Creation's Heartbeat: Following the Reindeer Spirit

by Linda Schierse Leonard

Bestselling author of The Wounded Woman and Meeting the Madwoman, Jungian analyst Linda Schierse Leonard offers an exciting new way to understand the instinctual energies that affect us in our search for wholeness and healing and in the expression of our creativity. Inspired by a dream of a woman who runs with a herd of reindeer, she devoted years to the exploration of the reindeer in nature and as an archetype of feminine instinctual energy -- a living symbol that can inspire both men and women in their spiritual development and an image of hope in the ecological dark times in which we now live.

Dr. Leonard takes readers along on her journeys to Siberia, Lapland, and Alaska, where reindeer and caribou are messengers between heaven and earth, bridges between spirit and nature. Drawing upon myths, dreams, stories, and films, she explores the reindeer's power, beauty, resilience, and vulnerability. This archetype leads us to our own inner force that is feminine, free-spirited, and strong yet imbued with a gentle and compassionate heart. Chronicling travels across the top of the world and deep into the regions of the soul, Creation's Heartbeat takes us along on a luminous pilgrimage, giving us a map of the sacred and nourishing us with unforgettable ideas.

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Linda Schierse Leonard, PhD, is a philosopher who trained as a Jungian analyst at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich. She is the author of many bestselling books, which have been translated into 12 languages.

Reviews

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first time I read this book I thought Linda Leonard was losing her mind. I had read almost all of her other books and admired her work as a feminist Jungian analyst immensely. I re-read it last year however, and it resonated with me...I determined to read it every year around Christmas/winter solstice, as inspiration for enduring this time of darkness.

Linda and her partner/soul mate travelled to various places in the Arctic and gathered stories, legends, and myths about the reindeer from the native peoples; Sami, Even, etc. She illuminates the way of life of the reindeer themselves; highlighting the birthing journey the female reindeer make over hundreds of miles of frozen tundra. Thus the reindeer become another archetypal symbol of the hero's journey.

She also hightlights our disconnectedness from nature as a modern, Western civilization ruled by technology,industry, and scientific reductionism, and heralds the riches of living in connection with the natural world and her cycles.

The Buddhists view the reindeer as messengers of the Gods. Linda Loenard has added to the meaning and depth of the symbol of reindeer and other antlered animals. (It's been fun to identify all the different ways the reindeer is represented around the holidays, and ponder the deeper symbolism - deliverers of gifts, messengers in flight, and of course, Rudolph's heroic journey...)

If you believe in the power of archetypes as symbols for healing, and are looking for inspiration in a civilization that has become overrun with technology and disconnected from nature, then you may like this book.

[Louise Hewett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got a lot out of this book. Although not inclined to agree with Jungian thought, I have been doing dreamwork most of my life and listening to my "otherworldly" visions to know that the Deer and Reindeer are very important as a vehicle of nourishing our connectedness to nature. I felt a true epiphany at one point during the reading, as I had dreamed of wearing antlers, and this informed a shift in my own consciousness. The love and respect with which this book was written really shines through, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in deer, and the symbolic resonance they awaken in humanity.

[Amber Middlebrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

The deer or reindeer has been a significant guide in my personal growth journey over the past year. I perceive it as a symbol that is leading me towards a deeper understanding of my inner self and a harmonious balance between my feminine and masculine qualities.

[Betty Yoder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deeply personal inner journey illustrated by the indigenous people’s of the Arctic who follow the reindeer. This is a wealth of information I will read over and over again for it all to soak in.

[Luce Cronin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book I will re-read often. It contains so much about the reindeer heart and its role in Creation. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Mily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm looking forward to reading other books by this Jungian Analyst.
This one is about her remarkable journey tracking reindeer throughout the world (literally).
She is a good writer and very articulate re: Jungian psychology. If Reindeer had more personal meaning to me I would have rated this a 4 or 5 star.

[Patricia George · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book not long after it came out and will always be one of my absolute favourite books.

It's one of those books that becomes part of your life's journey.

I lent my copy to a friend who has since passed on. I hope wherever he and the copy have found themselves they are following creation's heartbeat still.