| Article - December 2003 The Butterfly: A Symbol of Our Transformation By Tanis Helliwell "What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, a master calls a butterfly." Richard Bach Butterflies epitomize the inevitability of our path to consciousness. Just as there are thousands of species of butterflies, each one of us is totally unique, but our process of transformation leads to the same final result. There are four cycles that the butterfly undergoes in its transformation from egg, to caterpillar, to cocoon before finding its final grace and beauty as a butterfly. These stages are ones that we also undergo in our journey from unconsciousness dominated by the personality to consciousness partnered by the soul. The Egg Individuals in the egg the first stage of transformation are unconscious. Obedient and never questioning the rules, they are at the mercy of their environment. Because they are passive, others control them, and their careers are usually unplanned. These unconscious individuals buy the lottery ticket of life and hope that through luck, but no effort, to become conscious and win the big payoff. Men and woman in the egg stage do not consciously harm others or their environment, nor do they consciously improve it. The Caterpillar The second stage of transformation is that of the caterpillar. Our world and organizations have been run by caterpillars who, with an insatiable appetite to have more, have destroyed their environment. People in the caterpillar stage of transformation step over others in their path in order to reach their ego-centered goals. They want to have the most money and the best that money can buy and have little conscience as to how the needs of others are met. I am not suggesting malevolence, just a me-first attitude. Natural resources exist only to meet the needs of the caterpillar. Individuals in this stage do not act as if they care how many trees they cut down, minerals they extract, or if they pollute the air. Whereas the egg is passive and dependent, the caterpillar is aggressive and independent. Although it still cannot create new life, the caterpillar is further along the path of transformation than the egg because it makes choices. It chooses which plants to eat and can move to an environment more suitable to its preferences. The Cocoon Cocooning is the third stage in transformation and it is a time of rest and emptiness. Cocooning refers to people who withdraw from the world and prefer to stay home and enjoy simple pleasures. Men and women might cocoon by leaving their highly paid, high stress jobs with large organizations to work at home for themselves or to a lower-paid job with less responsibility. This also happens when individuals take a sabbatical to meditate and reflect on their life purpose, or move to the country for a more peaceful environment. You might cocoon and still remain in your present job but now you decide to work only eight, not twelve hour days, refuse to take work home and instead, spend your evenings and weekends with family and friends. Cocooning is an inner time. On the surface it doesn't appear as if much is happening, but inside the cocoon the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly is occurring. At this time in our human evolution many men and women are going through this cocoon stage. They know that being an egg or a caterpillar are no longer options. They have the desire to become a butterfly and so withdraw from their previous ways of being to reflect and meditate. These individuals are creating a space to allow the universe to complete their process of transformation. We become what we must be and by surrendering to the process of divine will, our transformation will naturally take place. The Butterfly Butterflies are the last stage in the process of transformation. Men and women in their butterfly stage are free of both their culture's rules and their personality's drives. Formerly, they were found more often on the fringes of society living alternative lifestyles. Often they were the craftspeople, artists, writers, environmentalists, social activists, healers, spiritual teachers and others who brought beauty, love and wisdom into the world. Formerly, there were fewer butterflies in the traditional workforce, but I believe this is changing now. Because of the economic downturn, the increased violence and threat of war in the world and the increase of environmental disasters, individuals in all walks of life are seriously questioning the old paradigm of unlimited growth and more for me on which the bulk of our organizations have been based. The organizational caterpillar is dying and many people are well into the cocoon stage looking for a new way of being and doing in the world. The new way is that of the butterfly. Butterflies feed on nectar and water and are creatures of beauty who destroy nothing in their path. Butterflies are also the breeders the fertile ones who create the eggs to ensure the continuance of their race. But they do more than this. They fly from flower to flower pollinating them, thereby assuring the continuance of other species in the world. Butterflies are beings of air and soul and are not bound, like caterpillars, to the earth. They are delicate and can be easily damaged by an unfriendly environment. But they are also tenacious and as with monarchs can fly thousands of miles to find the right environment to create new life. Butterflies are soul-infused women and men who assist others on their paths to consciousness. They are fertile and creative and being around them catalyzes new growth in both others and their organizations. As we enter the fourth (butterfly) cycle of human evolution, these soul-infused individuals are the forerunners and the way showers of the principles of interdependence. They are the pioneers who will help to birth the new paradigm of co-creation in our organizations, in our friendships and in our world. Copyright© Tanis Helliwell Tanis Helliwell M.ED, is the founder of the International Institute for Transformation whose mission is to help people live and work with meaning and purpose. She is the author of Take Your Soul to Work, Decoding Destiny: keys to mankind's spiritual evolution and Summer With the Leprechauns: a true story. For information on our programs you can Phone 1-800-745-4779, Email info@iitransform.com. |
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