Ah, my youngest daughter Claudia is a February born fox lover. Like me, her spirit totem feels very horsey and she is born in the year of the horse but this sweet, cheeky and very cunning (in a positive way) child is very foxy and has spent the whole of January so far drawing pictures of her BELOVED foxes – She loves their tails 🙂
If you’re followers of our monthly newsletter and if you’re seeing this I guess you are, then please MUM’S AND DAD’S, we urge you to get your kids inspired by also drawing and creating art with nature and the monthly elements as it’s such a fun and inspiring way for them to connect and learn with what’s around them at each cycle of the year.
Anyway, let’s have a little look at the fox as, as someone from the rural North of England, fox hunting towards the end of Christmas and throughout January is a big thing as part of our culture and love it or hate it, it is a symbolic tradition that teamed with horses and dogs, man gets to participate in the hunt and in turn becomes a part of their cyclical chase / prey play. I will point out that if man and horse did not participate in these ritual tag games don’t think for a second that the fox would not get hunted because that’s absolutely not how it works. This is a time of year for beasts to ride out the conquests for their own title. We are just baring witness to what is playing out on the nature playing field and in a way, by doing so it connects us to the raw natural world so for those of you that are against the hunt, please consider that the hunt would continue on whether man be present with beast or not
THE FOX
The fox is known to be a symbol of intelligence, wisdom and cunning ways. Known as the trickster and represented as such throughout various movies, stories and books, the fox is a winky, quirky and nippy little winter runner that darts and doges between worlds bringing in swift ways to overcome obstacles and not get tied down to law and order. Seen by many as a petulant pest, especially in build up areas, cities and towns, the fox has a reputation for breaking and entering and stealing what he sees fit for his own purpose. In London, it is well known that there is a fox problem and they can often be seen scaling buildings for an opportune moment where a left open window will allow them to sneak into the warm where they might snatch some food, comfort or the family jewels
On a personal note, one of my best friends who lives down in London once walked in when her baby boy was asleep in his cot to find an enormous sly fox attempting to climb into the cot with her son. How she freaked but the fox, startled not at all almost looked at her as if to say “Do you mind?” as if she were somehow the intruder. This wasn’t the only occurrence either. The baby boy who is now 13 has had various encounters with foxes since the cot moment and whether they like it or not, this fox seems to somehow like him
Ah yes, these sneaky creatures have an attitude that is brash, assertive and downright cheeky and can come across as hugely intimidating which is often why the reputation doesn’t allow for many to feel sorry for them when they watch the hounds hunt them down. You could argue that the number of them patrolling the cities, towns and countryside then make the hunt a very poetic ritualistic practice that helps cull the skulk of foxes and keep the numbers down. In case you didn’t know, a group of foxes are called a ‘skulk’ or a ‘leash’ or even an ‘earth’ of foxes and although they tend to hunt alone, they are also referred to as a ‘pack’ as even though they’re solitary creatures, they do mate for life and they do rely on their pack or herd. The term ‘leash’ for a fox is a funny one because leashing refers to ‘something to hold on to’ and a captured fox on a leash is something very symbolic to the hunt
So, the horses lead the hounds towards their prey and so the fox is ‘called for’ and while the hunt is itself a moment of battle between these animals in the wild, what is the message of the fox that wins or overcomes the battle, because for sure there is one?
So we have a skulk of foxes. I often say to my kids when they’re wondering around the house looking conspicuous and I’m not sure what they’re up to “What are you skulking around for?” So it is a very fox like adjective to describe sly and cunning tendencies of which we aren’t sure what the objective is. But while we refer to them as as skulk, they are also known as a ‘LEAD’ of foxes and this is because they tend to stay together in their dens. Yes, they may hunt and mate alone but when they go out and socialise, they tend to stick together and they follow each other in a line lead wherever they go. Humans could learn a thing or two about this behavioural movement as they don’t give up on each other or stray off in a hissy mood, no, they stay together, wandering their tracks as a pack until they return back to their dens. So while they are solitary creatures on their own individual account, they learn and grow together without judgement, condemnation or criticism
Their sounds are like barks and very much like their dog comrades they have a very special connection to the dog world, sharing bonds and ties that bring them together in LOVE AND WAR but they have a very forbidden relationship as both must respect the differences of their packs. Much like we as humans do with our ethnic tribes and ‘where we come from’ territorial stances across ponds and lands but as hounds are the ones so connected to man and the fox is so independent and wild in comparison, unfortunately the fox is the one with the bad reputation that ends up getting his days numbered.
From a human animal bond perspective and we do always love to bring in the connection however we can, the one thing I LOVE about England is that we heritage lovers of the land love to name our pubs and restaurants and places of social culture after the connection we have with the raw animal world. The pub that my dad always used to take us for Sunday lunch was a village pub with a couple of saloons with wide raging fires, an outside playground backing on to the hunt fields and it was called ‘THE FOX AND HOUND’. The pub in the next village was called ‘THE CROSS KEYS’ – Very relevant to old pagan stories of Hekate and the masonic bretheren crossing worlds and guarding the keys and then in our main city of York, the city with the most pubs per square mile than anywhere else in England we have pubs called names as such:
- THE FAT BADGER
- EAGLE AND CHILD
- THE RED LION
- THE WHITE HORSE
- THE PHOENIX INN
- THE ROSE AND CROWN
- THE GEORGE AND DRAGON
AND MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE
THE QUEENS HEAD
Showing us that even SHE got hunted too! The story of the hunt is one of mans most romantic yet painful historical endeavours and one we often don’t understand and get upset about because anything considered fight like is often received with a negative connotation but, battles, wars and hunts are how we as humans, animals and every single thing in the natural world have developed and grown. It has been the very making of our survival to thrive and move on up in the world which is why those that actively partake in a hunt tend to like to keep a memoir of the moments shared between themselves and their battle companion.
As chess is a war game of the mind, Sex is a war game of the heart, the hunt is a war game of the physical. All is fair in love and war because how we chose to play together determines how we learn, grow and evolve and we don’t all chose love and roses. Some do but for those that love a good battle to the end, GAME ON!
In case anyone wishes to understand what I mean by a good battle: One that brings in love, pain, anger, hatred, aggression, obsession and every emotion under the sun combined, have a watch of THIS OUTLANDER scene, where the war between Jamie Fraser and his nemesis Jack Randall will literally take your breath away. They HATE each other with a vengeance but because their ties are so tightly bound together in a bond of blood, sweat and tears the battle becomes almost romantic, where towards the end when they lose all their might and strength they start to hold each other and sway in a dreamlike state of unity as they both know that they are bonded, even through sex (if you have watched the series you will understand and it is by far THE BEST thing on the entire network to watch on par with GAME OF THRONES) and they always will be – just like any animal that hunts and man is no exemption for in the natural world, this is what we have always done. THIS is what a battle is and why we fight – It is for love, honour, sovereignty, power and the CROWN.
Who rules the kingdom? Is it man on the horse? Is it the horse who leads? Is it the dog that hunts? Or is it the fox that beats the battle? The dance between each one involved is simply to find out who wins. Sometimes the fox wins, sometimes not but when the fox comes home he is treated with respect for the position he played in the fight for the crown and he will be positioned somewhere, in front of a fireplace perhaps as a keepsake for the crowned one to wear or standing proud on a table
It could be said, that we as humans should stop involving ourselves in their habitat and leave well alone. Yes, in most cases especially in the wild but, foxes don’t leave our habitats alone and are often very socially confident to ‘fit right in’ at home, going through the garbage or the chicken coup and they don’t make their presence scare often quite happy for their human friends to see them as they prance around with stealth and assurance – Quite funny actually
The reason I bring up the hunts, the history and their habitat being so wildly and socially connected to ours is because it is. They have always had such a bond to us humans and we love the bond we have with them hence why we name our favourite pubs and restaurants after them. Hence why we have incredible art work, home furnishings and displays of their presence woven honourably into our very being. Love or hate the hunt. Pro or against – It has become very clear that within the camps of either side there must be an ethical and moral standing when it comes to the management of both CONSERVATION AND HUNTING where much like BREEDING AND ADOPTING we can come up with a sustainable and respectable measure on both sides to protect all species in the wild and within our neighbourhoods but I wanted to mention the HUNT history as England especially has a huge FOX AND HOUND hunting history that is both tragic and beautiful, passionate and powerful. The perfect message of LOVE AND WAR that even while we might disregard a creature as vermin, oh how I hate that word, and become furious for their mischievous ways and sly involvement in our lives they still get honoured with a place in all of our hearts and homes with a loyal respect and binded blessing
THE FOX SPIRIT ANIMAL
Yes, we may have painted a mischievous picture of the fox above and the reasons, especially in England as to why the FOX AND THE HUNT has always played such a role in our long standing traditions and heritage but, all that said, the fox is a STUNNING creature. An adaptable, beyond intelligent creature that is agile and alert. These creatures are super complex and diverse from their hunting strategies to their social behaviours and they are ever evolving, making them such a fast and adaptable learner that seems intent on having a deep habituated relationship with us humans and actually, if we could get our heads in the game here we could actually see that the fox is way more beneficial to us that we know
Yeah sure, we like to think we know best and that these vermin creatures need to be managed and culled as they run riot over the population but, actually the fox is such a scavenger hunter that they themselves help manage the pest population quite well taking care of our ecosystem by controlling pest populations and promoting biodiversity. They are super clever little creatures that are hugely underestimated and misunderstood
If a fox shows up routinely in your life as it did my friend in London, don’t always assume its because the big bad fox (much like the big bad wolf complex) is out to harm you. Sometimes their presence can be a sign of something beyond our comprehension so in case this fox presence comes through to you, here are a few things to consider as messages from MR. FOX
MOVIES WITH FOXES
And in case you would like to read about the feminine connection to the fox via the VIXEN and THE FOX WIVE chronicles then please head over here to the amazing TERRI WINDLING’S page where she so beautifully depicts the tales of ‘A skulk of foxes’ in the most magical way. A truly mesmerizing look at the interwoven spin of the women and the foxes and how the 2 connect throughout the cosmic web we live in
So, this January, please spend a moment with the fox and their beautiful, charismatic and mysterious energy as we embrace the colder, slower months allowing the magic to flow through the realms of ice and fire, the flame of the fox melting over the frost topped lands that we walk together until the sun comes back to wake us up once more
HUMANOLOGY 