The Phoenix bird is known to be that creature that supposedly rises from its own ashes. The myth, then, associates this creature with the resilience capacity that many people have; that ability to find solutions to adverse situations that life presents them and, like the Phoenix bird, to be reborn from the ashes that that problem left them.
The Phoenix is an iconic fire creature that, as mentioned, is capable of majestically soaring from the ashes of its own destruction. That is why it symbolizes the already described power of resilience to come out of problems strengthened.
Few people are currently unaware of the story of the Phoenix. Most have ever heard the myth of that strange bird, made of fire and with a striking figure, which is reborn from its own ashes after having disappeared. Those who do not know the story have surely heard the myth or saying of “he was reborn as the Phoenix”. In any case, it is a known story, but it is also true that little is known about its origin.
On the other hand, the myth of the Phoenix is one of the best known in all cultures. Unlike others, which are specific to some nations or religions, this one is almost global. At some point, all the legendary cultures and roots of countries around the planet refer to the Phoenix, even with other names. It was said of him that his tears were healing, that he had great physical endurance, control over fire, and infinite wisdom. It was, in essence, one of the most powerful archetypes for Carl Jung, a renowned psychoanalyst, because his fire contained both creation and destruction, life and death.
Likewise, it is interesting to know that early references to their mythology can be found both in Arabic poetry, as in Greco-Roman culture and even in much of the historical legacy of the East. In China, for example, the Phoenix or Feng Huang symbolizes not only the highest virtue, power or prosperity, but also represents yin and yang, that duality that makes up everything in the universe.
However, it should be remembered that it is in Ancient Egypt where the first cultural and religious testimonies appear around this figure. It is there that, in turn, the image that is known today about resilience is shaped. Each detail, nuance and symbol that outlines this myth undoubtedly offers a good exercise to reflect on to understand the resilience process and how it should continue after an adverse situation.
What the origin of the Phoenix bird’s myth is
It is said that in the original Eden, under the Tree of Good and Evil, a rose bush flourished. There, next to the first rose, a bird was born, with beautiful plumage and an incomparable song, and whose principles made him the only being who did not want to taste the fruits of the Tree. When Adam and Eve were expelled from Paradise, a spark from the fiery sword of a Cherub fell on the nest, and the bird instantly burned.
But, from the flames themselves, a new bird emerged, which was the Phoenix, with unmatched plumage, scarlet wings and a golden body. Some fables later place him in Arabia, where he lived near a well of fresh water and bathed every day singing a melody so beautiful that it made the Sun God stop his car to listen to it.
Immortality was the prize for his fidelity to the divine precept, along with other qualities such as knowledge, the healing capacity of his tears, or his incredible strength. Throughout his many lives of him, his mission of him is to transmit the knowledge that he has treasured since its origin at the foot of the Tree of Good and Evil, and to serve as inspiration in his work of him to seekers of knowledge, both artists and scientists.
His life span varies according to the adaptation of the myth and the culture in question. Thus, every 100, 500, 540 (and in some legends, even 1,461 or 12,994 years), he builds a funeral pyre in his own nest, fills it with incense and aromatic plants, and at the same time he sings the most beautiful of all his songs. , it ignites itself to extinction. There is only one single bird, whose form of reproduction is precisely rebirth, of which it is also a symbol.
The myth of the Phoenix bird spread widely among the Greeks, who gave it the name Phoenicoperus (which means red wings), an appellation that spread throughout Roman Europe. The early Christians, influenced by the Hellenic cults, made this unique mythical creature a living symbol of immortality and resurrection.
. In ancient Egyptian mythology, the Phoenix represented the Sun, which dies at night and is reborn in the morning. Another symbol linked to the Phoenix is that of hope, which represents a value that must never die in man.
According to Ovid, “when the Phoenix sees its end coming, it builds a special nest with oak branches and fills it with cinnamon, tuberose and myrrh, on top of a palm tree. There it stands and, singing the most sublime of its melodies, it expires. After 3 days, from its own ashes, a new Phoenix emerges and, when it is strong enough, it takes the nest to Heliopolis, in Egypt, and places it in the Temple of the Sun”. As the new Phoenix accumulates all the knowledge obtained from its origins, a new cycle of inspiration begins.
The Phoenix bird has its representations in different cultures, such as the Chinese (the Fêng-Huang), the Japanese (the Ho-oo), the Russian (The Fire Bird, which Stravinsky musically immortalized), the Egyptian (the Bennu), the Hindu (the Garuda). It is also present in the cultures of the Indians of the north of the American continent (the Yel) and of Latin American cultures, such as the Aztecs, Mayas and Toltecas (the Quetzal). It was first cited by Hesiod in the 8th century BC and later and in more detail by the historian Herodotus.
The Phoenix bird in Egypt
Ovid explained in his texts that, in Egypt, the Phoenix bird died and was reborn once every 500 years. Although they did not call it a Phoenix bird, for the Egyptians this majestic heron was Bennu, a bird associated with the floods of the Nile, the Sun and death. According to this ancestral culture, Bennu was born under the tree of Good and Evil. This fantastic creature understood that it was necessary to renew himself from time to time to acquire greater wisdom and for this, it followed a very peculiar process.
The Egyptians believed that he flew all over Egypt to build a nest with the most beautiful elements; cinnamon sticks, oak branches, tuberose, and myrrh. Later, settled in his nest, he sang one of the most beautiful melodies that the Egyptians had ever heard and then let the flames consume him completely. Three days later, he was reborn full of strength and power. Then, what is currently known as the Phoenix bird took its nest and left it in Heliopolis, in the Temple of the Sun to start a new cycle with which to offer inspiration to the people of Egypt.
Resilience and our “nest” of transformation
It is really possible to say that the ancestral history of the Phoenix is a very beautiful myth with many edges to analyze.
One of the lesser known features, but very important to understand the origin of the history of the Phoenix, is how this bird makes and builds its nest. To get to make that nest, the Phoenix searches until it finds the richest raw materials in its land. All of them combine delicacy and strength at the same time, something very symbolic to understand the history and meaning of the Phoenix. Finding them and putting them in your nest will help you to carry out your transformation process and your subsequent ascension.
When analyzed in detail and thoroughly, the process that the Phoenix goes through to build its nest and then be reborn is very similar to that which makes up the psychological dimension of resilience. People, in order to reach that resilience, also select elements that could be called magical with which to build a nest resistant enough to use all their strengths to their advantage.
The human being, to go through this process, must also spread his wings to fly over his inner universe in search of the branches of his self-esteem, the flower of his motivation, the resin of his dignity, the land of his illusions and the warm water of his own love. All these elements are the richest that each person has and they are the ones that will help them get out of an adverse situation and come out stronger.
It is said that the Phoenix bird is reborn stronger and wiser
Also, as with the Phoenix, these elements will help in the ascent process, although not without first being aware of something fundamental. This process will have an end, and in that end a part of the person will also leave, perhaps even turn to ashes, and will remain in a past that will never be again. The current situation, which arose as a result of the pandemic and the measures taken as a consequence by the governments of the world, suggest a renaissance similar to that of the Phoenix.
At this point, with a few months of evolution of this global health situation, most people know that part of the past, of the normality they knew, will no longer be the same and that it will be necessary to take the most positive elements of themselves and the society in which they live so that the future is better. Not only so that the future is more promising, but also to prevent situations like the one we are currently experiencing, from avoiding repeat themselves.
Part of being reborn as the Phoenix is also meant by doing that process of learning from past situations, letting a lot fall apart between fire and ashes, and taking all those experiences to work towards a better future.
Another important point to keep in mind in the myth of the Phoenix is what happens to those ashes. One would regularly think that they are blown away by the wind, just as it happens when a campfire goes out and the next day there are hardly any traces of the embers that burned the night before.
In the story of the Phoenix it is totally different. The wind does not carry the ashes, quite the opposite. They remain there and they will be part of the new Phoenix bird that resurfaces, so that the fire will be much stronger, bigger, and wiser. As mentioned above and like the Phoenix, it is very important for people not to lose the memory of past experiences.
Maintaining that memory, although always having healed our wounds, is essential to be able to learn from the adverse situations that we have faced in life and that, later, could be repeated. Not making the same mistakes again is also part of that process of rebirth that the Phoenix makes and that is perfectly applicable to the day to day of many people, each with their particular situation.
The Phoenix bird and its healing tears
But the Phoenix was not only a creature that, according to myth, was reborn from its own ashes and could emerge strengthened from that adversity. In addition, the Phoenix bird was attributed other abilities, which could truly be classified as gifts. Among them is the virtue that her tears were healing.
The Phoenix bird also has the power to transform into a firebird, and is the size of an eagle. By his death in a different way, by his rebirth from destruction, the Phoenix has become a symbol of strength, purification, immortality, and physical and spiritual rebirth.
And therefore, the phoenix symbolizes the hope for a better future. Because of hope and belief, people can move forward unswervingly when they face difficulties. The rebirth of the phoenix means that when you face the hardships and difficulties, loss and damage in life, victory will follow. Therefore, the phoenix totem is regarded as a symbol of auspiciousness, and people will also customize gifts according to the image of the phoenix and give them to friends, family, etc.
You can customize lapel pins with a phoenix totem at GS-JJ.com if you are looking for a good gift for a new couple at their wedding. If you give them a couple of phoenix lapel pins with their name, wedding date, and more, which means bringing them good luck and happiness, it will make them surprised. Phoenix lapel pins are not only fashionable and beautiful but also contain infinite blessings to the new couple. The bridegroom and groom can wear them at their wedding and also can be collected as souvenirs for permanent, that’s amazing.
