Phoenix

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.

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.

See 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.