An Introduction
As I was writing the outline for the details of a concept program, this "manual" or "guide" for Mindful Authenticity came about. It is something that I have gone through (and am still experiencing) on my self-discovery and self-awareness journey.
Why Pious Phoenix?
Phoenix is symbolic of renewal, rebirth, and resurrection. My life is not short of stories from the series of experiential deaths and rebirths, a life that when people hear about would always tell me how it’s meant to be made for a drama series or movie. A life that literally and symbolically was full of (almost) physical, emotional, and psychological deaths.
Pious is a tricky word. Its connotation always has a dual meaning. An adjective that means religious or devout, it can describe those who are dutiful or virtuous. But the word pious has also been given a negative meaning which describes hypocrisy. And my life was also full of duality, light and shadow, happiness and melancholy, triumphs and surrender.
So Pious Phoenix is something I would describe as my personal transformation journey. My journey has experienced many challenges but is marked with faith and hope in God.
Personal Significance of Pious Phoenix to the Author
Pia is a girl’s name meaning pious or reverent. It is the name of my beautiful creative princess daughter.
Phoenix is my beloved son’s second name given to him so that he will grow up to be resilient like the phoenix who lives again after being burned to ashes.
Why for the Prodigal Child?
In the parable that Jesus Christ has told us in the story of the prodigal son, the prodigal son leaves his father to do things that were not approved of. He returns home after experiencing hardships in life and is gladly welcomed back by his father.
I have always considered everyone as the prodigal children of God the Father. As we were all given free will, we as children of God are given the freedom to live our lives according to how we see fit. And sometimes, that supposed freedom of doing things we want either imprisons us to live a life of sin or struggle to do what we think is right for ourselves and the people around us. Choosing to do the right thing can be more challenging as there are days when we feel life is unfair and full of injustice.
This guide is dedicated to people like me, who have been astray, are still lost, or who want to find their authentic selves in a society where it is normal to have many identities behind a social media account and to find their place in the world at times that we feel that we don’t know ourselves anymore.
PS: This will be a series since the stages will be written separately. Hope you can look forward to the next posts!
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