ALCHEMY OF SELF-SACRIFICE
By the time Phoenix builds the fires of sacrifice in the space that is central to its life, death and resurrection—it is the embodiment of self-reliant, conscious choice.
The choices were made all along the way. Indeed the choices defined its way. From before the time it knew what it was to become, Phoenix already chose to be itself as it was. This is entirely possible because it cleaved, as natural creatures do, to its fundamental nature.
Whether prideful king of the jungle
Whether fire-warmed flamingo on the hot salt flats
Whether stomach-strong ostrich on the sands
Whether scavenger ravaging in the carcass
Whether black as a cawing crow
Whether white as a serene swan
Whether iridescent as a poison-eating peacock
Whether self-sacrificing as a bleeding-heart pelican
Whole unfolding story:
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