A couple of years ago I took a job as a Business Operations Manager for a small charity. For several months I loved it; but then slowly, things started to go down hill. My role grew in responsibility and I ended up taking on new areas I had never managed before. My workload tripled, to the point where I couldn't cope with everything that was thrown at me. I started to fall behind. It wasn't just me; everyone was feeling the pressure from an overly-ambitious CEO who couldn't understand that the amount he was asking from people was humanly impossible.
Being honest seemed to have no effect, and it wasn't long before I was regularly coming out of meetings with him in tears and spending every evening dreading the next day. It got to the stage where I wanted to quit, even without another job lined up.
One day I was mulling it over and a fox came into the garden. I hadn't seen any foxes around here before. It stopped and stood, staring at me, before turning around and walking off.
One of the symbolisms of the fox is to find a way around difficult situations, and to be swift in difficult situations. It is said that the fox will appear at the beginning of an 'ill conceived project'. In fact, over the next couple of weeks as things really began to deteriorate at work I saw the fox several more times - considering I had never seen a fox in the area before, this was highly unusual, and it seemed to appear whenever I was thinking about my situation and what to do. I couldn't help but feel that the fox was tied to my work predicament, an animal guide sent to help me during this period. A couple of times I thought that things were looking up, I'd had a good day and maybe it was worth staying on, and the fox would appear again.
Another attribute of the fox is its cunningness, and can help us to see through illusions, teaches us not to fall for deception and to think carefully before moving forward. It was clear to me then that even the good days were just prolonging the inevitable, and not to take them at face value. Ultimately, it was the right thing to do.
Being honest seemed to have no effect, and it wasn't long before I was regularly coming out of meetings with him in tears and spending every evening dreading the next day. It got to the stage where I wanted to quit, even without another job lined up.
One day I was mulling it over and a fox came into the garden. I hadn't seen any foxes around here before. It stopped and stood, staring at me, before turning around and walking off.
One of the symbolisms of the fox is to find a way around difficult situations, and to be swift in difficult situations. It is said that the fox will appear at the beginning of an 'ill conceived project'. In fact, over the next couple of weeks as things really began to deteriorate at work I saw the fox several more times - considering I had never seen a fox in the area before, this was highly unusual, and it seemed to appear whenever I was thinking about my situation and what to do. I couldn't help but feel that the fox was tied to my work predicament, an animal guide sent to help me during this period. A couple of times I thought that things were looking up, I'd had a good day and maybe it was worth staying on, and the fox would appear again.
Another attribute of the fox is its cunningness, and can help us to see through illusions, teaches us not to fall for deception and to think carefully before moving forward. It was clear to me then that even the good days were just prolonging the inevitable, and not to take them at face value. Ultimately, it was the right thing to do.
I decided to quit my job after a serious talk with my partner, despite not having another job lined up. Despite the financial insecurity, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Two days after handing in my notice I woke up and found a dead fox in the garden. It was pretty distressing, especially considering how close I had come in a spiritual sense to the fox over the past couple of weeks. I wondered if this was an omen, a sign that I had misinterpreted the message of the fox and had made completely the wrong decision. I spoke with some friends who were of the opinion that it was in fact a good sign - I had made the right decision, and the dead fox in my garden was symbolic of the animal guide having finished their work. As upsetting as finding a dead animal in the garden is, it made sense, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of peace; as I said, in hindsight this was one of the best decisions I have ever made, so I am confident that, even though death can be uncomfortable, the death of an animal guide represents resolution and an end to the situation that bought the guide to you in the first place.
Different cultures assign different attributes to the fox. In China the fox is associated with death and the afterlife and is believed to be a sign from the spirits of the dead. The legendary nine-tailed fox also originated in China and spread to Japanese and Korean cultures. The nine-tailed fox was believed to be a 'familiar' (similar to the witches familiar) which possessed magical powers, a devious trickster that would sometimes shape-shift into the form of a beautiful woman to seduce men, either for mischief or more ominously, to consume their souls. The Celts attributed wisdom to the fox and would often use it as a guide for its knowledge of the forest and woodlands. In Native America the fox has two roles; a messenger and a trickster, sometimes even luring people to their demise.
It's been just over a year since this experience, and I've only seen one fox since in a distinctly un-spiritual circumstance. However, I have learnt that the fox has an important message - to keep your eyes open, for all may not be as it seems - difficult decisions need to be made, do not fall for deception, and to think carefully about the options presented to you.
Different cultures assign different attributes to the fox. In China the fox is associated with death and the afterlife and is believed to be a sign from the spirits of the dead. The legendary nine-tailed fox also originated in China and spread to Japanese and Korean cultures. The nine-tailed fox was believed to be a 'familiar' (similar to the witches familiar) which possessed magical powers, a devious trickster that would sometimes shape-shift into the form of a beautiful woman to seduce men, either for mischief or more ominously, to consume their souls. The Celts attributed wisdom to the fox and would often use it as a guide for its knowledge of the forest and woodlands. In Native America the fox has two roles; a messenger and a trickster, sometimes even luring people to their demise.
It's been just over a year since this experience, and I've only seen one fox since in a distinctly un-spiritual circumstance. However, I have learnt that the fox has an important message - to keep your eyes open, for all may not be as it seems - difficult decisions need to be made, do not fall for deception, and to think carefully about the options presented to you.
