2024 is the year of the Wood Dragon, according to the Chinese lunar calendar. The Dragon is considered a powerful Yang Earth sign, bringing big changes in life. Those changes are unpredictable, so one could always use some luck and positivity.
To help, Chinese metaphysics experts suggest carrying a bird or Rooster charm for luck, or even better, a Phoenix. For thousands of years, the Dragon has been paired with its Yin counterpart, a great mythological bird, the Fenghuang, similar to the Phoenix.
“It’s a good idea to carry a charm or symbol of the Bird or the Rooster as the Dragon’s secret friend this year for protection,” Chinese metaphysics consultant Vicki Iskandar wrote, going on to say a Phoenix is “one of her top suggestions.”
As Iskandar wrote, the bird symbol is the Dragon’s “secret friend” and “the most favored sign of the zodiac.” It’s surely good to be a powerful Dragon’s favorite. But why are a dragon and a bird such a powerful alliance? The history is fascinating, with ancient symbolism found around the world.
The Fenghuang, a Chinese Phoenix Paired with the Dragon
The immortal Fenghuang bird is a mythological cosmic entity with a name that comes from male and female together, a union like Ying and Yang. Fèng is for the male bird, while huáng is female. Together, they balance each other and bring harmony and prosperity.
Similarly, a Chinese unicorn and dragon-like creature called the Qilin is a combination of both male, qi, and female, lin in one. (see video below).
The Quilin by National Museum’s Scotland:
The Dragon Became a Masculine Symbol
The Fenghuang dates back to the earliest days of the Shang Dynasty, the earliest archaeologically recorded dynasty in Chinese history. Incredibly, references to the bird are found dating to 8,000 years ago in the oldest Chinese writing on bones, called ‘oracle bones.’ A jade Fenghuang sculpture was unearthed from the tomb of Lady Fu Hao, the Shang Dynasty’s first documented female general, queen, and high priestess in the history of China. Oracle bones record 600 other women in the military during the Shang Dynasty.
Later, in the Yuan dynasty, the dragon became a masculine symbol adopted by the Emperors. From then on, the Fenghuan, the ‘King of Birds,’ was thought of as one feminine entity. Then, the Dragon and the Fenghuan were portrayed together like Yin and Yang, the divine feminine and masculine balance.
If a person saw the magical Fenghuan, it was an omen and a very good one – world peace. The creature has many complex associations: six celestial bodies, the elements, both the Sun and Moon and many virtues. A Fenguan was a sign of a virtuous home. And, artwork featuring the Dragon and Fenguan was displayed as a sign of a strong bond in marriage.
The paired Dragon and Phoenix symbolism spread around the world, such as in this 15th-century carpet with an abstract design from Turkey (see below).
Video about the Fenghuang by Mythical Factory:
Huma Bird, a Griffin-Like Creature
In Iranian (Persian) mythology, the Huma Bird was quite similar to the Fenghuang, the Phoenix. It was also associated with the European Griffin. However, this Phoenix never sleeps or lands on the ground, always flying above. Like the Fenghuang bird, the Huma is both male and female, in one body. One half of the bird is female, and the other half is male.
Today, the Huma is still widely seen, such as in the emblem of Uzbekistan, a symbol of the equality of feminine and masculine, even though that’s unfortunately not the model taken by most modern patriarchal cultures today.
Returning From the Ashes
Stories about the Huma say the young hatch from eggs as they fall in mid-air. Amusingly, they have to hatch and fly before hitting the ground!
Like the Greek story of the Phoenix, the Huma bird is said to burn to ashes and rise anew or resurrect itself every 100 years or so. Like the Fenghuang, seeing the creature meant a blessing of good fortune. But if someone dared to kill the creature, they were cursed. For their misdeed, death would be expected in exactly 40 days.
Although they always stayed in flight, if the Huma flew to a person, it was a sign they were chosen royalty. King’s would wear feathers said to be the Huma’s plumes.
Video about the Huma bird by Mythology Storyteller:
The Sacred Fire
Interestingly, the name Huma, or Homa, is related to the ancient Sanskrit word for “pouring into fire, offer, sacrifice.” The Homa ‘sacred fire’ votive ritual is practiced today in many cultures worldwide. Vedic practitioners describe it as a purifying spiritual ritual to drive away negative energies and connect with the divine. In this belief, fire may be seen as a “main link between cosmic consciousness and human consciousness.”
Thus, the literal fire of the Phoenix is seen here as a metaphor for spiritual purification. And that’s similar to another Phoenix-like bird from Egypt (see next).
Video about Homa fire by My Palm Leaf:
Ancient Inspiration For the Phoenix
The Huma is attributed to a living bird, the Bearded Vulture. Likewise, another Phoenix-like bird, the Egyptian Bennu (see previous article), is attributed to an extinct species of giant heron.
Like the Huma, the Bennu was said to fly high above Earth, indeed, even before the creation of the universe.
The Bennu has a deep spiritual meaning, but instead of literally rising from the ashes like the Phoenix, it is related to a metaphorical spiritual rising. The Bennu was the symbolic manifestation of Osiris during a spiritual resurrection after a purification process related to what is mostly known today as Kundalini (Sekhem in Egypt), a sort of sacred internal fire, or energy. Such an attainment was the goal of the Pharaoh, who could be male or female and equally powerful. But such a higher path was attainable for ordinary folks of any gender who sought the ‘royal’ path.
Phoenix-like birds remain popular around the world today. For many, they are a powerful symbol of a spiritual awakening. For others, a sign of good luck, prosperity, and balance, especially in the Year of the Dragon.
Video about the Bennu Bird:
Featured image via Pixabay/ady34