My kids love The Hungry Caterpillar but today I want to talk about the powerful butterfly. Although butterflies are only here for a short time they bring joy to those who see them. Have you ever chased a butterfly through a field, or seen a child doing it, laughing with glee? Perhaps you've been lucky (and still) enough to have one land on you for a while? My eldest has and she thought it was magical. We are able to create this joy and magic in our own lives too.
The power of the butterfly
So how are butterflies powerful? I think for me, it's the symbolism of change and transformation.
It's time to shed our skin
As we grow and develop we shed our metaphorical skins and grow into the next, before doing it again, just like the caterpillar when it's in the eating phase. Then, as it breaks through the chrysalis (comfort zone), slowly emerging, taking time to dry their wings in the sun. The butterfly doesn't know whether it can fly, but it opens its wings in perfect confidence and simply takes flight into the unknown.
The only certainty is that transitioning through the life cycles requires courage and trust. Empower yourself and have trust in who you really are.
Change is transformational
Caterpillars don't ask to become a butterfly but it happens to them (a bit like change) and there are four stages, each dependent upon the last. They go from caterpillar into a cocoon to a kind of slimy soup before emerging into a glorious, graceful insect. I don't know whether or not it's painful but it is natural, a part of life. It's the struggle that makes the transformation so powerful. As we go through all the stages of change, the key is not fearing or fighting against it, but rather seeing it as a tool that empowers us to release the old and give way to the new, a natural cycle in our greater life experience. Like the powerful butterfly, we experience the greatest transformation and have the potential to metamorphose into something amazing.
The butterfly effect
I don't really understand the butterfly effect but I do know that it's all about small action (potentially) having a big effect. As we take small steps we get closer to where we want to be. My friend and I were talking about drinking more water. We chose to drink one more glass a day than we had been. A small act that makes a big difference to our wellness.
It's all about the journey
Metamorphosis is not about being a caterpillar or a butterfly, but the journey from caterpillar to butterfly. So my question to you, dear reader is...what small step will you take today in order to make a big change in your life and metamorphose into your most beautiful, authentic self?