|
|
 |
| Design of Cristina's Future Tattoo |
|
| When & Where TBD.... |
The Myth of the Phoenix
Perhaps the most well known, the Arabian phoenix was a fabulous mythical bird, said to be as large as an eagle, with brilliant
scarlet and gold plumage and a melodious cry. Making it's home near a cool well, the Phoenix would appear at dawn every morning
to sing a song so enchanting that even the great sun god Apollo would stop to listen.
It was said that only one phoenix existed at any one time, and it is very long-lived with a life span of 500 years, 540
years, 1000 years, 1461 years or even 12,994 years (according to various accounts). As the end of its life approached, the
phoenix would build a pyre nest of aromatic branches and spices such as myrrh, sets it on fire, and is consumed in the flames.
After three days the birth -- or as some legends say a rebirth -- the phoenix arises from the ashes. According to some sources,
the phoenix arose from the midst of the flames.
The young phoenix gathers the ashes of its predecessor into an egg of myrrh and takes it to Heliopolis, the city of the
sun, to deposit it on the alter of the sun god.
A symbolic representation of the Death and rebirth of the sun. It is also described as being either eagle like or heron
like. It lives on dew, killing nothing and crushing nothing that it touches. Generally considered the king of birds. It has
alternatively been called the bird of the sun, of Assyria, of Arabia, of the Ganges, the long-lived bird and the Egyptian
bird. The earliest reference to the Phoenix was made by Hesiod in the 8th century B.C., but the most detailed account is by
Herodotus of Halicarnassus, the famous Greek historian in 5th century B.C.
At the close of the first century Clement of Rome became the first Christian to interpret the myth of the phoenix as an
allegory of the resurrection and of life after death. The phoenix was also compared to undying Rome, and it appears on the
coinage of the late Roman Empire as a symbol of the Eternal City.
|
|
|
This story of the Phoenix has always been very special to me. It has taken on more meaning for me as I've grown older. It
is a symbol of how I view myself and my approach to life. Two common sayings capture my heart:
"That which doesn't kill you, makes you stronger"
and
"God only gives us as much as we can handle"
I'm flattered that God thinks I can handle alot! :) I am so fortunate in so many ways and do not pretend to have it
bad. But, I have had my share of trials over the years. I've been taken advantage of, lied to, hurt, betrayed and treated
like shit by people that were supposed to love me (for the record, this has nothing to do with my parents or sister). I've
struggled with infertility and I know what it's like to go without for lack of money. I know what it feels like to be different,
to be the stranger in a foreign land, to be punched and kicked around just because you look funny or seem weak. I've been
sexually harrassed on and off the job. Well, the list goes on... I don't pity myself, I look at these things with defiance.
Bring it on!
It's made me a little harder than some people and maybe a little too cynical but I am a survivor. In the end, I know
I can survive just about anything. People will try to make you feel worthless sometimes, sometimes they'll hurt you but you
don't have to take it. You don't have to let them win. You can keep your dignity. Sometimes things happen in life that
you have to suffer through to get to what you want or where you need to be. Without these experiences, you will not reach
a new level of existence. I don't want to live in a gilded cage. Every bad experience I've had has inevitably led me to
a path that I was destined for, including my son. I've found that the more difficult the path you choose to take, the greater
the reward. So, like the Phoenix, I feel like I can rise from the ashes over and over and over and be re-born. Believing
this in my core, gives me great strength and power.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"For reason, ruling alone, is a force confining; and passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destruction.
Therefore let your soul exalt your reason to the height of passion,that it may sing;
And let it direct your passion with reason, that your passion may live through its own daily resurrection, and like the
phoenix rise above its own ashes."
-Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
|
|
|
|