The Story of the Phoenix

Posted by icemonkey9 on Jan 17, 2010 in General | 2 comments

As some of you might know, I am a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.  I say "am" because I believe that membership truly is for life as brotherhood extends well beyond your days as an active member.  I never was president of the fraternity chapter, but for two years I served as Pledge Educator, meaning it was my responsibility to teach the laws, history and lore of the fraternity.  I enjoyed the role very much as it allowed me to get to know the new members well and forge strong bonds a lot of the others guys didn't get the opportunity to form.

One of the major stories that I would teach to all the classes was the story of the Phoenix, a mythical bird  whose story begins in ancient Egypt...

The Phoenix is an Egyptian mythological bird of red, gold and purple plumage, colors of the rising sun. The phoenix, symbolizing rebirth and resurrection, died in the fire of the funeral pyre, but arose from the ashes.

“At the top of a palm tree a bird’s nest catches fire. It has been ignited by a spark struck from the hooves of celestial steeds drawing the chariot of Ra, the Egyptian sun god. Amid the flames a beautiful Arabian bird extends its golden neck and purple wings, but instead of flying off, it dances. Eventually, it is consumed by the fire and reduced to ashes…but this is not the end. Indeed, it is only the beginning- for five hundred years later a new bird is reborn from the ashes. It seals the remains of the nest in myrrh, wraps it in aromatic leaves, and molds it into the shape of an egg. It carries this as a sacred offering to the temple of the sun at Heliopolis, and then flies away to paradise. Five hundred years later it returns to earth, where it begins again the cycle of self-immolation and resurrection-a process that continues forever.”

The Phoenix shall rise from its own ashes.