Dragons, Pearls, & Phoenixes

[Yoda]

I heard it said that the Phoenix is the upper cauldron, Pearl the middle, and the Dragon the lower.

 

Just wondering if I could stir up more information on the relation between these three. Wasn't able to find much aside from one story of the Phoenix and Dragon fighting the Western Queen of Heaven for the Pearl.

 

http://www.piffe.com/stories/dragon-phoenix.php

 

I found references that said that w/o the pearl the Dragon cannot ascend to Heaven.

 

I'm just wondering what is the basic understanding of Dragons, Dragon dances where they chase the Pearl, and of Phoenixes.

 

Thanks for any help!

 

Yoda

 

ps, while searching around I read a claim that made me smile: "Nobody has ever seen a dragon actually catch the pearl."

 

Reminds me of Quidditch.

[Yoda]

I've learned that Dragons/pearls/phoenixes are alchemical and that dragons are male and phoenixes (and tigers) are female.

 

I was looking for an Egyptian parallel and think I found it in the Horus/Set tension with Set sometimes associated with Apep/Apophis a serpent. Sometimes a cat would go after the serpent so that's sort of like the above.

 

btw, is there such a thing as a cat/serpent two-in-one creature in any mythologies?

[zanshin]

 

btw, is there such a thing as a cat/serpent two-in-one creature in any mythologies?

 

Asherah, who became Qedesh in Egypt, is associated with lions, serpents, and the tree of life. Very interesting and controversial deity, but you can read the link.

 

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/lofts/2938/majdei.html#Asherah

[Yoda]

thanks... awesome read!!!

 

Reading articles like that with everything in such a jumble, reminds me that I'll never get very far in my understanding of other cultures... good to keep in mind!

[Spectrum]

good stuff. reflecting.

[zanshin]

Wadjet (serpent goddess) and Bast (cat or lion) also became closely associated or syncretized as protectresses of Lower Egypt. Here is some ancient instruction that may be very important for you guys to keep in mind- from Egyptian Mythology by Geraldine Pinch-

 

"An Instruction Text of the Greco-Roman period warns Egyptian men that women are like a friendly cat when you can give them what they want and like a raging lioness when you can not."

 

[Apech]

Asherah, who became Qedesh in Egypt, is associated with lions, serpents, and the tree of life. Very interesting and controversial deity, but you can read the link.

 

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/lofts/2938/majdei.html#Asherah

 

 

Cat, serpent and tree.

 

 

 

This is from Ch. 17 Book of the Dead. Ra in the form of a cat (with rabbit ears!) slays the serpent Apophis before the sacred Ished tree (Sycamore sacred to Nut) so that the sun can rise.

 

BTW symbolically the sun rise can be taken as the energy rising into the higher centres and becoming visible. The Ished tree is said to be 'split on its side' or split in two and could be taken to stand for the energy body 'split' by energy rising up the central channel.

[Taiji Bum]

There is a tai chi move called "dragon dives for pearl". I was taught you form the pearl in the lower dan tien (belly) and its the dragon that dives from the upper dan tien (head) to the lower to retrieve it. Thats what the tai chi move is supposed to represent.

[rain]

Edited February 4, 2009 by rain

[Apech]

Composite animals like Chimera are interesting. Here's a front end view of your Etruscan one.

 

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chimera_di_Arezzo.jpg

Edited February 4, 2009 by apepch7

[gendao]

I'm just wondering what is the basic understanding of Dragons, Dragon dances where they chase the Pearl, and of Phoenixes.

The interesting thing is that these alchemical images are very popular in Chinese culture...although most laymen probably have no clue what they ever really meant.

Edited February 5, 2009 by vortex

[Spectrum]

Needle at Sea Bottom

Yaksha Searches Sea

Snake Creeps Down

 

 

In the classical yang 108 third section, 7 stars is immediately after snake creeps.

[gendao]

From this video, Eye of the Phoenix: Secrets of the Dollar Bill, Nicholas Roerich was an esoteric secret society artist who helped design our dollar bill.

 

He had some interesting paintings:

Apparently, he was quite into Eastern mysticism...

[Mal]

In the classical yang 108 third section, 7 stars is immediately after snake creeps.

and then bend bow to shoot tiger.

Mmmmmm

[Aetherous]

Vortex,

 

Roerich's paintings are awesome! Thanks for sharing that, and the video.

[Yoda]

I watched part of the vid. Fun about Sirius aligned with the DC mall. The ominous tunes when they talk about us new agers is a plus.

[TheWhiteRabbit]

actually I can answer your question plain and simple.

Dragons represent the liver spirit or hun... they comprise three spirits, one exists at each dantien.

The dragon always chases the golden pearl because this is the end all of the training. If the body dies, taoist perform the "gathering the hun ritual" to prepare the spirit body in the other world. Or not, then its complicated.

 

If the body does not die and the golden pearl and the hun gain awareness of the ability that exists to "dimensionally transport" matter into void and back, then the training is completely successful and the body survives death through this method or so we are told that we should believe.

 

This unfortunately ressurects the whole 'eternal life' concept which means many different things to different people. Sorry to say that when treading on this ground I tend to fall back on the words of Edgar Cayce who realized both concepts of wanting to go back to the spirit world and the ability to acquire limitless earthly life. He noted that the later group was more ambitious, the former group tends to be more fatalistic in outlook though in some ways triggers certain amounts of spiritual growth in some areas.

 

Although neither view is truely wrong in its pursuit, it is noted that these concepts have been going on with man since time began, and have become a part of everyones life, regardless of who has acquired what.

 

p.s. forgot to add that the pearl is the golden embryo that is seated in the lower dantien. the paihui point on the top of the head is the exit point, at that upon exit it must be surrounded by a bubble of white light. This is high level training and cannot be surmised even by these words you must acquire a keen feeling of energy and sensory awareness that is unlike anything found in chikung.

 

p.p.s. I had to add that the heart is a regulator and mixer of the heaven and earth energies therefore hence the dragon(liver hun or lighter spirits) and phoenix(heart/regulator/mixer)... there are also similar tones with the yin hare and yang raven on the taoist priest's robes.

Edited February 25, 2009 by TheWhiteRabbit

[Kim88]

I do like this cross discipline banter.

My understanding of the dragon and phoenix is that it is a direct symbolic representation of the yin-yang tao with phoenix being yin, dragon yang. The phoenix rises from the fire of the dragon's breath, (not sure how the other end is connected or if it needs to be). One can't exist without the other and is the result of the others action or inaction.

 

I never realised that it was a pearl and now makes my interest in pearls is all the more potent. I thought it was an egg or something to indicate birth or the next level but that makes sense too.

Pearls of wisdom in the golden embryo.

[TheWhiteRabbit]

The liver is the mother of the heart hence in five elements wood increases fire.

[Spirit Ape]

Its also given to newly married couples as a gift dragon and phoenix!!!

[Guest winpro07]

Edited February 26, 2009 by winpro07

[idquest]

Faith is in the Eye of the FISH

 

This is from the age of Pisces. What about Aquarius?

[Guest winpro07]

Edited February 26, 2009 by winpro07

[Spectrum]

Thanks for the pearl winpro. it was meant to be.