Since the first time I heard the lyrics to
Ashes I was reminded of the legend of the Phoenix, that mythical bird who builds his own funeral pyre and dies on its flames, only to rise up anew, from the ashes. So I finally went looking for the details and official version of this tale. Turns out there are a number of versions, subject to many interpretations.
~ The Egyptians called him Benu or Bennu
~ The Arabians called him Phoenix
~ The Chinese called him Feng Huang
~ The Japanese called him Hou-Ou or Ho-Oo
~ The Native Americans called him Firebird or Thunderbird
In every version of this legend the Phoenix possesses these characteristics in common:
~ Its song was melodious and enchanting
~ It was a gentle creature, killing or crushing nothing during its lifetime, and surviving on dewdrops
~The flight of the Phoenix represents “the capacity to leave the world and its problems behind, flying toward the sun in clear, pure skies”
~ It was the only one of its kind, living for 500 years or more, and when it became weak would renew itself by dying in the fire and rising from the ashes
~It represented the life-giving sun and immortality
~It symbolized high moral values such as loyalty, honesty and grace
~It was a sign of peace and prosperity
Sound like anyone we know?
From The Feng Shui Handbook, feng shui Master Lam Kam Chuen:
A mythical bird that never dies, the phoenix flies far ahead to the front, always scanning the landscape and distant space. It represents our capacity for vision, for collecting sensory information about our environment and the events unfolding within it. The phoenix, with its great beauty, creates intense excitement and deathless inspiration.