Legend of the Firebird
- adrienne490
- Mar 16, 2017
- 3 min read
It is an ancient symbol of rebirth and regeneration. Resurrection and renewal. Mostly I see the majestic firebird as a symbol of personal reinvention. My life has been nothing but a series of reinventions and improbable rebirths for many years now. When things are at their bleakest, somehow I keep hobbling along, if not fully healed then at least reinvigorated enough to continue some semblance of forward momentum.
I have been listening to Russian composer Igor Stravinsky's moving score to his Firebird ballet, first performed in 1910. In the ballet version, the Firebird myth is combined with an unrelated folktale about Prince Ivan who breaks a spell with the help of the Firebird, her magical plumes helping to lift the curse of an evil wizard. The Firebird is the Russian version of the more commonly known Phoenix, who upon its death, sets itself afire, only to rise again from the proverbial ashes. I like this metaphor very much and find myself meditating upon it constantly. However much I many feel near-death at times, I want to keep trying to do it better, to get it right, again and again.
My life looks nothing as I envisioned it would be at this stage of my life, mere months from my 50th birthday. In some ways it's better, the unexpected successes sweeter than I could have imagined. In other ways the disappointments are sharp, tough to come to terms with.
One way I'd like to commemorate my personal journey towards 50, along with this tale of the firebird, or phoenix, is with a glorious tattoo. I have been working towards this for several years, wanting to expand upon the tiny little moon and star that I got on my left shoulder blade in my early 20s, back when it was still illegal to get a tattoo in NYC. The below pic shows an example of what I have in mind, except my version would be in more vivid color.
Photo: found on Pinterest. Source unknown.
This tattoo, to be placed on my upper left shoulder/back, was originally conceived as being a bright blue and green peacock, placed within an intricate backdrop of mendhi-like patterns and pink lotus blossoms. I want to retain the same colors and design details, but using the iconography of the firebird instead.
I have been compiling photos and drawings and know exactly which tattoo artist here in the Hudson Valley that I wish to have do it (they just don't know it yet). When the time is right - and money is a factor, too, in when I'll be able to start the process - we will begin working on drawings together and plan out our little masterpiece of ink.
The myth of the phoenix has been told since ancient Egypt, originating as a means of honoring the sun god Ra and the daily rising and setting of the sun, as well as in classical antiquity, the phoenix even appearing on a coin in the late Roman Empire. In popular culture, we Harry Potter fans know Fawkes, the loyal companion and defender of Albus Dumbledore. Fawkes, like all phoenixes, cannot die and his tears have the power to heal others.
One of my favorite pastimes is both reading and collecting tarot cards. One of my beloved decks - actually a set of oracle cards - is by the acclaimed artist and author Kris Waldherr, also known for her gift and passion for tarot. In her deck The Sacred World, Waldherr incorporates 44 creatures from myth, folklore and nature, including the Firebird.
In her description of the Firebird, representing the element Fire, the mythical creature of Russian lore takes the form of a shapeshifting half-woman, half-bird. In Waldherr's deck, her appearance promises hope and magic, and divine intervention, unexpected help when it is most needed. I hope the firebird will summon this for me as well.
The phoenix, too, makes its appearance in her Sacred World. A symbol of immortality and hope, Waldherr speaks of one of the earliest phoenix stories, that of China's feng-huang, a bird of grace and harmony, and like all other phoenixes, "reborn from the flames to live anew."
As we can all rely on the setting and rising of the sun each day, I want to share that same hope of rebirth each day, just like a phoenix, or firebird, of legend.
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