3 Sessions exploring the Ancient Antlered One
Priestess Yeshe presents her Winter Solstice series honoring and studying the Deer Mother, exploring the history, art, rituals, anthropology, and lessons of the Antlered Goddess. The Deer Mother is the guide, the protector, the wild one, the mother, the cosmic one, and an emblem of women’s leadership and sovereignty, across cultures.
In this 3-session multi-disciplinary class, we will examine some of the Antlered One’s most potent manifestations, learn about ancestresses who embodied her energy, create magical experiences around the Winter Solstice, and craft talismans to help us walk the path of the Deer Mother into the new year.
Class dates are Dec 14, 21, and 28 at 12pm Pacific for 75 minutes. Classes will be available live, and recorded for those who need to watch later. On Dec 31 there will be a special Deer Goddess New Year’s Eve ceremony to bless and consecrate all of the tools and charms we have gathered and made during the class (live and recorded.)
The Deer Mother calls to those who seek to exemplify gentleness, compassion, and deep reverence for the earth. As an ancient symbol of sovereignty, the Antlered One teaches women how to step into their power with grace and to stand strong yet tender in the face of adversity. Her antlers, growing like the branches of the sacred world tree, connect us to the divine, reminding us that true leadership is rooted in caring for what really matters: the world around us and other beings. The Deer Mother creates space for life to thrive. For women committed to earth-centered practices, the Deer Mother offers a model of leadership that is wild, wise, and deeply intertwined with the cycles of nature.
As a cosmic mother, the Deer Mother guides us through life's winters, helping us find our way with love and intuition. She represents the quiet strength that rises in silent stillness, the resilience that springs from nurturing the self and others. Her gentle hoofbeats remind us that leadership is not always loud or forceful; it can be quiet, tempered, and filled with care. Women who follow the path of the Deer Mother are attuned to the earth's rhythms, able to listen to the whispers of the animated universe, living from a place of connection and oneness.
In honoring the Deer Mother, we honor our own innate capacity for balance between strength and beauty, power and compassion. The Antlered Goddess stands as a reminder that authentic leadership is neither about dominance nor control, but about holding space for others to flourish. As we approach the Winter Solstice, the time of deep reflection and renewal, we look to her as our guide, helping us carry forward the lessons of love, protection, and respect. She leads us into the new year with her quiet authority, teaching us to walk in harmony with the earth, to lead with wisdom, and to mother the world with open hearts.
Antlers, Lightning, and Walking Between the Worlds
Dec 14 Class Themes
Initiative & Vision; Reindeer Herd Structure; Female Leadership; Working with Entheogens as a magical practice; Weather Magic; Communicating with the Cosmos through the stars
Image to study: Cave Paintings at Lascaux
Tool: Antler Crown
Power: Seeing the Path In the Dark
Goddess: Artemis
Ancestress: Harriet Tubman- Brave Guiding Light
Remembering the Old Ways
Dec 21 Class Themes
Ancestral Memory & Inner Compass Navigation; Reindeer Migration; Following the Deer Trods; Migration & Nomadism as Priestess Arts; Honoring Lineage and Foremothers; Listening to the Priestesses who came before us; Magical autobiography
Image to study: Georgia O’Keeffe’s Deer Skull with Pedernal
Tool: Rattle
Power: Ancestral Communication & Earth Mediumship
Goddess: Elen of the Ways
Ancestress: Sarangerel - Reclaiming Roots and Traditions
Heart of the Earth
Dec 28 Class Themes
Protection & Sustainability; Reindeer Calving and Female Antlers; Resisting the patriarchal paradigm within ourselves; Knowing when to wield our defences appropriately; De-armoring when vulnerability is wisest; Healing the wound of “not-enoughness” and competition for sense of place in women’s communities; Resourcing for the Herd- Hearth Magic & Money Magic
Image to study: Frida’s Wounded Deer Painting
Tool: Oil Lamp
Power: Being a beacon of light and sound
Goddess: Dæl of Georgia
Ancestress: Leonora Carrington - Following the Call of the Surreal
About the Instructor
Priestess Yeshe Meryemana Matthews Robles has been a devotee of the Deer Mother, a student of her myths, and an observer of reindeer biology and behaviour since 2010. She first encountered the Deer Mother during a shamanic journey in 2009, during which mystical signs were abundant. These signs slowly came true over time. This resulted in a specific and significant path of clarity that transformed the trajectory of Yeshe’s life. Yeshe has dedicated herself to women’s mysteries, and the various theriomorphic Animal Mothers of the ancient world are a significant subject of her research and attention. The deer is one of her longest-standing guides, and she has closely examined the myths, cultural paradigms, correspondences, and connections that are part of humanity’s sacred connection with this animal spirit. She is looking for her herd of sister Deer. This photo is a throwback to Yeshe’s visit to Glastonbury in 2012.
Final Ritual
December 31, 5pm Pacific: There will be a final gathering to bless and consecrate all the tools and charms we made during the class, and to commit to our personal work with the Deer Mother. During this ceremony, there will also be an opportunity to make a personal vow to the Deer Mother for those who feel ready to dedicate themselves to her ways. This session will be both Live and Recorded.
Necessary Tools
During the course you will be invited to procure 3 key tools for use in this work. You may purchase new items, make them yourself, or consecrate items you already have. Further guidance will be offered in each class to help you find, make, or select your perfect tools.
Antler Crown
Rattle
Oil Lamp
Price Details
This class includes
3 live and recorded sessions of 75 minutes each
3 sets of notes from the classes, and
the final ceremony.
Registration is now open, and the class fee is $59. Class registrants will have unlimited access to all materials.
Click below to purchase your seat in the class, and then scroll up to the cart button at the top of the page to checkout. You will receive a confirmation email for your purchase, a welcome letter, and all class details. Join the herd today!
Join Priestess Yeshe Meryemana Matthews Robles for a class about the Deer Goddess archetype and her unique manifestations in myth and story; the matriarchal techniques of leadership that arise in the reindeer populations historically and today; and a celebration of women’s visionary leadership. Dec 14, 21, and 28, with bonus New Year’s Eve Ceremony.