"When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself. — Shunryu Suzuki

Everyone has a moment where they're completely consumed by an idea, a concept, a feeling, or anything else of the sort. It always starts off slowly, like a seed planted within the back of your mind. It begins to grow along with your mind, learning alongside with you. But how does it grow without sunlight? The seed grows by draining your mind directly, deepening its roots within you. No longer are you concerned about the past, which is now a permanent afterthought, but your new obsession. Your heart is enraged inside of pool of fire, burning you from the inside out. Some people know how to use this productively and turn it from an unhealthy obsession into an explosive passion of what they love. Others, however, fall prey to the Blue Flames of Darkness which also lurk inside of them. They have an unattainable goal that they are constantly Chasing After. I've let the Blue Flames of Darkness burn at me completely once. Utter obliteration. In order to fight, I had to go into my sanctuary and take a deep breath, regroup completely. In a dark room where the only sound was the 3 train passing by every 7 minutes is where I sat. Right before I let the flames devour me, I gained enough control to plant my own seed into the back of my mind. The seed of the Phoenix.

Note — The Phoenix is a mythical bird which is reborn from its own ashes.

In the short time that I spent as nothing but smoke and ash, I heard a voice call out to me. A female's voice, I could tell by the way she spoke that she was full of confidence. It was vaguely familiar, as if I knew the person. When I turned toward the voice, I saw the silhouette of a curvaceous woman with hair that reminded me of a waterfall. The #1 thing that stuck out about her was here eyes, which were like 2 pools of chocolate, tantalizing me to come closer. As I took a step closer, she vanished and all I heard now was a soft chuckle echoing from all directions. "Was she really gone..., I thought to myself. I also began to wonder why was I still nothing but smoke and ash. Did I plant the seed of the Phoenix right? Slowly the realization that I was stuck began to set in. Before I could completely give up though, the silhouette's arms wrapped around me from behind, engulfed in flames, sending a warmth up through my body. She whispered in my ear softly which sounded like an angel's symphony and felt like a first kiss words that I will promise myself to live by, then I was reborn anew. No longer did the lies of the past by the one I used to trust matter. The only thing left behind as proof that any of this ever happened was the smoldering spot where the Blue Flames of Darkness destroyed me. My heart now surrounded with new flames, a new purpose...

"You need to stop thinking and start knowing" — Phoenix