Once upon a time, an elder shaman smoked her pipe as she gazed into a picture of my eyes, the gateways of the soul, and with permission, opened my Book of Life. With her crystal guiding her sight, she turned to a page with a distinct picture of an exquisite fiery Phoenix rising in her beauty, truth and wisdom, embraced by rainbow flames. Her energies appeared to dance on the flames beneath her, joyfully navigating her own transformation with ease and grace. As she meditated on the picture in my very thick, golden-paged Book of Life, she was aware that my role would be in assisting others as a guide through their own transformation journeys as souls, leading by example through my own journey.
This name was announced to me in a powerful moment of recognition in a Mayan sweat lodge with this elder, after I passionately prayed for myself. She stopped the ceremony, and from the darkness of this humid womb-space she asked me if I was ready to receive my name. It made my entire body tingle with electricity. I was ready. It was through the void of the Great Mystery that I heard the words, “Fire Phoenix Dancer.” I knew instantly that my soul had been named with an accuracy that rang through my entire Being. She asked me to say my name out loud to the gathering of witnesses present, holding this sacred space for this special moment. The name rang through my body, rippled through all time-space, as I smiled hearing my voice claim this name. I later drummed my name to the four directions after the sweat lodge, and the winds seemed to acknowledge me, the leaves clapped at every declaration. It was a powerful moment in my life.
It took me some time to integrate my newly discovered yet ancient power name, and I am still discovering new meanings for myself through my contemplations. The mythical phoenix has a story and appearance in nearly every culture: Egypt (Bennu), Sumeria, Rome, Greece, China (Feng Huang), Hebrew (Milcham), Arabic, North American native culture (Thunderbird). In shamanism, the Phoenix is the keeper and protector of the Fires of Creation and represents death, rebirth and regeneration. In Christianity, the Phoenix has become a symbol of resurrection and eternal life. In Rome, the Phoenix was on the coins as a power symbol for the eternal reign of the Roman empire intended by its leaders. In Egypt, the Bennu bird/phoenix represented the action “to rise and shine.” In China, Feng Huang/phoenix was one of the four mythological creator animals, along with the dragon, the unicorn and the tortoise. (There are so many stories related to the phoenix, that I have a few links below to share if you are interested in reading more.)
After distilling so many of these tales of the Phoenix, I can see the Phoenix as embodying:
-Christ Consciousness of the Resurrection
-The Journey of Transformation in every moment through cycles of death and rebirth
-Essence of the element of Fire and a representation of Great Fire
-Beauty, Truth & Wisdom
The phoenix has been depicted with fiery flaming wings, sometimes rainbow-coloured, and with hints of other features of birds represented ranging from the eagle and hawk to the peacock and heron. As I have been working with Phoenix energy, I find that the flames that I embody as Fire Phoenix Dancer are rainbow flames, representing the chakras, all spectrums of light and energy. I often imagine myself engulfed in benevolent flames that are compassionately burning away the residues of limitation from my consciousness and healing all life around me.
To be given the name of Fire Phoenix Dancer, I am guided by this incredible mythological bird in my own life to:
- Rise and shine in my own life as a I make the choice to be worthy of the beauty, truth and wisdom that is part of my essence, and confidently share it with others.
- Embrace the energy of fire as an element that heals and guides my transformation, and the transformation of others, towards embracing full awakened Christ consciousness.
- Stand embodied in my brilliance, allowing for myself to be seen and heard, accepting myself fully and completely from a place of courage, openness and trust.
- Dance through all of Life’s changes with ease, grace, and a lightness in my steps.
- Understand that in every moment there is a death and rebirth happening simultaneously, cycling endlessly as the eternal constant of change, and to embrace this nature of Life by grounding myself into the present moment, holding on to nothing to be truly free.
This name certainly has guided me since 2011. It signals to me to anchor into the consciousness of this name, and to write, share, speak, and inspire from the wisdom of the Phoenix. It is the reason that my holistic healing business is called Phoenix Alchemy (http://phoenixalchemy.net), and is the name I use on my Facebook page Fire Phoenix Dancer when I share in social media.
There is a great deal of power in receiving a medicine name, and it has been a sacred initiation for me.
Resources on the Mythology of the Phoenix:
http://www.phoenixarises.com/phoenix/legends/legends.htm
http://geography.about.com/od/culturalgeography/a/The-Phoenix.htm
An Article on the Phoenix as a Guide of Transformation:
http://aflourishinglife.com/2011/01/coping-with-challenging-life-circumstances/