DEER Ones,
I feel it is time for some new/ancient holiday traditions for us. And we don’t quite know what they are yet. We have tried a few new things this season - with all of my parents already walking into their future and not having children of my own - what do I do? And what does this cycle mean to me at this point in my life?
I visited with my sister. We had lunch with chosen family. We had champagne and caviar while listening to Jazz on Christmas Eve and we hosted a Musea Mistfit Christmas party for those who didn’t have a place to go or that wanted to be with us. We had a potluck and pajamas. We sang songs, and we had a circle with passing a deer horn, sharing what we were present to. I made Sue’s famous “Philo Chicken” and so much more. Everyone was a different tradition - and it was the end of most people’s big holiday stuff on December 25 - so we were indeed a bunch of misfits.
As you well know, Rudolph was bullied for being different and eventually runs away with a misfit elf who wants to be a dentist rather than make toys. An example of misfit toys would be a spotted elephant, a train with square wheels and a water pistol that squirts jelly. Sounds like some friends I would want to hang out with. In the first version the misfit toys were not saved, in future versions, they were.
The beautiful children of my deer friends were with us and that was wonderful. And if you look above my head happens to be a a bit of a picture of deer that my Grandmother Eden McCloud embroidered for me - she thought deer were my main animal connection. For years our family fed families of deer and ravens, long after the goats and chickens were gone.
From now on I know that a part of this time of year for me will be honoring the stories of the Deer Mothers. Just like on ‘Thanksgiving’ we tell the updated story of Native Americans and Colonizers and the US being occupied territory. We don’t tell this ‘alt’ story to be a downer at parties, but to tell the truth as we now understand it. To bring justice to so many of these ‘holy days’ that are often take-over stories.
Father Christmas and Rudolph are thought to be, based on historical evidence, a take-over from stories centered in the feminine. For me, these stories are worth being told and it is a part of my own geographic heritage.
I am not going to duplicate the text, it’s in the audio. However you honor and celebrate these times - I hope you will look into the not so distant past and find the missing mother, who isn’t missing at all. We have been behaving as motherless children, and we are not. Not at all.
I declare the end of the dominant era in my own life. From here, we heal. I call this journey and this information - Matrica. I have to start somewhere. Why not start at the source, the mother. I often use existing words, and then shift them to create a linguistic portal to represent a specific change in consciousness. Matrica is a shifted word - that for me is a call to remothering ourselves through archeomythology and releasing the dominant era from our cellular structures through rituals of self-expression.
I often teach classes when I am on the edge of something meaningful for me, that is what Intentional Creativity is all about, self-expression rooted in transformation - join us on Friday for Matrica if you want to paint in ceremony with me around these topics. We are painting Our Lady of Mushrooms and Mycelium. Yes, a combination of the Divine Mother for you and her connection in nature.
Deer Stones in Mongolia, Cave Art and Scottish line Illustration - there are LOTS of sources if you are curious - do some research and see what you find….
A few days ago I moved into my private studio - after not having one since February - one where I can close the door that isn’t a stage set for video. Without thinking about this story I put the lights on a plant, a Mother Mary sculpture in the center of the plant, and two antlers around her. I am only just now realizing that unconsciously, I was bringing forth the Deer Mother. I will add a photo next time I am there/here.
It can be so curious and synchronistic how something will weave it’s way through - like that altar with the antlers, then passing the antler at the party, then coming into the rich depth of the deer mother in a new way - all separate things that I only realized while making this message for you.
Mongolian Reindeer People Leader and Shaman Tsuyan, a 96 Years Old. This image makes me thinking of growing up with goats and feeding them out of my hand and milking them - so much of our life and schedule was centered around the ‘girls’.
Of note, when these majestic creatures are wild, they are called Caribou and when domesticated, Reindeer. The word “reindeer” is from Old Norse, hreinin, meaning horned animal. Reindeers are the only deer where both the male and females have antlers. Male reindeer grow antlers in February and female reindeer in May. Both sexes finish growing their antlers at the same time but she still has hers in the Winter and he does not. Hence, sorry Rudolph. You are still beloved, and it turns out you are a girl. No wonder those other jerk reindeers gave you trouble.
In Native American culture the deer mother is connected with similar themes, love, fertility, showing the way and mothering.
I have long been fascinated by this 2500 year old Siberian Princess tattoo - of the reindeer. Have you seen this? It is often called the Ice Maiden. This style of art continue to appear in surrounding cultures to this day. There is a whole controversy on this particular finding - and to whom this land and this finding actually belongs. Clearly, it actually belongs to her. Some say that tribal tattoos like this were so that your people could find you in the next life or realm. A link below talks about her and also the pipeline they wanted to put through the burial sites. Will this madness ever end?
The Siberian Princess didn’t only have reindeer tattoos but they were also on her headdress. But back to the story - in the case of the Reindeer Mother, we have two figures, both feminine that were switched to male. The one driving the magical sled and the one showing the way. There are other more psychadellic stories to share for another time about red and white mushrooms - but that is a story for another day.
This is how it is for me sometimes - where there are SO MANY synchroncities I have take action - deer showed up over and over and over - and so did red mushrooms.
There is so much more to say - SO SO MUCH. But I will stop here and rest into knowing that sharing this with you - is enough for today.
Blessings
Shiloh Sophia
Paint with me from anywhere in the world during a live class called Matrica.
P.S. I mean no disrespect to anyone’s traditions. I only want to shed light on how when we abide by dominant era stories, it hurts everyone to not get into the mycelial root system of it all….in each our own way….
P.P.S I am not a scholar, and my research isn’t exhaustive, I look to threads of archeomythology to navigate what we are working with today - to look for stories and images that are relevant to recovering from the dominant era.
Danielle Prohom Olson has a great and informative article summarizing so much about the story of the Deer Mother here for those who want to learn specifics.
Wonderful video that tells the story with images: https://videopress.com/v/I5NgA9Hh
Declaring the End of the Dominant Era and Honoring the Deer Mother