Invoking Reindeer

Reindeer, both the animal and his spirit, was (and is) central to Reindeer Shamanism because thousands of years ago, the reindeer their people followed kept them alive during the long winters. A deep relationship with this animal developed, a mutual relationship of survival (humans kept wolves away from reindeer herds), and a mystical relationship of spirit.

It isn’t easy to describe how beautiful and powerful this relationship was then and is for me now as I follow this path. Every time I am close to him, whether in shamanic reality or physical, I am reduced to tears. His beautiful, generous spirit fills my heart, and I shed tears of love and joy.

When I gather with my shamanic lineage in shamanic reality, we use a specific space set up long ago. It is a large fire circle in a boreal meadow with stones, large enough to be seen under snow cover, ringing the outside. The entrance to the circle is just to the right of the northern point of the circle (when viewed from outside).

I usually speak my intent to my shamanic family before my journey, so once I arrive at the fire circle, they frequently show up without further invocation, although this can vary.

Once we’re gathered, the lead shaman (initially my Grandfather, and now me) stands in the north so that the stars in Reindeer’s constellation are seen behind them. Reindeer’s constellation can be found by combining several of the constellations we now know (he’s huge!).

Finding Reindeer in the Night Sky

While there is a defunct reindeer constellation created by a French astronomer in 1736 to honor his time in northern Scandinavia, it is not the constellation observed by the ancient people who worshipped him.

The Sami, descendants of the Reindeer People, have a myth told in the stars of a reindeer bull named Sarva or Sarvvis pursued by a hunter. The stars they use to observe Sarva/Sarvvis are the ones I now use to honor Reindeer. Here’s how to find him:

Cassiopeia (the “W”) is the easiest landmark to start with and forms his head.
The upper branch of Cepheus makes up the arc of his antlers directly over Cassiopeia (not shown in the above image).
The left 2 arms of Perseus are his 2 front legs.
The sides of Ariga, the Charioteer, make up his back legs.

Source: https://skynews.ca/the-lost-elements-of-sami-night-skies/

Reindeer’s Song

The first time I invoked Reindeer in shamanic reality, words came to me through the music I was listening to, to use as a song or invocation when beginning my shamanic work. I modify this depending on the situation, but this is what came through that first time:

Great Reindeer,
We are your people.
We live for you,
We die for you.
Allow us to work for you.
Allow us to work through you.
Allow us to use your magic to heal.
You give us life,
You are our life.
We love you and can’t live without you.
Be with us,
Guide our healing hands.
Lend us your power,
That we may do good in your name.
Beloved Reindeer, giver of life,
Be with us now and always.
We live in your name.

This article is part of an ongoing series that follows the path I’m traveling of Reindeer Shamanism, and how I’m building my skills and practice. If you’d like to read more articles in the series or follow my story from the beginning, they are collected under the blog category of ‘My Shamanic Path‘.

Header image by Robert Kalinagil on Unsplash