Cosmic Gardener – Cultivating a Life

The Butterfly symbolizes transformation. The process it goes through in becoming is an apt metaphor for our human development.

When a caterpillar goes into the chrysalis stage there is a time when nothing in the cocoon resembles either it or the butterfly it is destined to become. Within the chrysalis “imaginal cells” begin to appear and a miracle occurs. Initially perceived as enemies the caterpillar’s immune system attacks the cells, churning them into an amorphous liquid. Against formidable odds these imaginal cells continue to develop becoming a type of caterpillar soup, providing nourishment and a blueprint for the butterfly growing within.

In a lifetime most of us make more than one pot of soup, and sample a variety of wings on our way to free flight. In our becoming we are all butterflies.