I went into work this past week and noticed that the flower bush next to the main entrance had a number of butterflies around. I took a couple photos, in the hopes of posting it online later, like the good Millennial I am. I got close for the last one and the butterfly’s wings fluttered just enough to see the entirety of its wings. I showed a co-worker that photo later on in the day and we marveled at the beauty of the little bit of nature right around us. I then sent the photo to my family in the hopes to share what I had witnessed today and to brighten their moods. They liked it, and the signs that it might bring. I liked it too.
Throughout the rest of my week, I kept thinking back to the butterflies. What I think it meant to me during this time in my life. My aunt shared a website with me to shed some light on the symbolism of this creature. The Butterfly , according to the website, is associated with symbolism of change and transformation. Reflecting on this, I believe this to be correct.
The evolution of the butterfly is chock full of symbolism that we can apply to our own lives. Nature provides inspiration for nearly everything we have made. The life cycle of a butterfly is: egg, caterpillar, pupa (chrysalis), and adult butterfly. We can ascribe the life cycle of humans in a similar fashion. Babies are like the egg stage where they need time to grow and hatch into something that can start to act on its own. But for us humans, without all the extra insect weirdness, and a very much more dependent & time-consuming way.
Children are the larvae stage of humans obviously. Children are voracious eaters and just take up a whole lot of time & space. Constantly taking in the world, adapting, learning, and growing. Caterpillars have the capacity to adapt to a number of different circumstances and environments. They can be herbivores, carnivorous to ant larvae, form mutualistic & parasitic relationships, camouflage themselves, and other feats. Children are able to perform complex tasks, expanded reasoning, perform sports, and develop many different skills as they traverse their environment. You cannot discount the capability of a child or a caterpillar.
Teenagers and College students are the pupa stage of the human life cycle. When the larva is fully grown, they turn inward for the metamorphosis into the final stage of development. Some shield themselves with a cocoon and others do not. They find a good transformation site as their hormones and nature takes over. For the human analog, puberty begins to change the child into the adult that they will become for the rest of their life. The body and mind mature, as school and the working world begins to transform the child into something more. This phase is time and energy consuming. The process is delicate and complex. If something happens to the pupa, like if one of its wings is removed early on, the other three will grow larger in size to accommodate. Delicate, yet still resilient in its drive to be a fully developed, and fully realized being. The same can be said of humans, during this phase teens & young adults thrive for independence and start to look inward into the adult that they want to become. Setbacks, failures, pain, shame, and many tribulations will start to rain down during this time. However, this is also part of the metamorphosis process as well.
I have found myself in this Chrysalis phase for longer than I thought. After College I began to realize that college was the cocoon that was protecting me during the earlier parts of this phase. It allowed me to find the skills, talents, and abilities that were previously untapped. The cocoon was a safe space to explore without the fear of falling to the ground. A testing ground for all the stored energy accumulated over the years, and facilitated my growth. However, the cocoon does not have infinite space, and it soon became cramped. The cocoon can be limiting at times when you think you are ready to fly or if you aren’t ready to fly but there is no more space left inside. After college, I moved back home trying to find a different area of the cocoon to protect me as I found myself breaking my cocoon a little but still not taking flight. Day after day. Week after week. I have been breaking my cocoon.
When I looked at nature’s beautiful example of transformation in the butterflies at my job. I understood that I am fully coming out of my cocoon. I am taking the leap and fluttering as hard as I can. I am becoming the adult butterfly I have aspired to be. I am not afraid to fall because I know that I won’t fall. I’ll fly.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly