the phoenix rises
on rebirth, renewal, and all the symbolism one can pack into one solitary bird.
the phoenix is an ancient symbol for rising up from the ashes, for rebirth, for personal renaissance. in Catalonia, back in the middle of the 1800s, there was a literary and cultural renaissance (and then after that other arts joined in), a rebirth of Catalonia reclaiming its own identity, including its own creative voice. it was called “La Renaixença Catalana,” The Catalan Cultural Renaissance. the symbol for this renaissance? the phoenix. a coming back to life of identity.
on friday, a dear artist friend in Grand Rapids gave me a tattoo to commemorate this new adventure in my life, where i am not only moving to Spain-Catalonia to be exact-and starting a retreat center for artists, writers, and revolutionaries, but also i am for the first time in my life becoming a full time artist and writer. a renaissance of my own, if you will. in Catalonia.
so of course the phoenix, with all its don’t-mess-with-me-or-i-will-come-back-even-stronger attitude that has encouraged me throughout the decades, had to be my tattoo. it needed a nod to the land and the cultural richness in which i get to grow into my full self–so we added “la renaixença” along with our phoenix.
she sits on my shoulder, flying up. not straight up to the skies but towards me, which seems fitting as this renaissance is a return, in some ways for the first time, to me.
to who I am.
to surrendering to the call to create, to practice beauty and to encourage others to practice that surrender as well.
i’m fully aware that this is a lot of symbolism to be held in one solitary tattoo, but here we are, with all the layers.
here we are.
