BUTTERFLY FAMILY: Trust in the Process of Change

Found throughout most of the world, butterflies are the most beloved of insects. The Monarch of the New World and Swallowtail of the Old World are greatly admired for their beauty. What people do not realize is that butterflies and moths belong to the same Order of Lepidoptera (scale wing). They think that there are dramatic differences between the two species. For instance, butterflies are always beautiful, and moths are not. However, many moths such as Luna Moth are beautiful, while many butterflies such as Cabbage Butterfly are dull colored. What makes butterflies beloved by people, and moths sinister and mysterious? Butterflies are seen during the day, while moths only come out at night.

 

What butterflies are best known for are their magical transformations. From a rather, dowdy caterpillar springs forth a magnificent butterfly. Mother Butterfly lays eggs on a particular plant species. For weeks after the caterpillars emerge, they feed off the plant. After molting several times, the now legless caterpillars become chrysalis, thereby suspending themselves from leaves by a girdle of silk. After a period of internal transformation, the adults emerge as butterflies.

 

Many people associated butterflies with souls. In Europe, the newly dead would hover near their body as a butterfly. In Ireland, the white butterfly held the soul of a dead child. For others, the butterfly meant the death of the body, and the rebirth of the soul in paradise. In Mexico, the Monarchs arrive at the Day of the Dead (Dia de Los Muertos). Some see these butterflies as spirits of their ancestors returning.

 

To the Chinese, butterflies are a symbol of joy. The Japanese regard a pair of butterflies as a symbol of married happiness. The Japanese thought that if one enters your home and perches on a screen, that the person that you love would come to visit.

 

For Christians, the butterfly is a symbol of resurrection, new life, and immortality. Like Christ who died and rose again, the butterfly dies as a caterpillar and emerges from the chrysalis as a glorious butterfly. This act symbolizes Christ rising from the Tomb.

 

Various species of butterflies have specific meanings. In Ancient Egypt, the Tiger Butterfly was associated with Ra, the God of the Sun. (This butterfly resembled the ankh.) In the Appalachian Mountains, the Fritillary means money is coming, while in the Ozarks, the Mourning Cloak means that spring is here.

 

The lessons of the Butterfly Family are let go of old behavior, and move into the next phase of your life. Trust in the process of change, and weather the winds of uncertainty. Know when you are going through a transition that the butterfly is there to help you through it. Remember not to be in such a hurry. Be like the butterfly and take your time, and be still for a while.

 

Note: The differences between butterflies and moths: Butterflies have clubbed antenna. Moths form a cocoon, butterflies, a chrysalis. Moths have a frenulum, which holds their two wings together during a flight.

 

“Despite their small size, butterflies and moths are some of the world’s most wondrous animals. Their beauty, seemingly miraculous metamorphosis, and apparently carefree flight all spark our imaginations.” – Barbra Feldman, Surf Net Kids.