But beyond hunting, we also see deer in different spiritual and religious traditions, symbolic of themes like love and divinity. As spiritual teacher Alyson Charles tells mbg, deer’s healing wisdom ultimately relates to the path of the open heart, gentle strength, unconditional love, and compassion. This animal’s peaceful serenity is a perfect example of what deer represents, and all together encourages a certain embracing of the divine. “The deer is a sensitive, highly intuitive spirit guide. It strikes a balance between confidence and success and gentleness and grace,” spiritual author Emma Mildon previously wrote for mbg. There’s also rich symbolism throughout the Bible using deer, such as Psalms 42:1, which reads, “As a deer thirsts for streams of water, so I thirst for you, God,” or Proverbs 6:5: “Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand and like a bird from the hand of the fowler.” In Cherokee spirituality, according to research published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports1, white-tailed deer were not only considered a symbol of good luck, but there were specific rituals around hunting them, as well. Deer were considered an “other-than-human person” and their antlers were worn as amulets. Deer may show up when you want to give and receive unconditional love or when you want to stop being so hard on yourself or others, she adds. Ultimately, deer represent gentleness and heart intelligence. So deer may present themselves to you if you’ve been hurt and your heart needs tending. Charles also notes working with deer’s energy can help you work toward your goals from a place of positive intentions and a clear heart. And as therapist and dream expert Leslie Ellis, Ph.D., previously told mbg, to dream of being chased by a deer, for example, could mean “you are fleeing from something that is not truly scary—or maybe you are running from your own fearful nature, from the deerlike flightiness in you.”
