It's day sixteen of the A to Z Challenge!
Today I expound upon the phoenix, the great mythological creature which also happens to be the symbol for my sorority, Alpha Sigma Alpha.
The phoenix is a firebird found in the mythologies of many different ancient cultures - Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Chinese. A fire spirit whose color plumage varies depending on the legend (although most maintain that the primary colors are gold and scarlet), the phoenix lives anywhere from 500 to 1,000 years. Once it nears the end of its life cycle, the great bird builds a nest which it then ignites. Both the bird and the nest go up in flames and a new phoenix (either the offspring of the original or the same phoenix reborn, depending on sources) emerges from the ashes.
The phoenix is, then, a great symbol of rebirth and starting over. It is a reminder that change comes at a cost, but that we cannot have the change without paying the price. When we make significant changes in our lives, we are like the phoenix: our old self dies and our new self emerges, wings spread wide.
The phoenix is a firebird found in the mythologies of many different ancient cultures - Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Chinese. A fire spirit whose color plumage varies depending on the legend (although most maintain that the primary colors are gold and scarlet), the phoenix lives anywhere from 500 to 1,000 years. Once it nears the end of its life cycle, the great bird builds a nest which it then ignites. Both the bird and the nest go up in flames and a new phoenix (either the offspring of the original or the same phoenix reborn, depending on sources) emerges from the ashes.
The phoenix is, then, a great symbol of rebirth and starting over. It is a reminder that change comes at a cost, but that we cannot have the change without paying the price. When we make significant changes in our lives, we are like the phoenix: our old self dies and our new self emerges, wings spread wide.
Great post Amy! I love the symbol of the phoenix!
ReplyDelete- Heather The Evil Twin with Love from the A to Z Challenge @thewinetwins.blogspot.com
I love the rebirth idea of the phoenix. It was such a fantastically graphic way of giving an explanation for something that was a very difficult concept to those of yore. Nancy at Welcome to she said, he said
ReplyDeleteI've been the phoenix many times in this lifetime. I liken it to a snake shedding its skin, too. Better, the metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly.
ReplyDeleteHeather, me too! It's so beautiful and it really worked out nicely that it's also my sorority's symbol!
ReplyDeleteEllen, I think we've all been the phoenix at one time or another, if we're lucky. :-)
ReplyDeleteNancy, thanks for stopping by! It really is amazing imagery - vivid, vibrant, and totally unforgettable!
ReplyDelete