"Beautiful and graceful, varied and enchanting, small but approachable, butterflies
lead you to the sunny side of life. And everyone deserves a little sunshine."
~Jeffrey Glassberg
"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~R. Buckminster Fuller
I'm suddenly noticing butterflies everywhere~flitting across my path as I walk along the wildlife ponds, in movies, and in books. As someone who enjoys looking at the symbolic significance of animals and insects that I encounter in dreams and in waking life, I am drawn to inquire how am I being invited to make changes in my life; what is in the process of transformation; and how may I find lightness, beauty and joy in the process?
What an amazing little creature, the butterfly! So delicate and fragile, yet powerful and strong. It boggles the mind to think of the transformation this little being goes through. It begins life as an egg, than grows into a furry little caterpillar that inches along the ground and munches leaves, and then compelled by some ancient instinctive impulse, finds a sheltered spot, suspends itself and creates a cocoon, and waits...and by some miraculous process of transmutation, becomes something that is totally unrecognizable from its former self. For a time, it is what one might call "goo", neither caterpillar nor butterfly. Once the transformation is complete, it emerges from its cocoon, in a sort of rebirth, as a magnificently beautiful creature capable of taking flight and pollinating the flowers, helping to fill the world with even more beauty.
And then there's the Monarch—what an amazing feat these tiny delicate creatures perform, migrating as far as 2,500-3,000 miles to winter in the warmer southern climate of Mexico and Southern California. How do they know the way? How do they find the very same trees year after year that previous generations roosted upon? Guided by some inner compass, no doubt.
I am feeling very grateful today the presence of butterflies in the world~for sharing their radiant beauty and for reminding us of our potential for transformation. For there may be times in our lives when we feel we are "in the goo" of it all—life as we knew it is no longer recognizable; we are not who we once were...and not yet who we will become. Being in the goo can feel like a lonely and frightening place. The butterfly reminds us that we too have an inner guidance system and an inner compass, and we are invited to nurture connection with Spirit, with our 'higher self', our inner wise man or woman, through contemplation, prayer and meditation. We can trust in the perfect unfolding, even in the uncertainty of life. And we are reminded of the exquisite beauty, joy, and freedom that is found at the other end of the transformation process.
Wishing you moments of beauty, grace and inspiration this day and always. Yours in continuing gratitude and awe,
What an amazing little creature, the butterfly! So delicate and fragile, yet powerful and strong. It boggles the mind to think of the transformation this little being goes through. It begins life as an egg, than grows into a furry little caterpillar that inches along the ground and munches leaves, and then compelled by some ancient instinctive impulse, finds a sheltered spot, suspends itself and creates a cocoon, and waits...and by some miraculous process of transmutation, becomes something that is totally unrecognizable from its former self. For a time, it is what one might call "goo", neither caterpillar nor butterfly. Once the transformation is complete, it emerges from its cocoon, in a sort of rebirth, as a magnificently beautiful creature capable of taking flight and pollinating the flowers, helping to fill the world with even more beauty.
And then there's the Monarch—what an amazing feat these tiny delicate creatures perform, migrating as far as 2,500-3,000 miles to winter in the warmer southern climate of Mexico and Southern California. How do they know the way? How do they find the very same trees year after year that previous generations roosted upon? Guided by some inner compass, no doubt.
I am feeling very grateful today the presence of butterflies in the world~for sharing their radiant beauty and for reminding us of our potential for transformation. For there may be times in our lives when we feel we are "in the goo" of it all—life as we knew it is no longer recognizable; we are not who we once were...and not yet who we will become. Being in the goo can feel like a lonely and frightening place. The butterfly reminds us that we too have an inner guidance system and an inner compass, and we are invited to nurture connection with Spirit, with our 'higher self', our inner wise man or woman, through contemplation, prayer and meditation. We can trust in the perfect unfolding, even in the uncertainty of life. And we are reminded of the exquisite beauty, joy, and freedom that is found at the other end of the transformation process.
Wishing you moments of beauty, grace and inspiration this day and always. Yours in continuing gratitude and awe,
~Joanne
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