One symbology that comes to mind when we speak about ashes of the old is the metaphoric Phoenix. The spirit that rises out of its old form into a new dawn.
This power of rejuvination is made possible by the two divine forces, the male and the female, joined together to a tranforming unity.
When we examine those two principles, we see that the male embodies the spreading of life force. In it’s essence, it does not care where it’s flame grows, it’s sole purpose is to make sure that its sparks reach as wide as possible.
The female principle, on the other hand, provides the fertile ground that catches the spark and ensures the growth of a full fire. It has to feed the flames or the fire extinguishes.
Now we have the image of a huge bon fire, lighting up the sky. The fire itself is the unity of both divine forces, it is the process of their uniting. It is equal to a peak experience of the soul, that will at some point come to an end. What remains, is the product of this experience, an enriched and transformed form of matter, equalizing the awakened state after the experience, out of which, according to the cycle of natural law, the new being is born.
This new being, the phoenix, is at its core the same as it was before, and yet it is different. It has gone through the process of death and rebirth and has reached a new state of its Self.
Thus, the metaphoric phoenix is a symbol not only for rebirth, but for the evolution of the Soul through experiences of awakening, whether within this lifetime or spanning over multiple incarnations.
What we ought to remember, is that it takes the sacred unity of both divine principles, be it in the collective context of society or in the personal approach of acknowledging both principles inside our own being, to evolve on our soul’s journey.
Macha's Cave 