One of my favourite characters in the Harry Potter story is Fawkes, the phoenix, most often depicted as bursting into flames in Professor Dumbledore's office or swooping in to save the day in times of great peril. Ancient in origin, sacred and powerful, this mythical, sacred firebird is said to have a 500- to 1000-year lifecycle. According to legend, at the end of its life the phoenix builds a funeral pyre which it then ignites. Both pyre and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a young phoenix emerges, reborn to live again. Destined to live as long as its old self, the ability to be reborn from its own ashes implies that it is immortal.
Today, the phoenix is a modern symbol of transformation and connecting with infinite potential. We all want to be reborn from our own ashes – to overcome adversity and live a purposeful, engaged life. The problem is we fear getting burned – an avoidance of pain and accountability that stifles positive action and sabotages us mentally, physically, and emotionally. It’s like having a built-in kill switch to our goals and dreams.
We’re all guilty of not being fully present and of walking around with the burden of unsaid things, unlived talents, and untold stories. The truth is, the present moment is sometimes unacceptable, unpleasant, or awful, but it is all we have. The time is always right to embrace your path, no matter how old you are, where you're at, or what you’ve done. It took a lifetime of struggle for me to find acceptance and have the courage to live and be seen as the most authentic, powerful, version of self. Why? Taking charge of one’s future requires sacrifice – a change of temperature – and because letting go of what is comfortable and familiar is often painful, scary, business.
In his ground-breaking book, The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle says, “If you no longer want to create pain for yourself and others, if you no longer want to add to the residue of past pain that still lives on in you, then surrender to what is. Always say “yes” to the present moment. Say “yes” to life – and see how life suddenly starts working for you rather than against you.”
At the centre of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want. – Lao Tzu
Nothing is ever really lost – our history, brokenness, gifts, desire, and potential are forged into our next incarnation. We become something more. Be brave and let the fire transform you. Be the phoenix.
Clarity begins when we stop bullshitting ourselves and start asking the most powerful questions and thinking about them until the answers are clear. What do you want more than anything? What stops you from voicing the desires of your heart and from stepping out of your comfort zone into your infinite potential? Imagine your ideal future and what it will take to manifest that vision into reality.
To get closer to your own personal foundation – the core of self and what your life journey is really about – start by asking these simple but powerful questions:
What do I want right now?
What or who is most important to me?
What made me happiest as a child?
If fear wasn’t an obstacle what would I be doing?
What do I want my life to look like 3-years from now?
How do I want to be remembered?
Until next time...
