WHAT DOES THE SYMBOL MEAN?

The symbol has four main components: The Star, The Phoenix, The Pentagram, and The Yin Yan (or Ying Yang) Symbols.

The Star:

The Star is my Higher Power.  Shining light upon me.  Showing me my path, providing warmth, giving life, and giving me the courage to stay on my journey.

The Phoenix:

Mythology. A bird in Egyptian mythology that lived in the desert for 500 years and then consumed itself by fire, later to rise renewed from its ashes.  If anyone has a good reason to use this symbol, it is myself.  I did crash and burn.  And I am, even now, rising from those ashes of my former self.

The Pentagram:

As a symbol for Paganism.

Many Wiccans and other Neopagans embrace the term for themselves. "Paganism" refers to a range of spiritual paths which are Earth centered: involving members living in harmony with the Earth and observing its cycles. Neopagan religions are based on the deities, symbols, practices, seasonal days of celebration and other surviving components of ancient religions, which had been long suppressed. "Pagan" refers to a group of religious traditions, and should be capitalized, as are Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

The Taoist Symbol of Yin Yang:

This symbol represents the balance of opposites in the universe. When they are equally present, all is calm. When one is outweighed by the other, there is confusion and disarray.  

Some say it is derived from astronomical observations which recorded the shadow of the sun throughout a full year.  The two swirling shapes inside the symbol give the impression of change -- the only constant factor in the universe. One tradition states that Yin (or Ying; the dark side) represents the breath that formed the earth. Yang (the light side) symbolizes the breath that formed the heavens.

The most traditional view is that 'yin' represents aspects of the feminine: being soft, cool, calm, introspective, and healing.  While the "yang" represents the masculine: being hard, hot, energetic, moving, and sometimes aggressive.

Another view has the 'yin' representing night and 'yang' day.

Since nothing in nature is purely black or purely white, the symbol includes a small black spot in the white swirl, and a corresponding white spot in the black swirl.

Ultimately, the 'yin' and 'yang' can symbolize any two polarized forces in nature.  Taoists believe that humans often intervene in nature and upset the balance of Yin and Yang.