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THE FIREBIRD LOGO - Click here for larger image of Firebird
Ancient Egyptians associated the phoenix with immortality and as a symbol of the soul of the sun god. It
was also connected with creation and it was believed that its cry at the world’s creation marked the
beginning of time.
The firebird is a variation of the phoenix, a mythological creature found in many cultures around the world.
In Chinese mythology, the phoenix is a symbol of power, prosperity and the symbol of the empress. The
dragon for the emperor and the phoenix for the empress, representing yin and yang, are frequently found
together in Chinese art.
From The Feng Shui Handbook by Lam Kam Chuen: the phoenix is “a mythical bird that never dies, the
phoenix flies 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.”
The classical Arabian phoenix would appear at dawn and sing a song so lovely that the sun god Apollo
would stop to listen. The phoenix was considered a symbol of the death and rebirth of the sun. It lived on
dew and caused no harm to anything it touched.
Early Christians viewed the phoenix as an allegory for resurrection and life after death.
Most recently we have seen the phoenix in the Harry Potter books and movies. Besides consuming itself
with fire and then rebirthing itself from the ashes, the myth of this phoenix is that its tears are healing.
The firebird first came to me as an image in my art work many years ago. It was a birdlike/dragon like
creature with arms/wings of fire. I didn’t recognize it until this past year when I saw its image and its name
“firebird” in a book. I researched “firebird” and found “phoenix.” My personal association with this logo is its
representation of spiritual energy: the fire of inspiration and creativity and the enthusiasm and courage (the
heart) to engage in life fully. The ability of the phoenix to rebirth itself from its own ashes is a beautiful
metaphor for the transformational journey we are all on: recreating ourselves from the compost of our past
experiences.
For additional information visit www.mythicalrealm.com
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