In dreams, the phoenix is typically a symbol of fresh starts and exciting opportunities. This mythological bird lived alone for hundreds of years and then sang its final song on a nest made of precious spices, an aromatic funeral pyre that was ignited by the sun’s rays. A bird emerged from the glowing embers of the fire and this was the embryo of the reborn phoenix. The phoenix is also associated with alchemy, resurrection, and emotional and spiritual beginnings. In dreams, it may express your yearning to put the past behind you and to be reborn as a new person.
Sphinx / Griffin / Hydra
In dreams and in waking life, the Sphinx is a symbol of mystery and divinity, but its dual nature (it is a bird as well as a human) is a warning to beware the lure of obsession. The Sphinx of Greek myth, a creature with a woman’s head and a man’s body, killed anyone who failed to answer her riddle; her appearance in your dream may represent a problem or challenge that is baffling you. (If you remember Oedipus’s solution, could it hold the key to your problem?) On the other hand, for most people a dream of the Sphinx will represent Egypt and all the mystery conjured up by that country.
If you dreamed of a serpent-like multi-headed hydra that instantly grew two or more heads whenever one was hacked off, could your unconscious have portrayed your sense of struggling to take one step forward, only to find you have moved two steps back; or did it symbolize the drastic multiplication of problems in waking life? The griffin is said to denote vigilance, combining the attributes of the eagle with those of the lion. To dream of a griffin may be warning you to stop letting your heart rule your head, as well as recommending you to control your fiery temper.
[1]In Greek mythology, the Phoenix was a bird with great beauty, splendor and longevity.
The legend tells us that the Phoenix lived for five hundred years and then retreated to make a nest where she would die. She made a nest of aromatic twigs that would burn from the heat of its own body.
The Phoenix is said to rise from its own ashes. It comes alive though the transforming power of fire and it lives again in full splendor. In the Middle Ages, the Phoenix was often used as a symbol for Christ, as he resurrected. This legendary bird is an archetypal dream symbol that brings us positive and powerful images of rebirth.
If you dream of the Phoenix, it is most likely that you are receiving message from the unconscious that are telling you that new life and new beginnings are always possible. This bird is a reminder that we have internal powers of regeneration and that we have the power to change things for the better. As you are interpreting this dream, try to visualize a great bird rising up from fire and ash.
It is a powerful image, whether produced by a dream or visualization.
[2]See Also: Peacock. According to the most widely read book of the Middle Ages, Physiologus, the phoenix of India is more beautiful than a peacock. After 500 years, and at new moon, the phoenix flew to Heliopolis, presented itself to the priest, and then burned itself on the altar. What remained was a worm from which wings began growing, and the phoenix was reborn.
A symbol of resurrection, rebirth, and transformation.
[3]A symbol of rebirth and new beginnings, when a phoenix shows up in your dream it means you’re starting a new cycle. One door may be closing, but another is about to open. The past is the past, and it’s time to move forward with optimism. You may have made mistakes, but you’ve learned from them, and this fresh start gives you the chance to use the knowledge you’ve gained.
[4]Reincarnation, rebirth, and new beginnings. Known by the Egyptians as the bennu, this fire bird renews itself by making a nest in a raging conflagration from which it is born anew.
Longevity. Several ancient texts, including the Talmud, intimate this creature can live as long as one thousand years.
[5]Material aspects: The phoenix was believed to live for 500 or 600 years, then to burn itself on a funeral pyre, knowing it would rise again. In dreams, therefore, it can symbolize knowing when to move on, when to let the past go, being aware that there is more energy available if we do so.
[6]Dreams of a phoenix represent transformation and that your greatest challenges can become your greatest source of strength and wisdom. You are rising from the ashes of a difficult time and into a new beginning.
See Also: Breakdown/Breakthrough Dreams.
[7]Rising up from the ashes, the phoenix represents a personal transformation through death and rebirth. It may fly into a dream as a response to events that dismember the ego and bnng about a strengthening of the soul and spirit of the individual.
[8]Psychological / emotional perspective: Since the phoenix rises from its own ashes ready to live its life all over again, it signifies our ability to pick ourselves up and begin again, after what appears to be disaster.
[9]The phoenix is a universal symbol of rebirth, new life and immortality; of the power in oneself to transform from the depths of darkness or depression into new awareness.
[10]To see a phoenix in your dream symbolizes immortality and renewal. It may also mean that your past continues to haunt you.
[11]A mythical bird of great beauty, the phoenix is often an emblem of immortality or of resurrected idealism and hope.
[12]The phoenix is a universal symbol of rebirth, resurrection and immortality (dying in order to live).
[13]A dream of renewed health and vigor (Gypsy). The symbol of immortality, resurrection, the soul.
[14]The ability to find a new impulse, new strength, new growth even in death.
[15]A phoenix appears: a VIP will lend you a hand
[16]See Also: birds.
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