From Star: The phoenix, a symbol of transformation and life everlasting, was revered in ancient Egypt, and its legend endures to this day. This symbol has never been more relevant than in our present Age of Aquarius, which carries so much promise for the transcendence of all that has ever limited the consciousness of humanity during Earth’s rebirth into this new golden age of awareness.

At this time we are instinctively feeling a sense of longing emerging from deep within the psyche of humanity as many of us struggle to reclaim the sense of a higher purpose in our lives; to achieve a view of who we really are in the higher aspects of ourselves; and to reclaim a sense of freedom, joy, and unfettered creativity. Often we do not consciously identify what this could be. It is the longing for reunion with parts of ourselves that we may have forgotten — or perhaps we have not yet had the conscious experience of these deeper parts of ourselves — as we go about our daily lives, so focused on outer world circumstances. Perhaps what we long for is the rebirth of all that is real and true within us, our authentic selves.

According to Egyptian legends, the phoenix is as large as an eagle with beautiful scarlet and gold plumage. It is said to live for 500 years or longer. As the end of its life approaches, it builds a nest of the branches that it gathers from trees along with aromatic herbs and spices. When this is complete, the phoenix causes itself as well as its nest to be engulfed in the flames of sacred fire, and all is reduced to ashes. Then arising from the ashes appears the new phoenix, who will again live to the age of at least 500 years before once again completing the cycle of death and rebirth, which symbolizes the eternal nature of the soul. For this reason, the phoenix was a symbol of everlasting life in early Christianity, perhaps bringing to mind the death and resurrection of Jesus.