Time for some Foxy Fencing…

So… it occurs to me that recently  I’ve  been retelling the story of the Scorpion and the Fox quite a few times during my readings…

And for those of you not familiar with the tale, it goes a bit like this…

Fox is stood at the side of a raging river and he wants to get to the other side and he is deciding on whether or not it is safe to swim across…

Scorpion is further down the bank and he has spotted Fox…. Scorpion also wants to cross but he knows that he can’t swim across… so he makes his way down to Fox and says – Hey Fox! I want to cross the river… Let me ride on your back…

Now Fox looks at Scorpion and he says – But you’re a Scorpion… You’ll sting me…

Scorpion protests… NO! Not at all! Why would I sting you? I want to cross too…

OK says Fox… hop on!

So… into the water they go and right in the middle, where the water is deepest and flowing fastest… Scorpion whips out his tail and delivers the death sting…

And Fox with his last gasps asks – Why Scorpion? Why? Now we shall both die…

Scorpion replies… I am a Scorpion! It is my nature to sting!

And there is the obvious moral here, that you cannot change the nature of the beast… But for me, this raises more questions…

What on earth was going on in that Fox’s head? What about the nature of the Fox? Wily, sly, crafty, living on his wits… ruthless killer…

Why was the Fox so easily seduced by the Scorpion’s charm? Why did the Fox deny his own nature?

And besides… what did Fox expect to happen when they got to the other side? I find it hard to believe that they would have become good friends… There would be no reason for Scorpion to hold back his sting once he had got what he wanted… And even if he didn’t sting… Fox would always know what he was capable of and always waiting… Or maybe Scorpion would hold his sting and become bitter with resentment that Fox had tamed him…

Which ever way it plays out… I find it hard to imagine it turning into a happy Bromance…

Any who… Like I say… I’ve been telling the tale a lot recently… and whilst the faces and details of the stories change, there seems to be a common theme that remains…

So… bearing in mind, that the details of other people’s stories are indeed that and are not stories for me to tell directly…

I will turn to Mystereum to offer  an alternative tale on tales of tails…

And I’ll let the cards speak directly with the Fox…

6 of Swords

Hey! Mr Fox! What on earth are you thinking? Take a moment to pause here… You’ve got a problem that needs solving… and you are strong, wise and experienced and have survived many scrapes in the past… So… why is somebody else’s problem your problem?

Consider this… when you are a creative problem solver who knows where they want to go and has the skills to get there… There will always be those who lack those skills and talents, who will want to hitch a free ride and piggy back your efforts?

Why do you feel the need to reach out your hand to help someone who you know is dangerous… ? They need your help but you don’t need theirs? Why are you putting yourself in danger?

7 of Swords

Oh Fox, Fox, Fox… Come on!! Pay attention here… You’ve already spotted a clear and present danger… You even said – You will sting me!

Don’t be taken in by that smooth chat  and ignore what is clearly there to see… What do you mean – but he makes such a good case!

Of course he makes a good case… he knows you pride yourself on your wits… so he uses your love of logic to out fox you… and maybe he preys on suspecting that you have an underlying urge to help people and want to be seen as doing a good thing…

Take a look at those 6 swords neatly arranged in a pretty pattern like his carefully chosen words… But what about that 7th… lurking at the back… The sting waiting to strike? Look behind those words and watch for what the actions are showing… Is that tail twitching?

Are you going to wait for it to strike?

Or are you going to pick up the 7th sword, hold it where he can see and let him know that you are more than capable of using it should the need arise?

8 of Swords

Please Fox… let go of those thought patterns… Oh…. yes I know Scorpion is dangerous… but we’ve had a chat and he promises that this time it will all be different… No Fox! No it will not… Scorpion really does not care about you… you could be anyone… anyone at all…

The thing that is different between you and all the others is that you are prepared to listen to him and believe him… I saw that Scorpion talking to a goose earlier… Same old chat he gave you… She HONKED! in his face and told him to DO ONE! And off she waddled and away she swam…

Think back to my friend the 6 of Swords… you don’t have to hold your hand out to help anybody and everybody who crosses your path… Please…. Put your own needs first… Look after yourself! And if you really must help, then do so wisely… Take a look around and check out your environment…

You noticed straight off the bat that Scorpion was a stinger… I bet you also noticed that there was a bridge about a mile back down the river? Yes? Ok… so then why not give him directions to the bridge and tell him to cross there?

That way you have helped him… but you haven’t shot yourself in the foot in the process…

Fox replies… so 6, 7, 8… My Trio of Musketeers… How do you round that up in an ‘ all for one and one for all’ kind of way?

They chorus back…

Learn to Fence Foxy…

Be a Foxy Fencer…

Choose a way to play…

Defence…

Offence ..,

Or …

Make a fence… 

Pick up that Sword and draw your line in the sand… into the ground between you and Scorpion… define your boundaries…

Hey… Look… Scorpion got bored waiting…He’s wandering off… Looks like he heard about that bridge and decided to go it alone…