The phoenix is a beast which, from time to time, burnt and reemerged from its own ashes.
Its origin is the Garden of Eden, at the bottom of the Tree of Good and Evil, where it burnt for the first time, later blossoming from the flames.
Originally mentioned by Hesiod in the eighth century BC, and subsequently in further explanations by the historian Herodotus, the myth of the phoenix spread among the Greeks, who gave it the name of Phoenicoperus (red wings).
It has been depicted in most well-known cultures, including the Chinese, Japanese, Russians (the firebird, musically immortalized by Stravinsky), Egyptians (the Bennu who, according to Ovid, died and was reborn every 500 years), Hindus, and Indigenous American like the Aztecs, the Mayans, and the Toltecs (Quetzal).
The “birth” and the rising of resilience
Viktor Frankl (1905–1997), neuropsychiatrist and founder of Logotherapy, compared the myth of the phoenix to a traumatic experience, which, although always negative, will lead to an outcome that will depend on each individual (resilience).
The psychologist, Carl G. Jung (1875–1961) explained the similarities between the human being and the phoenix, stating that the iconic creature of fire, which could rise up majestically from the ashes of its own destruction, symbolizes the power of resilience and the ability to renew oneself in order to become stronger, braver, and more radiant beings.
Therefore, resilience is a strengthening characteristic that helps people to overcome negative events.
Phoenix poetry
A Thousand Suns by Phoenix
Our days in the shadows cannot last
For a thousand suns shine in our hearts
What love can do is a promise to a future
And a band aid put to heal our past
Steps can always be made with our legs intact
And when our sinews give way to time’s darts
We cannot stop; it’s not a part of our culture
Our heads holding up high has never been an act
We may reach for the stars and never catch any
But once we know the secret is in looking up
The few drops left in our bodies feel so many
And we know no matter what, we will never give
up.
Resilience = Transformational journey
If milk gets bad, it becomes yoghurt. Yoghurt is more valuable than milk. If it gets even worse, it turns to cheese. Cheese is more valuable than both yoghurt and milk.
And if grape juice turns sour, it transforms into wine, which is even more expensive than grape juice.
The value of steel
……..From wire, to pins, to needles, to nails, to bars……
Foundations of resilience in nature
Supermassive Black Hole at the heart of Phoenix A, which is the name of the central galaxy in the Phoenix Cluster, at 100 billion times the mass of our Sun.
Located about 5.8 billion light years from Earth in the Phoenix constellation, astronomers have confirmed the first example of a galaxy cluster where large numbers of stars are being born at its core.
