Coming in at number 10, following the continuation of the cards in the Earth element of The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit deck, we have the Elk.
10’s in the tarot speak to chapters ending, finality, composting, and the beginning of something new. 10’s speak to a sense of strength, solidity, foundations, completion, and triumph (10 best dressed, Top 10 movies, etc.).
We are almost to the end of the animals in the Earth element, so I recommend going back through my blogs and following along as we move from one to another, starting with the Bear, and we will end with the Horse.
Also, before we continue, I want to share this quote from the book The Subtle Knife, which I just finished, and it was amazing, but that is for a different post. This is the quote:
From what we are, spirit; from what we do, matter. Matter and spirit are one.
The reason I share this quote is because animals in the Earth element speak to us in the DOING of our lives. Just like the Pentacles in the tarot, the element of Earth speaks to how we are channeling spirit in through physical means.
Finding Support and Stability with the Elk
From the guidebook it says that the Elk is the embodiment of the Earth in it’s masculine form- which immediately makes me think of protector / destroyer energy. However, the more that I sit with this concept, I think this idea of masculinity of Earth is about how we protect, provide, and build a life that can endure during hardship.
The Elk is the embodiment of how we approach our actions in a way that sustains our vision and gives foundational support and stability during the different phases of our lives.
The Elk speaks to the strength of the spirit. Strength is not always the ability to fight, inflict, or damage. Sometimes, it is in the slow-moving actions that align you to your passions, purpose, convictions, and visions. It is having the will (which can turn into ego or stubbornness) to rise to the occasion – aligning into the archetype of the Mountain- and work with it, not against to achieve the ends you seek.
One of the greatest things I get when this card comes forward is the validation and reminder that I am capable. I am stronger than I think. I am able to create the life that I want. I am resilient in the transformations I go through and the lessons I learn. The Elk teaches you that when you don’t stand in your own way, you can achieve great things. When you move with the situation you are in, your strength and resiliency builds. You build a legacy of endurance that is worn proudly from your internal self out for all to see. The foundation you are looking for is not out some where that you must buy, attain, purchase or acquire. It is within your wild skin. Wear that crown fiercely.
Guidance from the guidebook
Some key references from the guidebook
Keywords / phrases: Stability, Resilient, Headstrong, The Father
When in balance: Supportive, Kind, Consistent
When out of balance: Pretentious, High and mighty
To bring into balance: Eat and drink more consciously
Following the guidance from the guidebook, this card says that when you are in balance with its energies, you feel supported, no matter what is happening. There is generosity and kindness- themes of spiritual strength enacted in physical ways. There is less ego when we are supportive and supported. There is less ego when we are generous, giving, kind, and good-natured. These themes help build the bedrock of a stable and a strong spirit, and life. Finally, when in balance the Elk says that we are in consistent in these themes because they come from spirit.
We are not looking to have the world support or provide for us. We are consistently leaning into the strength within, and using that to support and provide in our external lives. When out of balance, there may be themes of feeling better than everyone else around you- this is EGO. I also feel the need to put here that out of balance energy with the Elk in relation to pretention and being high and mighty comes from a place of thinking that OUR situation and what we have been through is the same for others. So when someone doesn’t act or do according to what we think is right, we look down on that person, thinking them lesser in strength or capability.
To bring Elk energy into balance, we should do things more mindfully, and slowly. The guidebook says eat and drink, and that is truly a factor. Do you eat really fast, or do you take the time to connect to your body and senses, really tasting the food? Mindfulness in the rest of our lives can first start with slowing down our eating and drinking, letting our body slowly digest and take nourishment in. Eating and drinking are so essential that if we can’t take a moment for mindfulness in that activity, it’s going to be hard to find that elsewhere.
Another element that the Elk carries is a sense of integrity and dignity. Again, this is very fatherly- like a sage or wise one that would tell us the stories of the mountain, if we could only speak the same languages. The Elk has the regal energy, calling on our spirits when working with this magnificent and majestic creature to find that measure within ourselves.
What does integrity and dignity mean to you, or what does it look it? What makes you feel regal, proud, and strong? What within you is majestic and magnificent, and how can the Elk help you tap into that energy?
Like I said above, when this card comes forward I am reminded that I will persevere. That I will raise my crown up to my head again and remember who the fuck I am. I invite you to do the same.
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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 on my 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!
