Τhe Transformation

The transformation of the butterfly is one of nature's most beautiful mysteries and so symbolic of human development and our difficulty in coping with change. Its ability to change from a crawling caterpillar to a flying being is almost magical. It begins with an egg from which the caterpillar emerges, which then cages itself in the cocoon and becomes a chrysalis until it breaks its bonds and transforms into a butterfly. 

This transubstantiation is identified with the idea of the soul, death and rebirth: 

In a way, all the potential of the butterfly is inherent in the caterpillar from the beginning, just as a free side of us that wants to spread its wings and fly already exists within the limiting patterns we carry. 

When the caterpillar gets into its cocoon, its immune system thinks the butterfly cells are the enemy and starts to fight it. This resistance leads to the caterpillar's exhaustion and slow death. And then, the butterfly emerges. Similarly, in the human world of change, there is a part of us that resists to the point of exhaustion to move. It feels secure in the deeply entrenched patterns it has so painfully built and refuses to change "shape."

When it emerges, the butterfly secretes a liquid that softens the chrysalis shell. It then uses two sharp claws to cut it and pull it out. The old form needs to soften/open/move in order for the new one to emerge! Only then will the caterpillar encounter the mystery of what is inside her that she wants to discard. It is no coincidence that in many traditions butterflies have symbolized the soul, travelers, warriors, rebirth and joy.

In Greek mythology, Psyche, a mortal, was freed from death and is often represented with butterfly wings, flying free in the skies away from the earthly bonds of her chrysalis.

In small or great changes... On the one hand I am afraid to leave the old and familiar: I cannot bear the mourning of a dying aspect of me, and in it I may be exhausted, but together we have been through so much and got used to each other. On the other hand, my imagination is not enough to envision the new. If we can dream ourselves as butterflies (instead of caterpillars!), even if only for a few but precious moments, and accept that there is something more free, creative and joyful inside of us than our entrenched limiting ego, we will be able to experience our own flight!

I was once a man who dreamed he was a butterfly

or am I now a butterfly dreaming of being a human?

- Chuang Tzu