Today I've been thinking about the Phoenix, as I recently found a missing figure that had fallen behind my chest of draws. It was part of a collection that I've had since doing my A-levels, however I was saddened to find that her pearl of wisdom was now gone (replaced with a bead). It made me think about life and the experiences we have (including myself) in regard to giving away your power, sharing your jewels, your advice, and your guidance. That bright light you shine slowly starts to diminish, you feel exhausted, overwhelmed and mentally drained where there hasn't been reciprocity. Like the Phoenix you then need to go through a rebirth, unlearn old patterns such as people pleasing and set healthy boundaries for yourself. Only then are you reborn and renewed from the ashes of emotional dumping, and karmic bonds. Casting into the flames the scabs of trauma, and although the wounds are no longer there, you can still find the scars stitched into your psyche like a crocheted cloak of plumage. Hooks, through barbules on barbs. These feathers, these quills tell your story. You are no longer afraid to express your song. It is a call. You become a beacon to likely minded people who understand the duality of what it is to give, take and compromise. Then once again you burn bright. You bear a new gem, an egg born of all that has come before this very moment. Like Pangu you've come forth from the chaos... you've shaped your own Heaven from this Earth and regained your divinity, your balance. Bringing your Yin and Yang energy into harmony once more.
The Golden Phoenix if you're interested was always the feminine counterpart to the Jade Dragon (masculine). Two opposing yet complementary forces that keep the universe in equilibrium. I always enjoyed the mythology behind them from reading as a child.
Separated by the river of the Milky Way, the Phoenix and Dragon lived on opposite sides of its banks, only meeting by chance on the Island of the Fairies, which was found in the middle (Penglai). While there they found a strange stone that they both washed, polished, and buffed together revealing an exquisite pearl. Seeing what they had accomplished through working and collaborating together, the Empress of Heaven became jealous of their creation, and while they slept had the pearl spirited away to her palace. Locking it away behind many gates, she still couldn't stop it's brilliant glow. It was seen despite her trying to hide her selfish deed, after initially taking credit for the pearl’s beauty. This allowed the Dragon and Phoenix to find and retrieve what was originally theirs. They did not yield to her status, resulting in the Empress, the Phoenix and the Dragon fighting over the pearl and causing it to fall from the Heavens down towards Earth. When it landed, the pearl then created a bright, mirror like lake (as it takes a lot of reflection to stand in your full glory). So determined not to lose what they had made again, the Dragon and the Phoenix also descended down to Earth in order to continue to guard it. Beside the lake they then transformed into two magnanimous mountains, that are still found around the lake (Xi) today.
A UNESCO site, the Xi Lake is surrounded by many temples and shrines that are still considered sacred to many that visit them in present day China. Thus, it makes me think about fate... kismet and destined meetings, bringing two souls (beings if you consider the story) together for a reason (lessons and blessings). In the case of the Dragon and the Phoenix, to co-create and protect something precious that they've made. Be it a life built on your own, a business, a home with your partner, fur babies, friends, or family, it's important to hold those special things close to your heart (including who you are), because in a blink of an eye things can change. Just as you do if you've ever been used or taken for granted. There is an illumination that it is no longer an option to lose yourself, or what is yours (in regard to stealing credit) just for the sake of appeasing and accommodating others.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangu#:~:text=Pangu%20is%20usually%20depicted%20as,and%20pushed%20up%20the%20sky. (Pangu Mythology)
https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/people-pleasing (People-Pleasing explained)
https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/boundaries (What are boundaries?)