Rennes-le-Chateau, the small French village, has suddenly burst into the public consciousness as a place of mystery, which may be what the priest, Berenger Sauniere had in mind all along when he renovated the parish church in rather eccentric fashion. The place has become a pilgrimage site and a place that excites the imagination and even elicits dreams in some.

And what precisely does Rennes-le-Chateau have to do with deer dreams? The answer is found in its name. Rennes-le-Chateau roughly translates to 'Reindeer Castle' in English. So what is it about the deer that could make it symbolic of this place of mystery and how might this symbolism apply to deer dreams? Read on to find out!

Spiritual Conductors

In Western culture, the word "reindeer" is usually associated with Santa's faithful sleigh guides. However, in many cultures, deer are conductors of a very different sort. Rather than emissaries bearing gifts, for some cultures deer are soul ambassadors. Deer, for many shamanistic peoples, are guides to the Otherworld, guides leading the soul to new worlds once it departs from this reality.

Deer as spiritual guides may seem odd, but this is perhaps due to our concept of death as a negative aspect of life. Our Western culture usually depicts the "angel" of death as a Grim Reaper rather than a caring conduit. However, for those people and cultures that view death as a natural part of life, the herald of such an event is far more likely to be a kindly, gentle soul rather than a fearsome spectre. Who would you like to show up to usher you on--a cloaked skeleton figure with a scythe or an elegant, mature Bambi?!

Word Play

Deer in dreams may also play on the sounds of the words. If a deer appears in your dream, take care to look at the symbols surrounding it, because this may indicate something that is actually "dear" to your soul.

In this new year, look at a deer dream as a gift--a symbol that is guiding you toward to a secret talent, a hidden desire, or something that you have previously thought unimportant that holds a great treasure! The idea of the dear deer is especially significant in Western culture where people may often unconsciously associate deer with gifts and Santa. Look to see also if there is something that was close to your heart as a child that you gave up on as you matured. Oftentimes we give up on our dreams because our experience has apparently taught us our dreams were useless or childish when they may have simply needed more time to develop.

Deer may be guides to some thing or place far away or they may symbolize something that is as close as our own hearts--and those two things may be the same.

I wish you all the best in this new year and in all years to come and hope your dream deer lead you to what is most dear to your soul.

Until next time, sleep well and dream out loud!

*~Aisling Ireland~* is an ordained Interfaith Minister, available for weddings and commitment ceremonies and a Spiritual Counselor providing dream interpretation and Tarot readings. To make an appointment check out her website at: Sang-Realta Spiritual Counseling

"Man and His Symbols" is probably the most accessible and informative book you can find on C.G Jung's ideas on dream interpretation while Gayle Delaney's book is a great book for learning to interpret dreams - perfect for both beginners and experienced interpreters!