Phoenix Dream Meaning

Sphinx / Griffin / Hydra

In dreams and in waking life, the Sphinx is a symbol of mystery and divinity, but its dual nature (it is a bird as well as a human) is a warning to beware the lure of obsession. The Sphinx of Greek myth, a creature with a woman’s head and a man’s body, killed anyone who failed to answer her riddle; her appearance in your dream may represent a problem or challenge that is baffling you. (If you remember Oedipus’s solution, could it hold the key to your problem?) On the other hand, for most people a dream of the Sphinx will represent Egypt and all the mystery conjured up by that country.

If you dreamed of a serpent-like multi-headed hydra that instantly grew two or more heads whenever one was hacked off, could your unconscious have portrayed your sense of struggling to take one step forward, only to find you have moved two steps back; or did it symbolize the drastic multiplication of problems in waking life? The griffin is said to denote vigilance, combining the attributes of the eagle with those of the lion. To dream of a griffin may be warning you to stop letting your heart rule your head, as well as recommending you to control your fiery temper.

The legend tells us that the Phoenix lived for five hundred years and then retreated to make a nest where she would die. She made a nest of aromatic twigs that would burn from the heat of its own body.

The Phoenix is said to rise from its own ashes. It comes alive though the transforming power of fire and it lives again in full splendor. In the Middle Ages, the Phoenix was often used as a symbol for Christ, as he resurrected. This legendary bird is an archetypal dream symbol that brings us positive and powerful images of rebirth.

If you dream of the Phoenix, it is most likely that you are receiving message from the unconscious that are telling you that new life and new beginnings are always possible. This bird is a reminder that we have internal powers of regeneration and that we have the power to change things for the better. As you are interpreting this dream, try to visualize a great bird rising up from fire and ash.

It is a powerful image, whether produced by a dream or visualization.

A symbol of resurrection, rebirth, and transformation.

Reincarnation, rebirth, and new beginnings. Known by the Egyptians as the bennu, this fire bird renews itself by making a nest in a raging conflagration from which it is born anew.

Longevity. Several ancient texts, including the Talmud, intimate this creature can live as long as one thousand years.

See Breakdown/Breakthrough Dreams.