Now deer are spotted fairly often in and around town. But for some reason, most of them are female. To see one buck is unusual. So four? At my home where deer rarely appear? I stood in speechless wonder.

The attitude of this male pack reminded me of teenaged boys, both confident on their journey and self-conscious at the same time. One young buck trailing somewhat behind the group caught my eye. I greeted him wordlessly and he held my gaze as he passed. His fuzzy antlers were about 18 inches high. He was too cute! I noticed the delicate shape of his hooves, and the gentle clicking sounds on the pavement, like high heels.

The group moved to a crossroad and one buck headed north down another sidewalk while the others waited, watching. The lead deer soon came barreling back as if to say, “No, not that way!” Congregating again at the corner, they circled a bit as if confused about which way to go. The gentle buck I had greeted turned toward me again. Acknowledging their obvious desire to find the quickest way back to nature’s open space, I pointed decisively toward the mountains.

They quickly checked in with one another for a few seconds, then took off at a gallop toward where I was pointing. These guys not only asked for directions, they followed them!

We love to joke about the differences between the male and female. And the differences are frankly significant. They’re physical, hormonal, familial, societal and even spiritual. Most of us move through life primarily in our masculine mode — logical, thinking, strong, independent, active, rational; or in our feminine mode — creative, feeling deeply, being taken care of, relationship-oriented, passive, intuitive. We may easily embody both attributes, such as being a rational leader at work while pursuing expressive artwork at home. However very few of us embody BOTH the masculine and feminine aspects at the same time.

I believe some of the most important spiritual work today involves intertwining our masculine and feminine attributes (along with using the left and right hemispheres of the brain simultaneously) so we can enjoy a balanced, integrated existence. So we can wear our powerful antlers as we test our abilities in dainty high heels. So we can integrate both aspects of ourselves, both sides of our brain at the same time, and become whole.

The Divine Feminine has awakened recently and understands our spiritual path toward wholeness. She knows that we need to honor both our male and female aspects within us to evolve spiritually, to transcend duality, to heal the planet.

So who represents the highest expression of the goodness of the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine in the world around you? For a friend of mine, the highest form of Divine Masculine in her life is her beautiful male dog. For someone else, Oprah may represent the Divine Feminine. Once the healthy qualities of male/female expression become alive and balanced inside of you, you’ll be able to call on the strength/protection of your male side to feel safe in the world, as you express your female heart’s loving desire to fulfill your spiritual purpose. (By the way, most people concur that spirituality is located in the right/feminine side of the brain. Check out neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor’s book, My Stroke of Insight, or google her to see her inspiring video.)

Finally, like the deer who wandered into my neighborhood, many spiritual seekers find ourselves not completely comfortable in a suburban/urban environment all the time. We long to smell wild flowers instead of air freshener, to hear a hawk call instead of a refrigerator hum, and to embrace Mother Earth in Her pure, creative exuberance.

Mother Earth knows where we long to go spiritually and will show us the way if we look in Her direction. If you trust her, follow Her.

 

(photo of deer courtesy of http://www.freenaturepictures.com/young-buck-4-php)