Animal Wednesday (#22)

This is the mandala I made for Marja! (click to enlarge) The mandala has lots of Far Eastern symbols. Such as the yin yang symbol, lotusflowers, mala and the Temple of Heaven which is in Beijing China.

Marja has 33 as birth number, just like Lolo! This is a rare master number and these people are here on earth with a special quest. Their acts of kindness, tenderness and compassion will lead to the transformation of the world's consciousness. Marja's birth number is painted with 33 Chinese Butterflies in the colors of the rainbow with mother of pearl. The Mandarin Chinese word for butterfly is "hu-tieh". "Tieh" means "70 years", therefore butterflies have become a symbol for a long life. In our culture it's a symbol of transformation because of its impressive process of metamorphosis.

From egg, to larvae (caterpillar), to pupa (the chrysalis or cocoon) and from the cocoon the butterfly emerges in her unfurling glory.

What a massive amount of transition this tiny creature undergoes. Consider for a moment the kind of energy this expends. I daresay if a human were to go through this kind of change we’d freak out!

Imagine the whole of your life changing to such an extreme you are unrecognizable at the end of the transformation. Mind you, this change takes place in a short span of about a month too (that’s how long the butterfly life cycle is).

Herein lies the deepest symbolic lesson of the butterfly. She asks us to accept the changes in our lives as casually as she does. The butterfly unquestioningly embraces the chances of her environment and her body.

This unwavering acceptance of her metamorphosis is also symbolic of faith. Here the butterfly beckons us to keep our faith as we undergo transitions in our lives. She understands that our toiling, fretting and anger are useless against the turning tides of nature – she asks us to recognize the same.

Happy Animal Wednesday!