Hello friends. A few words about me for the benefit of new readers. I am devoted to Land, Stars & Mystery. I explore connections between human and other-than-human and weave Nature, myth and magick into my offerings. I am a certified Western Astrologer and Life Coach. I’ve been reading star maps for over two decades. Currently, I am researching LUCK🍀 and how it shows up and plays out in the birth chart. My books are currently open for astrology and tarot readings.
The day after Mercury’s conjunction with the Sun in Leo, my youngest son and I came across a Red Fox trinket hanging from a high branch on a forest trail. How did it get there we wondered? Perhaps an agile teen climbed up the Douglas Fir and knowing the folklore associated with Red Fox hung it up as a symbol of protection or perhaps a child on a parent’s back could have left it as an offering…
But here is my preferred version…
a fox spirit wanted to reveal itself.
In an ancient grave in northern Patagonia, a person was buried with a fox. Archaeologists originally uncovered the near-complete D. avus skeleton buried alongside a human in 1991. The discovery adds to a growing body of evidence from burial sites on other continents indicating that foxes were tamed by humans and shared a connection based on companionship.
Four foxes were buried alongside women at prehistoric sites in northeastern Spain. The animals were unearthed in three graves dating to the end of the third to the beginning of the second millennium B.C. at the Catalan sites of Can Roqueta and Minferri.
There is a theory among academics that foxes were associated with women. Legend and myth tells us they are.
Foxes are widely associated with cleverness, trickery and magic. While they are revered in almost every culture they are also stalked, hunted and persecuted.
I have had several encounters with these beautiful animals.
When I was seven years old I spent the Summer holidays with my great grandparents in their quinta in Northern Portugal. One day while my sister and I were out exploring the woods - thigh-high ferns, gnarled oak trees, fan-shaped mushrooms - a beautiful red fox crossed our path. We froze. Fox froze. Our eyes locked and something magical passed between us. I remember we did not tell the adults about Raposa because they are despised in those parts for eating chickens and breaking into the smokehouses for the pork and cheese…
Many years later, when our family was living in Alberta we were privileged to see Red Fox and the lesser known Swift Fox in the prairies.
In Celtic mythology the Red Fox stands for passion and vitality. Fox was also seen as a messenger of the otherworld, and was believed to possess magical powers.
The Chinese have more legends about foxes than any other animal. The most famous legend being the one about the nine-tailed fox.
“The fox is a beast whose nature is highly tinged with supernatural qualities. He has the power of transformation at his command, and frequently assumes the human shape. At the age of 50 the fox can take the form a woman, and at 100 can assume the appearance of a young or beautiful girl or otherwise, if so minded, of a wizard, possessing all the power of magic. When 1000 years old, he is admitted to the Heavens and becomes the “Celestial Fox”. The Celestial Fox is a golden colour and possesses nine tails, he serves in the halls of the Sun and Moon, and is versed in the secrets of nature. - pg 208 Chinese symbolism and art motifs by Charles Alfred Speed.
Fox has the ability to spark fire with his tail and because they live in dens, in the depths of the earth, a place thought to be full of yin, they can absorb the earth’s life force and achieve great longevity.
Mercury is associated with foxes and the qualities of creativity, craftiness, playfulness and intelligence as well as shapeshifting and magic.
Mercury is currently in Leo, a fire sign. If Mercury was to show up right now in the material world I am confident they would manifest as Red Fox. That said, Fox has a link to Neptune as Neptune is another planet associated with creativity and deception.
I think it’s fair to say that if you are ruled by Mercury, have a stellium of planets in Gemini or Virgo and/or have Mercury in an exact aspect to Neptune in your birth chart, Fox is one of your animal guides.
Interpretation
Creating your own meaning from symbols is more important than accepting prepared interpretations. However I do recommend you start with some existing pattern.
Consider what we know about the animal’s habits and traits.
Foxes for example are primarily nocturnal. They are independent, creative, clever and adaptable. They thrive in cities and in the countryside.
Humans, especially farmers, do not have the best relationship with foxes. Fox likes to eat hens and eggs and fruit pies left on window sills on Summer days. So some would say that Fox “competes” with humans for food. If Fox shows up in your dreams it may be worth reflecting on the following:
You may be feeling persecuted
You are being bullied
Reflect on their symbolism as guides or “totem animals”.
Because I live on Turtle Island, in the Pacific Northwest, I like to look up meanings of popular symbols according to the indigenous people of Turtle island. Then I look at Celtic animal symbolism because of my lineage.
However I don’t think you need to see this as “rules”.
Look for the MEDICINE.
I use the word medicine to mean the medicine that is inherent in all creation and that is available to those who recognize the sacred in all beings. Medicine is in a sense, a power or energy.
Our animal kin have unique traits and skills so whenever there is an encounter or “meeting” we are asked to recognize these skills and invite them as ‘medicine”. The medicine assists us in acquiring a sense of inner rightness.
Fox medicine includes:
agility, creativity, cleverness, craftiness, playfulness, feminine/yin magic, transformation, resourcefulness
You could read this then as an invitation to …
Think creatively
Develop a sense of independence and acting independently
Act with subtlety (without resorting to manipulation)
Adopt a more playful attitude
I would love to know if you have been dreaming of a particular animal or if some animal has caught your attention this week and what is the medicine offered by this animal?
You may want to read this post next You Are Your Geography.
Sources and recommended reading:
Foxes were once humans’ best friends, study says - CNN
A fox in the house by Marley Brown
Medicine Cards and books by Jamie Sams and David Carson
Fascinating .. I never knew the fox was just a revered and mythical creature.
Thank you for this study on the fox! They have been an elusive animal in my life, but the occasional sighting is always exciting and an invitation into the subtler realms.
These past couple weeks, I have been diving in with the snake. While I’ve studied the snake a lot, I haven’t had many physical encounters in my life prior to this past season.
In North Carolina a couple week ago, I happened upon an eastern diamond back rattlesnake crossing the road after eating a large meal. They moved slowly with intention, their thick belly dragging through the dirt. I was brought into a meditation on the satiation of desire.
On my journey back west, I stopped in Santa Fe and found myself in the courtyard of the St Francis Cathedral downtown. Among many lovely sculptures in the garden, was one titled “Mary Untier of Knots.” The dark bronze statue was of a young Mary (hard to tell if it was the Mother or the Magdalene), standing on top of a snake tied in a knot.
Back home on Colorado, my partner had a rattlesnake slither right in front of his feet and curl up under the truck tire. He has a deep relationship with the snakes.
The following day, we were on a walk along the river and a very small Bull Snake was in the middle of the path. As we approached, she came slithering toward us - odd behavior for such a small snake. We stopped and looked at each other for a long while, one foot from each other. Then, she moved forward. I opened my feet wide and she moved right between my legs! And as soon as she was on the other side, an insect (it may have been a bee but I don’t think it was) bit me twice on the forearm, directly on the head of a letter S in one of my tattoos.
These are my snake stories from the past couple weeks. I am sifting through the particular medicine for me at this time. It is an activation. An invitation. A beckoning into my primal desire and sensual body. A call to listen to my inner wisdom (“wise as serpents”) and move within my connection to Mother. There are aspects of my spiritual practice that are being made clear to me, and asking me to dive deeper with my discipline.
Thank you for this article and posing the inquiry into animal medicine. With gratitude,
Joanna