From the Ashes
“The ancient Greeks and Egyptians described a mythical bird called the Phoenix, a magnificent creature that was a symbol of renewal and rebirth.
According to legend, each Phoenix lived for 500 years, and only one Phoenix lived at a time.
Just before its time was up, the Phoenix built a nest and set itself on fire.
Then, a new Phoenix would rise from the ashes.”
Renewal and rebirth. That’s what January 1st represents. A year starts anew. Earth hurdles forward yet again for another trip around the sun. And for us humans, it’s a reminder of the continuous opportunity to recalibrate ourselves, like the Phoenix bird.
I love the legend of the Phoenix bird. It sets itself on fire and, in this way, is reborn. The rebirth of soul, spirit, and intention is compelling to me. Across a lifetime we are continuously shedding and rebirthing new iterations of ourselves. No part of us every fully leaves and no part is ever fully born but rather pieces of ourselves advance and recede, ascend, and wane. In this way, we humans are constantly in motion, transforming ourselves as we go.
The great American mythologist, Joseph Campbell described life’s path as “The Hero’s Journey”, to which he ascribed three phases: INITIATION — SEPARATION —RETURN. Initiation represents our losses, missteps, and hardships – all of which are required experiences that come for us all on a planet where “life eats life” and everything dies. Next comes Separation which is our inner search to process those wounds and transcend them. Return follows and that is the rebirth as we learn and grow from our experiences and, in this way, take new life. Through this cycle we acquire a new essence that we now mentor and impart on those around us as we recalibrate into a new iteration of ourselves. The Sioux revere the elders of their community because one of their core tribal values is wisdom and true wisdom comes from experience. Our wounds are our rebirth. Our lives are not static. We are spiritual beings in motion, like all of the Universe, expanding as we go.
The new year is symbolic more than chronological. It’s a reset. It’s a chance to reflect on what we have taken in and be intentional about what may become. “Tell yourself a better story,” my friend and hypnotherapist Maggie Clement once said to me as I reflected on my neurological voice disorder, spasmodic dysphonia. And, in time, I did. I came to see that wound as a blessing. When I can to see that wound as a blessing it healed me, from within and without. Today my voice is reborn. It became reborn because I rebirthed it. I chose to see it differently.
SEE – DO – GET is one of my favorite concepts and it goes like this: what we see determines what we do and what we do determines what we get. If we want to get something different in our lives, we must first come to see our lives differently. That’s the invitation of a new year. We are the mythological Phoenix bird, and we all rise from our own ashes.
“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
For you know that wen your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”
James (1:2-3)
