Upright Meanings: harmony, development, nature, motherhood, fertility, accomplishment action, femininity, evolution, creativity, sensuality, nurturing, beauty, pregnancy
The Elk is an important card of femininity and motherhood. It is also one of the strongest pregnancy cards in the deck. If you are a mother, you will really come into your own and find fulfilment. If you are a father, The Elk encourages you to build on your communication with your children and show them your nurturing side. Even if you are not a parent, when The Elk appears the message is the same, you should embrace your softer side, allow yourself to explore the emotions you are feeling and listen to your intuition. People will be drawn to you, especially those in need of the empathy, compassion and nurturing you are able to provide.
Reversed Meanings: inaction, overbearing tendencies, lack of confidence, infertility, anxiety, insecurity, infidelity, disharmony, lack on concentration, lack of growth, vacillation
When The Elk reversed appears in a reading, it again tells you to embrace your feminine qualities. This applies to men too. We are all a mixture of masculine and feminine qualities. The Elk reversed indicates that you have been suppressing or neglecting your feminine side and need to embrace it in order to bring your masculine and feminine energies into balance. You may be focusing too much on the material and mental aspects of life, rather than the emotional and spiritual when this major card appears. The disharmony indicated by The Elk reversed can take many forms. You may be putting others needs before your own to your detriment. Or you may feel so emotionally overwhelmed that you are neglecting those that are important to you. You may also feel unattractive and undesirable and your confidence has taken a knock. You will need to shift the focus and ground yourself to correct this imbalance. It can be a signifier of empty-nest syndrome for the parents of grown up children. It can also be an indicator of mother issues affecting you depending on its placement in a spread.