The Peacock and the Phoenix

Have you heard of Aves, the land of the birds?"

The young boy's eyes grew wider as he asked the old man, "There is a land of birds?"

"Yes, it is a magical place. All of the birds that have ever been, are now, and ever will be, are of Aves. And it was in Aves that the peacock discovered the phoenix and found himself."

"Was the peacock lost? Was the phoenix a map," asked the boy.

"In a way, yes, to both questions. Would you like me to tell you their story?"

"Oh yes!" exclaimed the boy.

* * *

It was winter in Aves. Although the calendar showed that it was December 25, this particular morning was warm like it was May 15. The owls were sleeping, the chickens were laying eggs, and the woodpeckers were tap, tap, tapping on trees to find their breakfast while all the other birds were participating in their particular bird activities. All but one.

The peacock sat on his perch in his favorite tree and watched the birds off in the distance as they went about their business. And he was feeling sad.

"Why am I here," he asked himself. "What is the purpose of my life? Doves bring peace, parrots talk like humans and make them laugh, and humans make movies about penguins like March of the Penguins and Happy Feet. But what about me?"

He was handsome and well aware of it, so he primped and preened and acted in the self-confident way that peacocks are supposed to act. But his outer beauty wasn't enough to bring him joy and peace on the inside.

"I know I have a lot to offer but how am I supposed to do it? What am I supposed to do with my life? Who am I supposed to be?" He sighed a big, heavy sigh.

And then he saw it. Something he had never seen before, in a nearby tree.

"What is that? Where did it come from?"

He got no answers. The other birds were far away, doing their bird duties and living their bird lives, including the rest of the peacocks and the peahen that loved him very much.

He saw it move. It had feathers and wings. It was another bird!

"Well of course it's a bird," he laughed to himself. "This is Aves, the land of the birds!"
And a strange bird it was too. It was beautiful in a weird kind of way and had a mysterious quality that made it seem unreal.

"A bird such as this must be very special," mused the peacock. "I must find out what it is."

"Hello there," the peacock called out across the trees. "I am A Peacock. Who are you?"

"I am The Phoenix. Nice to meet you."

"I've never seen you before. Are you a new kind of bird?"

"Oh no, I am a very old kind of bird."

The peacock didn't understand. He knew all the birds. If this was an old one, why had he not seen it before? Where had it been? Was there a place on Aves that he did not know about?

"Hey, may I join you in your tree," the peacock shouted. "It would be easier for us to chat, and I could help you with whatever you're doing."

"Sure, come on over," replied the phoenix.

* * *

What happened next," the boy demanded as he tugged on the man's shirt.

"Well," began the old man, "the peacock flew to the tree, and it was a good thing that the tree was close by because peacocks do not fly well, not like eagles or geese. After he landed and made himself comfortable, he saw that the phoenix was building a nest, one made of aromatic branches and spices, so he did what the phoenix did; he put a bit of myrrh here and some cinnamon twigs there. It smelled wonderful."

"Like Mama's garden? Did it smell like that?" The boy closed his eyes and inhaled through his nostrils as if he were standing in the middle of his mother's garden at that very moment.

"As a matter of fact, it smelled just like that."

The boy smiled broadly and asked, "Then what? Did they talk about stuff like NASCAR?"

"Not NASCAR, but they did talk about other important things."

* * *

So where have you been living? I thought at least one of every bird lives here on Aves, but I've never seen you or another like you before."

"I have been with the humans in their lands. That is why you have not seen me." The phoenix hesitated briefly. "And there is only one of my kind - me. That is why you have seen no others."

"Do you mean you are the last of your kind?"

"No, I mean I am the only one."

"How can that be? If you are the only one, then your kind will be extinct when you die."

"For a short while, yes... And then I will return."

The peacock was stunned. His mind did not comprehend what the phoenix was saying, and yet something in his heart understood completely. Then the sadness he had felt earlier returned. The phoenix's words had stirred up the remembrance of his questions about himself and his life.

"You know, there is only one of you too," the phoenix said matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean? There are many peacocks," countered the peacock.

"That is true; there are many peacocks. It is also true that there is only one you. There has never been and there will never again be the peacock that you are. While you have many things in common with the other peacocks, such as your genetics and heritage, you also have qualities that no other peacock has. Only you have them. You are unique. And part of your purpose in life is to bring these qualities forth for the goodness of others' lives."

The peacock could hardly believe his ears.

"How did you know that I was wondering what my purpose is?"

The phoenix smiled and replied, "Because I heard your calls. The humans describe your calls as similar to laughter, but I heard something in addition to that. I sensed searching, longing and sadness, and I realized that part of my purpose is to help you - to shed light so you can see with clarity and discover your purpose. That is why I have come to Aves... Do you know why so many humans treasure your feathers?"

"Because they are beautiful."

"Yes, they are beautiful. And they are more besides that. They are also symbolic. Many humans desire your feathers for reasons beyond their beauty. Your feathers allow them to have what you already have and allow them to be what you already are... They call the patterns in your feathers 'eyes,' which represent your great wisdom and vision, your ability to see into the past, present and future, and your capacity to teach others to awaken their clairvoyant gifts. It is this that these humans seek to gain through having your feathers; they wish to be wise as you are, to be able to see as wide and as deep as you see... Many of them also believe that your feathers have great protective and healing powers so they use them in these kinds of rituals and wear them and decorate with them. They seek to have the protection and the healing that you provide."

The peacock contemplated the phoenix's words.

"Wow. I had no idea that humans see all that in my feathers, and what you've told me is truly fascinating, but all peacocks have these feathers. What is it that makes me special among them?"

The phoenix replied, "When you allow yourself to see and embrace the greatness that you are, you will know what makes you, A Peacock, special among all peacocks, all birds, and all living things. And you will discover your unique purpose. Others have already experienced you fulfilling your purpose in their lives... Isn't it ironic how we ourselves are the last to find out?"

"But how could I be fulfilling my purpose without even knowing what my purpose is?"

"Because, ultimately, it is not you who determines what your purpose is. Your purpose is given to you. It is there for you to discover, not to create."

"Given to me by whom?"

"By those who gave you breath and by those whose lives have been transformed because of you - the ones you have touched with your presence and reached with your energy, if only for an instant. You see, we fulfill our life's purpose through the experiences of others. You, A Peacock, have been transforming the lives of loved ones and altering for the better the lives of countless nameless strangers before you even took your first breath. How? By simply being A Peacock."

"I... I...," stammered the peacock.

"I understand. It can be difficult to grasp, especially when we are so accustomed to seeing the disempowering aspects of our lives and others, and particularly ourselves, rather than the empowering ones... I also find it ironic that, oftentimes, fulfilling our purpose looks and feels difficult or painful when we think that it should look and feel hunky dory all the time."

"Hey, if it's true that I've been fulfilling my purpose, and that it's been happening through the experiences of others, then how will I ever know for sure if they don't tell me?"

"Remember, your purpose is for you to discover. You can infer what it could be by looking for the ways your contributions enhanced and enriched others. Look for what they received, not at what you did. For example, who had a new outlook on life as a result of a new perspective that you made them aware of? Who gained new knowledge that helped them as a result of you teaching them? Who felt safe as a result of you providing protection to them? Who felt better - physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually - as a result of you giving them support?"

As the peacock pondered answers to these questions, the phoenix put the finishing touches on his nest. Just a few more branches and spices and it would be complete.

A few minutes later, the peacock spoke.

"I see now that I have helped many individuals, more than I had given myself credit for, but here's the thing: I feel that they don't appreciate my help or me, like they take me for granted."

"Ah, then I ask that you look within to see if you appreciate, admire and value your Self. And if you appreciate others, regard them with gratitude, or if you take them for granted."

The peacock bowed his head. He got it. The phoenix continued.

"This is an interesting world. The universe sends back to us what we are being, sometimes in an instant. When we are being positive, positive things are sent back to us. When we are being unappreciative, lack of appreciation is sent back to us. On and on it goes. It's like the universe is a mirror, reflecting 'who we are being' back to us in some incident or another being. Some call it karma, others The Law of Attraction. The label is not important. The way we are being is."

"Then I must be what I want others to be."

The words were barely audible but the phoenix heard them loud and clear. Now it was the peacock's turn to continue.

"When I am being loving, others are loving with me. When I am being generous, others are generous with me. If I want another to be kind, appreciative or supportive, I must be kind, appreciative or supportive. And if they want me to be considerate, they must be considerate... What if I'm not willing or they're not willing? And what if I believe that I am already being a particular way but they don't see it that way, and vice versa?"

"These are the conundrums of the ages, my friend. Perceptions and willingness. All I can say is that we are accountable for everything in our lives. The way we perceive things affects all of it, as does our willingness to be, do or have something. If we desire being and having that which we desire, whether it's love, health, success or something else, we can alter our perceptions if we are willing, and we can be willing if we alter our perceptions."

The time was drawing near. Soon it would be time for the phoenix to leave the peacock. The peacock sensed this. And he understood. Himself and his life. The phoenix and his nest. And he felt a sense of lightness, of freedom, that he had not felt before.

"Hey, I just noticed that your nest is finished," the peacock said casually, and knowingly.

"Yes, it is time. But before I go, allow me to offer you a few final words... Your gifts are for everyone, including yourself. You can be a teacher, a healer, a leader in the world. You remind us to see the beauty in everything, to laugh at life, and to stand tall with dignity and grace. And you are a reflection of me... In many human mythologies, I am the symbol of resurrection. While I am immortal and my physical death is reborn in a physical life, you, my friend, are mortal, and you symbolize resurrection too - the death of the fake self and the rebirth of the true Self... Where the acts and pretenses we had put on because we believed ourselves to be 'not enough' are retired, and we allow ourselves to be who we truly are... You, A Peacock, are good enough. In fact, you are plenty. Plenty powerful, plenty smart, plenty considerate, plenty loving, plenty generous, plenty supportive, and plenty of everything else that is goodness... It is time for you, too... Time for you, A Peacock, to rise and shine as the magnificence you are."

* * *

After a while, the boy finally asked, "What did the phoenix and the peacock do then?"

"The phoenix lit the nest on fire and put himself in it. He felt no pain at all because he is magical. He just turned to ashes like the branches and spices... And then, out of the ashes, came the phoenix again, as a baby phoenix."

"He did? And then what happened?"

"The baby phoenix looked up at the peacock and smiled."

"Why?"

"Because the peacock had stood up on the branch, tall and dignified, spread his handsome feathers wide, made his laughing call with pride, and experienced the greatness that he is."

Here are some additional resources for learning about animal totems, their symbolism, and ways in which we can interpret the meanings of the animals that show up in our lives.

* Animal Totems
* Animal Totems (different site)
* Working with Animal Spirits