Considering the Butterfly

The often used metaphor of the beautiful butterfly emerging from the uninteresting and rather plain cocoon has never ceased to inspire me, no matter how often I have considered it. Not long ago I watched a PBS special on the caterpillar, cocoon, butterfly evolution and the scientist admitted that we really don’t know all that happens inside that cocoon.

Recently, this metaphor spoke once again to me. I imagined the struggle of the butterfly as she imagines what awaits her on the other side. Sometimes we struggle to break free of the bonds of the familiar not knowing what is out there for us. And consider, too, once free from her cocoon, how her wings must dry, and even then, she is not free from danger. Her winged flight full of peril, awaits her. On the days of full expression of her inner purpose she flits and soars, and hovers and lands. Children delight in the novelty and beauty. Occasionally, an adult will stop to marvel at the miracle in our midst.

I presume that the butterfly can do no other thing, except to seek the full expression of her true self. From that cocoon she flies for a summer up north and then hopes for a safe trek south as the days shorten and the air develops an evening chill. Her beauty is no replacement for the continued struggle of her journey.

The success of this journey south depends on the sensitivity of all the inhabitants on the earth to the interdependence of life and the environment. After wintering over in the ever declining safe and healthy environments, she returns north to lay her eggs, some fertilized, some not, in hopes that her story will live on. In hopes that over and over again, her story of struggle, survival and beauty and delight will inspire us all.

We, like the butterfly, are made of the essence of perfection, and are being encouraged to overcome resistance from inside ourselves or from others, so that we might give our dreams a chance to grow in the world. Life is not without struggle, but the rewards of flying with wings outstretched surpasses all that came before.

And yet, like the butterfly and the milkweed plant, we all need one another. Our journeys are interwoven. Our interdependence insures our survival. May we all continue to grow in awareness of this sacred truth.