Many readers here will be familiar with the infamous Economist magazine cover from 1988 showing the burning of the world's currencies and being replaced by a single world currency, symbolised by a phoenix bird rising from the ashes of the Dollar, Yen, Pound, etc.

People have long speculated what this world currency will be and despite the symbol looking uncannily like the logo for Stellar Lumens, Bitcoin is currently leading the likely candidates list of becoming the dominant coin - certainly ahead of the more traditional forms of money such as gold or the bankers plaything, the Special Drawing Right (SDR). 

However, this article isn't concerned with the currency but the Phoenix.

Mulan

Switching from a printed media Phoenix to a cinematic version is an easy first step.

Glancing through some mundane social media posts and youtube videos I came across a handful reviews of the Disney film, Mulan.

Now, Disney deserves a discussion on its own, but for now let's just concentrate on Mulan and how some viewers were disappointed that some elements of the beloved cartoon version were ditched in the making of the latest live-action movie.

What seemed to irk fans the most was losing the humorous cartoon dragon (voiced by Eddie Murphy) and having it somewhat replaced by a silent Phoenix.

The simple answer is Eddie's dragon was ditched because it was too distracting and the message 'they' were trying to get across was lost in all the noise.

You've Lost Me

Ok, let's back up and say a few words about the phoenix and its true meaning.

In legend, the phoenix is no normal bird. It is one that is born in the fire and rises from the ashes in all its majestic glory.

To me and others, this isn't some random tale, it is an allegory for the human condition.

You see, only when the falsehoods of our life are burnt away can we stand in our true and truthful form.

These falsehoods I speak of are not just imposed upon us by the society we are born into, but also the story we begin to tell ourselves from an early age in order to fit in.

Over time, we don't even question these lies and actually believe they are our reality.

Normally, only at a crisis point, a meltdown if you will, is this viewpoint stripped away.

People talk about ascending as though you snap from the world of today into a land of milk and honey - perhaps that is true when we experience physical death but I believe the phoenix route, a more stressful route, is what is needed to break through in this lifetime.

To rise like a phoenix means first devastating the old paradigm of the person's life. To the individual concerned this feels traumatic to say the least (the ancient Gnostic texts describe 'the long dark night of the soul' which reflects this devastation).

Back to Mulan

In the Mulan movie, only when she can no longer pretend to be what she is not, does the magical transformation begin.

Affirmative-action bods will scream this proves women are better than men, yet the story really has little to do with the gender beyond the surface tale as it centred on the transformation from lies to truth.

Mulan receives help in being true to herself from unlikely source (but I won't say anymore than that in case I spoil the movie for you) - and this can be true in our lives too.

The initial stage is brutal and Mulan is rejected by those around her  - on the surface, because she is a woman but on a deeper level it is because she no longer conforms to the lies of society, and subconsciously those still living in the falsehood feel threatened by her change.

Only after standing in her truth does she go on to be the person she was born to be, the spirit she has always been.

The truth is what sets Mulan, and us, free.

Stand Under to Under Stand

In an attempt to make sense of what is happening down here, I look up to see what is up there. Is there anything that is being reflected back onto us?

To some of us, this world is upside down.

Those most admired are the most deplorable. Those who have the glory are the most unworthy. Those who want change are ridiculed, those who seek to conform are praised.

For me, the society we have now is comparative to the constellations of Pavo - a flightless preening peacock, being stared down by Indus - a stoic, non-violent but resilient native.

Perhaps this is too much artistic licence but I also see the 'many eyes' of the peacock's feathers representing the scrutiny and surveillance present society wishes to impose upon the free.

Hold on a minute, I thought we were talking about the phoenix not the peacock?

We are. If we expand our field of vision we see they are connected.

At the bottom of the image you can see Indus is the one stopping the peacock reaching the flying birds (Phoenix, Tucana, Grus) making their way to Aquarius - the zodiac sign we are in now.

The Phoenix is erupting from the clock face, jumping over the river of recycled forms. 

The position of the clock is relevant. It has always been there but I believe the time it refers to is now.

Transformation is Now

Collectively, we are at the crisis point needed for societal transformation. There are simply too many lies for us to proceed along our present track.

Currency and Finance, Politics and Government and other major institutions are based on lies.

The corruption exposed by the RobinHood implosion is the latest example. What is still to come out is the lies at RobinHood in turn feeds back further up the food chain to the intentions of the company's backers which in turn leads to the morals of the DTCC and beyond. 

As the corrupt and false structures governing crumble, it is understandable some will be angry or fearful, believe they are a victim and focus on what is going on around them.

Others will choose - or be compelled - to look inside.

To shed inner light onto our own darkness and lies is the beginning of the phoenix's journey.

Whether we are part of the Peacock, Indus or the Phoenix depends on our own role - perhaps we are all three.

For as Shakespeare wrote in As You Like It:

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,

 

 

 

 

Constellation images: Author screenshots using Stellarium software.