The Rite of the Phoenix

The initiation of death, dissolution, and rebirth from the ashes.

In ancient Egyptian mythology, the phoenix was called the Bennu and was venerated in Heliopolis, where it was believed to bring the parent bird, covered in myrrh, to the temple of the Sun for burial

Phoenix: Represents resurrection and the red stage (Rubedo) of the alchemical process. It symbolizes the cycle of death and rebirth, and the achievement of spiritual perfection.

The Phoenix: Symbolizes rebirth and resurrection, rising from its ashes to signify the completion of the alchemical process.

Etymology

The modern English word phoenix entered the English language from Latin, later reinforced by French. The word first entered the English language by way of a borrowing of Latin phoenīx into Old English (fenix). This borrowing was later reinforced by French influence, which had also borrowed the Latin noun. In time, the word developed specialized use in the English language: For example, the term could refer to an "excellent person" (12th century), a variety of heraldic emblem (15th century), and the name of a constellation (17th century).[5]

The Latin word comes from Greek φοῖνιξ (phoinix).[6] The Greek word is first attested in the Mycenaean Greek po-ni-ke, which probably meant "griffin", though it might have meant "palm tree". That word is probably a borrowing from a West Semitic word for madder, a red dye made from Rubia tinctorum. The word Phoenician appears to be from the same root, meaning "those who work with red dyes". So phoenix also mean "the Phoenician bird" or "the purplish-red bird".[7]

[The Egyptians] have also another sacred bird called the phoenix which I myself have never seen, except in pictures. Indeed it is a great rarity, even in Egypt, only coming there (according to the accounts of the people of Heliopolis) once in five hundred years, when the old phoenix dies. Its size and appearance, if it is like the pictures, are as follow: The plumage is partly red, partly golden, while the general make and size are almost exactly that of the eagle. They tell a story of what this bird does, which does not seem to me to be credible: that he comes all the way from Arabia, and brings the parent bird, all plastered over with myrrh, to the temple of the Sun, and there buries the body. In order to bring him, they say, he first forms a ball of myrrh as big as he finds that he can carry; then he hollows out the ball and puts his parent inside, after which he covers over the opening with fresh myrrh, and the ball is then of exactly the same weight as at first; so he brings it to Egypt, plastered over as I have said, and deposits it in the temple of the Sun. Such is the story they tell of the doings of this bird.

• Herdotus, writing in the 5th century BC,

“In the 19th century, scholastic suspicions appeared to be confirmed by the discovery that Egyptians in Heliopolis had venerated the Bennu, a solar bird similar in some respects to the Greek phoenix. However, the Egyptian sources regarding the bennu are often problematic and open to a variety of interpretations. Some of these sources may have actually been influenced by Greek notions of the phoenix, rather than the other way around.”

Although the phoenix was generally believed to be colorful and vibrant, sources provide no clear consensus about its coloration. Tacitus says that its color made it stand out from all other birds.[19] Some said that the bird had peacock-like coloring, and Herodotus's claim of the Phoenix being red and yellow is popular in many versions of the story on record.

“Thus when Sophia Zoe saw that the rulers of darkness had laid a curse upon her counterparts, she was indignant. And coming out of the first heaven with full power, she chased those rulers out of their heavens and cast them into the sinful world, so that there they should dwell, in the form of evil spirits upon the earth.

[...], so that in their world it might pass the thousand years in paradise—a soul-endowed living creature called "phoenix". It kills itself and brings itself back to life as a witness to the judgement against them, for they did wrong to Adam and his race, unto the consummation of the age. There are [...] three men, and also his posterities, unto the consummation of the world: the spirit-endowed of eternity, and the soul-endowed, and the earthly. Likewise, there are three phoenixes in paradise—the first is immortal, the second lives 1,000 years; as for the third, it is written in the sacred book that it is consumed. So, too, there are three baptisms—the first is spiritual, the second is by fire, the third is by water. Just as the phoenix appears as a witness concerning the angels, so the case of the water hydri in Egypt, which has been a witness to those going down into the baptism of a true man. The two bulls in Egypt posses a mystery, the Sun and the Moon, being a witness to Sabaoth: namely, that over them Sophia received the universe; from the day that she made the Sun and Moon, she put a seal upon her heaven, unto eternity. And the worm that has been born out of the phoenix is a human being as well. It is written concerning it, "the just man will blossom like a phoenix". And the phoenix first appears in a living state, and dies, and rises again, being a sign of what has become apparent at the consummation of the age.”

• the classical motif of the phoenix continues into the Gnostic manuscript On the Origin of the World from the Nag Hammadi Library collection in Egypt generally dated to the 4th century

In the 14th century, Italian poet Dante Alighieri refers to the phoenix in Canto XXIV of the Divine Comedy's Inferno:

In the 17th-century play Henry VIII by English playwrights William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, Archbishop Cranmer says in Act V, Scene v in reference to Elizabeth (who was to become Queen Elizabeth I):

... Nor shall this peace sleep with her; but as when The bird of wonder dies, the maiden phoenix, Her ashes new create another heir As great in admiration as herself; So shall she leave her blessedness to one, When heaven shall call her from this cloud of darkness, Who from the sacred ashes of her honour Shall star-like rise as great in fame as she was, And so stand fix'd ...

Scholars have observed analogues to the phoenix in a variety of cultures. These analogues include the Hindu garuda (गरुड) and bherunda (भेरुण्ड), the Slavic firebird (жар-птица) and Raróg, the Persian simorgh (سیمرغ), the Georgian paskunji (ფასკუნჯი), the Arabian anqa (عنقاء), the Turkish Konrul, also called Zümrüdü Anka ("emerald anqa"), the Tibetan Me byi karmo, the Chinese Fenghuang (鳳凰) and Zhuque (朱雀).[36] These perceived analogues are sometimes included as part of the Motif-Index of Folk-Literature phoenix motif (B32).

Just as the Phoenix rises anew from its ashes, so too does the soul undergo a transformative death and rebirth, becoming refined and purified through each cycle.

“The Phoenix completes the alchemical transmutation, symbolizing that the soul, purified through trials, rises from its own ashes as an immortal and enlightened being.” — Manly P. Hall, The Secret Teachings of All Ages

Ancient Egypt and the Bennu Bird

The Phoenix finds one of its earliest incarnations in ancient Egyptian mythology, known as the Bennu Bird. This sacred creature was intimately connected to the sun god Ra, and it was revered at Heliopolis ("City of the Sun"):

• Bennu represented the soul of Ra, and the daily sunrise was symbolized by Bennu's rebirth.
• Ritualistically, the Bennu was connected with the Mysteries of Osiris, symbolizing death, renewal, and resurrection. The ancient Egyptians viewed this cycle as an initiatory path of spiritual awakening.

Herodotus, writing in the 5th century BCE, gives us a beautiful account:

“The Egyptians have another sacred bird called the phoenix. […] It comes only once in five hundred years when the old phoenix dies. The plumage is partly red, partly golden, resembling an eagle. The bird brings its parent bird plastered in myrrh to the temple of the Sun and buries it there.”

— Herodotus, Histories

Phoenix in Alchemical Tradition

In medieval and Renaissance alchemy, the Phoenix symbolizes the pinnacle of spiritual transformation, representing the completion of the alchemical Magnum Opus (Great Work).

Alchemical texts refer to this as the ultimate purification of spirit:

“The Phoenix symbolizes the alchemist himself, who, passing through the fire of his own experiences and sufferings, is born anew as an immortal, perfected being.”

— Manly P. Hall, The Secret Teachings of All Ages

The Phoenix and the Christ Archetype

The Phoenix is intimately connected with the Christ archetype. Both symbolize death, burial, rebirth, ascension, and transcendence:

• Crucifixion (Nigredo): Christ willingly accepts crucifixion. The Phoenix willingly accepts the fire.
• Burial & Purification (Albedo): Christ's burial is symbolic of purification; the Phoenix’s ashes represent the dissolving of impurity.
• Resurrection (Citrinitas): Christ rises on the third day; the Phoenix emerges transformed from ashes.
• Ascension & Divine Glory (Rubedo): Christ ascends to heaven, returning to oneness with God; the Phoenix soars towards the sun, representing divine unification.

“The death and resurrection of Christ mirror precisely the alchemical symbolism of the Phoenix—an initiatory path that every human soul must undertake to reach enlightenment and divinity.”

— Carl G. Jung, Psychology and Alchemy

Hermetic texts frequently reference the Phoenix as a symbol of spiritual awakening:

“As the Phoenix rises reborn from the ashes, so must your spirit rise from the pyre of ignorance, transformed by wisdom and love.”

— Hermetic Fragment, 2nd century CE

“The Phoenix represents the human spirit’s indomitable will to rise above suffering and limitation, continually renewing itself through love, truth, and wisdom.” — Rudolf Steiner, Occult Signs and Symbols

“Alchemically, the Phoenix signifies that the soul's highest achievement is reached only through self-immolation and complete surrender of the old self.” — Paracelsus, Selected Alchemical Writings

“The Phoenix is the ultimate symbol of spiritual rebirth, embodying resurrection, triumph over mortality, and the soul’s victory over earthly limitation.” — Manly P. Hall, The Secret Teachings of All Ages

Could the Phoenix Have Literally Existed?

Much like dragons and unicorns, the Phoenix may have some mysterious basis in ancient reality—whether in an ancient past or a parallel reality of imagination and consciousness. Mythologist Joseph Campbell suggested:

“Myths like the Phoenix aren't literal accounts of historical animals. They are metaphors and symbols pointing to real experiences of human consciousness—symbolizing a sacred reality accessible to the human soul in higher states of awareness.”

— Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

You are the Phoenix. This is your rebirth. Let the flames burn fearlessly, for within them lies the seed of your highest destiny—your divinity, your freedom, your awakening.

The Bennu Bird and the Heliopolitan Mystery Tradition

• The Phoenix (Bennu bird) was sacred to the priests of Heliopolis, the Egyptian "City of the Sun," where initiates were trained in the solar mysteries.
• The Phoenix's return "once every 500 years" suggests a great cycle of renewal, cosmic transformation, or a mystery-school initiation that was only available to a select few at specific times.
• The Temple of the Sun was the center of Ra worship, and the Phoenix, as its sacred bird, symbolized immortality, resurrection, and the return of divine wisdom.

This suggests that the legend of the Phoenix may have been a metaphor for an advanced spiritual or alchemical practice taught within the Egyptian mysteries.

The Myrrh Ritual – A Mystery Initiation?

Herodotus describes a deeply symbolic and possibly initiatory ritual:

1. The Phoenix carries the body of its predecessor inside a ball of myrrh.
2. It flies to the Temple of the Sun, where the body is deposited and "buried".
3. The Phoenix then ascends anew, reborn.

This perfectly parallels the initiatory death and rebirth process of the Egyptian mystery schools.

• Myrrh is key: Myrrh was one of the most sacred resins in Egyptian and alchemical practice. It was used in embalming, burial rites, and initiation rituals, symbolizing purification, transmutation, and the preservation of the soul beyond death.
• The "ball of myrrh" carrying the deceased Phoenix mirrors the alchemical process of enclosing the old self (Nigredo, the black phase) within a cocoon-like vessel, allowing the new divine being to emerge (Rubedo, the red phase).
• The Phoenix, bringing its past self to be "buried" in the Sun Temple, mirrors an initiate undergoing the "burial" of the lower self within the Mystery School to later be reborn as a divine, radiant being.
• The act of weighing the ball of myrrh may hint at the weighing of the heart in the Egyptian afterlife judgment—a test to determine spiritual readiness for ascension.

This suggests an actual ritual where initiates were symbolically "buried" in a tomb or enclosed in a chamber, undergoing a spiritual death before being ritually "resurrected" as an enlightened being.

Egyptian priests may have enacted a ritual where an initiate entered a symbolic “burial” chamber, underwent fasting, meditation, and sensory deprivation, and emerged "reborn" as an enlightened solar being.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

— John 12:24

"Who with his feathers creates such fine works, And who so proudly soars through the vast sky, If not that pilgrim grace within me, That Heaven grants so freely to but a few? Who brings such rich scents to its nest? And who dies, is reborn, and lives alone? Who bears on neck and wings both glory and honor, And who steals such beauty from the heavens?"