The Butterfly,
Transformation's Perfect Role Model
By Cindy Griffith
Why the butterfly? Because it doesn't freak out when it knows it's time to change! It just sees change as the next step. In it's caterpillar stage, it creates it's little cocoon, goes inside, and when times up, and after quite a work out, it emerges, transformed into a butterfly. It stretches it's new found wings and flies away to discover it's new vistas!
Why can't we do that? First we would complain that we have to sit still. "I'm stagnating! I must be off my path!" then we'd cry "Oh no it's dark, it (I) must be bad!" Then, when time to come out, "let someone else do the work. I'll be the supportive one." "You want me to fly? I'm still processing!" "I'm not allowed to fly, I fell down in a past life and it's my Karma to stay forever on the ground!"" I can't just take off without knowing where I am going!"
I remember hearing that when we are stopped, it's because God is busy working out the details. It's just like the down time the caterpillar has to go through in order to be the butterfly. Can you imagine if the caterpillar said, "I can't stop now and just hang out in a cocoon! I still have to climb to the next branch!" If he only knew how much easier it will be when he can fly! We often forget how much easier it is to fly.
It does get dark in the cocoon of Transformation! A major part of our transformation is when we allow ourselves to go in and see our dark side. Jung said that too much light makes very big shadows! Any creation contains duality, Masculine and Feminine, Dark and Light. I won't say Good and Bad, as they are judgments about Dark and Light. The Dark is a necessary figure, without it, we have no balance. There is a wonderful story about the time before Kali took her role of dispersing disease, rot and death. Living was a misery, nobody died. There was no room! There was no food! There was no appreciation for life! Thank Goodness she heard our cries and gave us the gift of time, rot, disease and death. Now a baby grows up, has babies and dies making room for his or her baby's babies. We now appreciate the time that we are given on this plane.
I see the times when we are willing to look at the darker, more destructive side of ourself as that stage when you are cleaning out the closet. Everything is out on the floor and looking a mess! You think it will never look good again! Looking at all of you results in transformation. You pull out all parts of yourself (all the parts, not just the light, pretty, spiritual ones!) You throw out or recycle what is no longer useful and reorganize the rest. Then you know what's in there, and you can reach in and get what ever you need! (and you don't waste energy worrying about what is going to jump or fall out every time the closet of your psyche opens!) Don't throw away all the Dark parts, sometimes you need the Destroyer within to help get rid of a situation that has outgrown itself, or the Angry One who, once recognized as an important part of the crew, has learned the appropriate times and ways to express anger!
Once you have been in the Dark of the Cocoon long enough, it is time to get out! "Uh oh! You want me to leave the safety of this nice warm beautiful cocoon?" "If it's time to leave, I WANT A REALLY BIG SIGN!" Sometimes it's scary to leave that time of inner reflection and get back into the outer world. Sometimes we get lost in helping others and never get around to finishing our own transformation. Everyone knows that if your help the butterfly out of his cocoon, his wings will be too weak and he dies. The Butterfly needs to go through the struggle to be strong enough to fly away and so do we! (Are all of us well meaning, helpful co-dependents listening????)
Once we have emerged into the outer world, we find our new found strength and beauty that we had hidden away also emerged. We aren't so prone to excuses. We are now ready to take the next step and put what we have learned into action. We take that Leap of Faith, and begin to fly the highs and the lows of the next stage in our soul's evolution.
I am sure most of us can relate to at least one of the stages of the little caterpillar journey of transformation! Its spring and next time you see a butterfly go by, take a moment to remember the message it brings you. Ask yourself where are you on the journey of your transformation. Then send that butterfly lots of love, It went through a lot to get here!
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