Foxes

Fox is one of my favourite animals, often mistreated by common judgement and represented in ancient fables as an anthropomorphized  sly figure.
I thought about its appearances in some of the tarot decks I own, starting from the Druid Animal Oracle, where it stands for cunning and diplomacy, but also for a wildness very close to the human environment - that is: a perfect place for imagination.

Imagination, creative forces, wit are symbolized by the suit of Wands, where foxes abound.In the Wildwood Tarot fox is The Kinght of Bows: an impulsive, competitive trickster, a creature capable of establishing a new order through rebel and chaotic behaviours. Its peculiar look indicates both a certain degree of umpredictability and the capacity to focus on a hidden, successful path. 

In the Tarot of the Hidden Realm, the fox is the Ace of Wands, encapsulating all the  energies of the suit,  while in the Shadowscapes it is present on nine cards: The Fool, The Ace, the Three, the Five, the Seven, the Eight, the Page, the Knight and the Queen of Wands. Fox seems to resolve every conflict with its playfulness, its childish "gift" for mischief and invention.

Shadowscapes' foxes are listeners, observers, runners and hunters - but they are also ready to defend their territory as in the Seven of Wands, where a fox fights a badger in order to protect its family.

A different perspective comes from the whimsical images of the Tarot of the Magical Forest, where foxes are the suit of Pentacles, enhancing their practical cunning and their relation to the earth.

Maybe my favourite fox is the tearful one in the Three of Scrolls [Swords] of the Chrysalis Tarot. The traditional meaning of loss and pain of the well known thrice pierced heart, is here infused of a new meaning. Watching the animal we are in fact confronted with sorrow as a living creature, that needs care and attention. The image strongly reminds me of the fox in Saint Exupery's Little Prince and its lesson about taming and love.

A final fox is the Kitsune  of the beautiful Oracle of the Shapeshifters. In Japanese folklore kitsune is an animal spirit endowed with magical wisdom and, sometimes, nine tails. The keyword for this card is "trust": hence the fox will help in recognizing allies and friends.

Among the fox-decks I don't own ... surely the first of the list is the Badgers Forest Tarot, where foxes are the suit of Cups. Well, maybe this will be my Xmas' Fox!