Next in my series of discussing the animals from the Wild Unknown Animal Spirit deck is the Gazelle. The Gazelle comes after the Camel, and you can read the full post here, but for a little recap, so you can see how the cards move from one to next, the Camel speaks to knowing yourself, being resourceful, and having the independence within to move through changes, seasons, or chapters in life.
Once we have engaged with the Camel in depth, we move to the beautiful and graceful Gazelle. As we will see, this card speaks to creating calm in the present moment so that you may be nourished in the spirit, and connect to the bounty and beauty around you.
We are still in the element of fire, so these animals speak to change, transformation, and reside within the space of spirit within the body. The Gazelle is also the eighth card in this element.
The numerology of eight also speaks to transformation, achieving goals or successes, and having the capacity to bring things from the world of spirit, ideas, or concepts into physical shape. The number eight is also connected to the lemniscate (infinity) symbol, which represents moving from bigger or spiritual forces into the present and material world. Click here to read about the numerology of Eight.
Being Graceful with the Gazelle
If I may quote Miss Congeniality for a moment, the Gazelle is beauty and grace, although not Miss United States. Gazelle’s live in the dry grasslands of Africa and Asia. This animals have learned how to survive not only in a world, but in an ecosystem that teems with predators.
There are so many amazing facts about these animals that you can read here, but one of the best that I read is that the word “gazelle” has ancient roots in poetry, translating roughly to “conversations with women.” The word ghazal and the translation inspired an ancient form of Arabic poetry that is fixed form (follows strict rules in creating the poem), and speaks to themes of romantic love, loss, separation, and frustration. These feelings connect to another word ghaazal which translates to the painful wailing of wounded deer (TreeHugger.com Rule#4).
The Gazelle card from the Wild Unknown Animal Spirit deck represents supreme grace. These animals are like ballerinas in animal form. They move as one with their environment, constantly aware and in sync with their surroundings. In the realm of symbolism, this beautiful creature represents artistic co-creation. They cultivate beauty and a poetic energy that moves hearts and minds. There is a vibe of harmony between the spirit and the surroundings that comes with this card.
However, there is a need for balance, and a tale of caution with this animal. The Gazelle can be vigilant to the point of obsession, micromanagement, or stress. Hyper-vigilance is needed for survival, but in the realm of symbolism, it can morph into perfectionism, which loses the beauty and grace. This card reminds me of the archetype of the Stepford Wife. These women are beautiful, graceful, and commanders of their house and home, but it can become oppressive. If you haven’t seen the movie Stepford Wives, run, don’t walk, to your streaming service and watch it!
The need for that level of beauty and perfection takes the soul out of the feeling. It becomes a cage because too much energy is spent trying to get everything situated in such a perfect way that the creation becomes hollow. Beauty and grace are wonderful, and needed, attributes of the self, and of life, but it shouldn’t become a persistent voice in the head that speaks of failures, or unattainable goals.
Guidance from the guidebook
Some key references from the guidebook
Keywords / phrases: Heightened awareness & Ability, Vulnerable
When in balance: graceful, perceptive, artistic
When out of balance: food allergies, insomnia, racing mind
To bring into balance: yin yoga, a cozy home, good food
Following the guidance from the guidebook, this animal calls on us to find how we can move with sophistication, elegance, and purpose in our lives, and how that shapes our external reality. When we lean into these higher attributes that reside within us, our world follows suit. Petty stressors fall away, and meaning is steeped into the small and big parts of our lives. When we consciously create a life that feeds that energy back to us, we find a symbiotic and soulful transformation. We find a beautiful give-and-take that guides our actions and can help us deal with hardships.
The imbalance with this card comes when we strive for perfectionism or spend our energy micromanaging everything down to the smallest detail. When this happens, as I mentioned above, all the meaning becomes lost because what we are doing now is not striving for the palpable emotion or change in character that comes when we lean into beauty, harmony, or grace. If this happens, we are striving for the outer appeal, the “look” or the vibe, but we have become detached from the purpose.
When this card comes forward, it is an invitation to return to the present moment and to take in the beauty around you. Stop worrying about every little thing, and find the meaning. Find the purpose. Find the deep, wild muse that hearkens the artist in you to create something beautiful. Rest and slow down. Breathe. Beauty is found in so many places, so take time to find it, and let it be a balm and a guide for what you do next.
Thanks for reading!
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Ashlie McDiarmid
Hello there! I hope you liked this blog post. As a tarot and oracle reader, my goal with my blogs is to offer you content, resources, and access to the tools that have transformed my life.
I believe that your own intuition is the deepest form of knowing, but here in my little corner of the internet, I share insights based in intuition and instinct. I share my love for nature, witchcraft, and the wild spirit.
- If your spirit is at home in wild places
- If you feel the need to claim your autonomy as ritual
- If you want to more deeply trust your own intuition
- If you want resources or connections to tarot, oracle, witchcraft, and wild sovereignty, then welcome!
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