MAGICAL BEASTS, THE ELEMENTS 7.

THE PHOENIX.

The Phoenix is a legendary bird that sacrificed itself to fire & rose renewed

from its ashes. Legends & Myths contain common threads that link them to the

Phoenix. The Hero lives a long life & the Phoenix appears either just before

or after his death, through death the Hero is able to live again. Occult

knowledge tells us that this is an initiation bringing death to the old self

& a boost of hidden knowledge to the individual who has been reborn through

the wisdom gained from the experience of this fire elemental.

The Phoenix with his gold & red feathers, its pheasant like head & long

plumage stirs the body & soul, it destroys old though patterns & habits,

bringing one renewed strength, power, knowledge & wisdom.

In Chinese mythology the plumage is a blending of 5 colours that vibrate a

sound which creates a harmony of 5 notes, those that hear these notes die to

be reborn into a higher level.

In Egypt the Phoenix was linked with the worship of the Sun God Ra.

Traditionally there is only one Phoenix alive at a time & it lives for 500

years then it lays a golden egg & it is consumed in its own flames & a new

Phoenix breaks out from the egg & rises with the flames to rule for the next

500 years.

The Phoenix is a ancient symbol of the sun & resurrection, life after death.

It reflects the immortal soul, love, eternal youth & even self sufficiency.

The best time to seek the Phoenix is when the morning sun is at its peak or

when the last of the evening sun can be seen. Spring & Autumn are best times

to encounter it Myrrh is a fragrance that will attract it. If encountered you

can expect rebirth within your life. It will be dynamic & beneficial &

signals a time of new life, energy & a new beginning on all planes.

SPHINX.

The Sphinx is a creature of great mystery & mystical power.

To the Greeks it was a winged beast having a head of a woman, her breasts &

voice & the body of a lion or body of a dog, tail of a serpent & paws of a

She was sent as a curse to Thebes by Hera & devoured those travellers who

could not answer the riddle of life eternal.

In Egypt She was a Sacred creature who held the secret of all knowledge.

In Phoenicia there were both male & female Sphinxes who had the bodies of the

lion & tails of serpents signifying Divine wisdom & knowledge.

The Sphinx was a symbol of Divine knowledge & the power of the mind to raise

us to new heights & perceptions. This creature was the guardian of ancient

mysteries. With each Initiation you will have to pass a test & this guardian

like all magical beasts represents your higher self, who is your only judge,

the treat of failure or death is of our own making. In many ways this

signifies the danger of knowledge not applied or misused. Forgetfulness, lack

of will power & concentration, ignorance, disease of the mind, self

importance, greed & the misuse of the power gained ,will eventually shut down

your psychic centres causing a type of death on the spiritual growth level.[

Many occultists at this point will cheat to save face.]

This guardian will prevent you from gaining access to the true mysteries &

higher wisdom if you are only thinking of the lower self & are motivated on

the material plane only. Encountering the Sphinx in meditation or dream state

will indicate a coming period of education, an opportunity for the mind to

raise itself above the material nature of man & may indicate great spiritual

soul growth if you apply yourself.

The Sphinx has great knowledge of the art of prophecy & divination. It is the

keeper of knowledge & beauty of past & present & can reveal the potential of

any love, good, bad or indifferent. It also holds the key to intercourse &

birth & fertility of mind & body.

THE UNICORN.

The Unicorn has become a dynamic symbol of all magic, enchantment & power of

the Faerie Realm.

It has universal appeal & symbolism to all peoples & countries. It has been

written about in India, Africa, China, Mesopotamia, Babylon, Ancient Europe &

was even adopted by early Christians as a symbol of purity. The Unicorn

appeal in modern times i s due to modern writers of both children's & adult

tales of times of old. The Unicorn is one of the magical beasts that is often

used as a logo & can also be found on T shirts, coffee cups, lighters, pens,

note paper, posters, jewelry etc., its appeal is to old & young alike.

Descriptions of the Unicorn vary from place to place, but it is normally

portrayed like the white horse, the white stag & the white cow of mythology &

appears snowy white. One modern tale has it crystal clear reflecting a

rainbow of colours. To classical writers the Unicorn had a stags head, the

feet of an elephant, the tail of the bear & the body of the horse. It also

had a single black horn.

Ctesia in his work " Indica" wrote that the Unicorn had a white body, a

purple head, dark blue eyes & its horn was white at the base, black at the

centre & dark red at the tip.

Most writers give it a horses body with a spiraled horn projecting from its

forehead & its colour as white.

The Unicorn appeals to the imagination as it is part of the world of dreams &

mysticism. It reflects mystery, wisdom, power, beauty, chastity & ferocity.

It symbolises the human longing for the mysterious & the unattainable. The

killing of the Unicorn represents the loss of innocence when wisdom is

offered to man.

The Unicorn is an ancient symbol connected with Goddess worship & its Horned

God. It is associated with the apple tree, as it is often seen amongst these

trees, for it is the guardian of the pentacle & hidden knowledge.

As the apple tree is its home the fragrance of apple blossoms can be used to

help draw the Unicorn out into the open. Cedar is also used as an incense, as

the Unicorn is said to hold its treasures in a cedar box.

The Unicorn was the ancient symbol for the Zodiac of Capricorn & symbolised

fertility & wisdom. The Unicorn's horn was later connected to Pan due to it

being a phallic symbol.

The search for the Unicorn holds the secret of the understanding of purity of

the soul & [ it has nothing to do with purity in the Christian sense] the

true power of sexuality & alchemy. Meeting one brings healing on all levels,

frees the imagination & when it is thus freed the entire Faerie Realm is

opened wide & its secrets & hidden knowledge revealed.

PEGASUS THE WINGED HORSE.

Like the Unicorn it often had a horn showing it to be a symbol of fertility &

good fortune, the wings symbolised its Divine origin & wisdom. Pegasus was

also depicted as a white horse. The White Horse is a symbol of the element

water & many Sea & Water Gods took this form.[ His father was Poseidon]

Pegasus having wings was connected to both air & water & represented both

body & mind. In Mythology he is also connected with the element fire through

the lightening bolts & thunder he carried up to Olympus for Zeus. Meeting a

winged horse means an elevation of ideas & ideals, new knowledge & power

gained & put into practise, a rejoicing of the soul, which brings a new

creative phase to your life & a blessing & inspiration from the Muses.

BLESSED BE.