The beauty of a butterfly cannot be denied but goes beyond what we see through our own eyes. The colorful innocence of a butterfly brings a sense of joy and lightness. They represent a reflection of what all would want to protect, be in community with, a sense of trust and safety and a reflection of both who we might want to be and whom we might want to be with. They are one of natures most incredible examples of what can become and is accessible to all of us.
The butterfly goes through an incredible journey to become this representation of their most beautiful self both in color and in lightness. To become a butterfly and live the life of a butterfly and all that it offers there is no no avoiding the process or skipping a step in the process and there is no question there is effort that is involved.
The first stage of a butterfly begins as an egg and that egg would not have come about if it were not from the wholeness of another butterfly that had laid the seed for its birth. The egg stage reflects our interconnectedness to others and that without others there would be no us. Too often today we speak of our own individual path and journey. In truth though there is no journey without reflecting on what seeds were planted in our life that allows this journey. Even in the messiest of moments our actual presence no matter what stage of life we are on is only possible through the the connectedness to others.
The second stage of the butterfly is the caterpillar stage. This is the stage of nourishment. The caterpillar embraces the joy of nourishment. Taking in as much as possible, shedding its skin 4-5 times through this journey. The caterpillar is storing this nourishment to be used later as an adult. Like our own journey we take in many lessons, we grow, we can shed what is necessary to continue our journey and store the wisdom we take in on our path to use when needed.
The third stage is the resting stage for the butterfly and is know as the chrysalis stage. This is the stage of safety and incredible transformation. The length of rest can be for weeks, months or years. The butterfly trusts in the what is necessary and finds comfort here protected in their cocoon of silk. The butterfly is not idel in this stage and in fact is in a very rapid stage of messy growth. The larva cells will provide energy for the adult cells allowing formation of the legs, wings, eyes and all parts of the butterfly will develop. Like our own journey we can find our own places of safety to allow the time to fully grow and develop. Our own resting place which may be hidden to those around us or even hanging in the openness of the world, but we can know and trust we are in this place of incredible growth. The stage for our growth though does require the embracing of the messy process and the time needed to reach the full formation of what we want to emerge.
The final stage of the butterfly is the reproductive stage. The stage in which the full color and beautify of the butterfly can now be seen. The butterfly in its full beauty knows that this stage will not last forever but from this stage while here has a purpose. The purpose of spreading its wings flying from place to place planting its beautiful seeds along the way. The butterfly in its full bloom knows the gifts it has to bring to the world and with quiet confidence moves from place to place living out its purpose.
The final stage of the beautiful butterfly is one available to all of us. It is a journey that does not need to be rushed but one in which all stages must be gone through to emerge the beautiful butterfly. The joy of knowing a purpose, the confidence in what we offer as our gift, and moving about gently with grace planting the seeds from our journey so that others can also bloom and be part of the journey of the butterfly.
#mindfulness #reflection #transformation #journey
