A symbol is any “'object, act, event, quality, or relationship that serves as a vehicle for conception'” (230). Peyote Hunt: The Sacred Journey of the Huichol Indians by Barbara Myerhoff is a very intricate text involving numerous aspects of symbolism. Myerhoff not only applies a much deeper meaning to deer, corn, and peyote, but also uses these objects as representations of divine beings and spirits. Deer, corn, and peyote are very powerful entities but together they form the deer-corn-peyote complex, which is central to Huichol life. The unification of these disparate objects can be easily understood once analyzed on three different levels: exegetical, operational and positional. The exegetical level includes the interpretations and explicit statements of the people who use the symbol. The deer is considered a sacred animal and its blood is considered magical. Deer is a central part of the Huichol religion that stems from their recent past as deer hunters. Deer is also an important food source, but women did not use any part of it. Deer is also used in ritual ceremonies by smearing blood on arrows to make them "strong enough to carry the Huichol's desire and intentions to the gods" (200). Without this anointing the arrows are but poor weak sticks. Corn, however, is considered the central theme of the Huichol religion. It is very banal, unpredictable, mysterious, demanding and boring. The agricultural aspect of corn is used as a great equalizer. Corn is the heartbeat and spirit of the Huichol. Just like deer and corn, peyote is considered sacred by the Huichol, but differs in that it cannot be purchased even though it is available in... middle of paper ......ity, the positional relationship between the symbols must be examined. Deer, corn and peyote together constitute a single concept and are used by the Huichol to signify their entire life. The unity of these three symbols helps the Huichol "achieve their highest religious goals: continuity and unity at all levels, social, historical, temporal, ecological, and ideological" (222). The deer is associated with the past when the Huichol were marked by male dominance. Corn, the central symbol of the complex, represents current reality. Peyote represents the unexpected future and things to come. “This combination of deer, corn, and peyote represents a remarkable completeness” (227). “The deer as a past life of perfection, the corn as a worldly, human dimension, and the peyote as a spiritual, private and free part of life merge” (262).