I experienced the miracle of watching a Monarch caterpillar turn into a chrysalis. It literally took my breath away. My son had found the caterpillar at my brother's and asked to keep it until it turns into a butterfly. We gathered fresh milkweed leaves each day and watched her chomp away and then take rests (her rests were so deep, my son worried she'd died). Last night she crawled to the top of her container and hung upside down. Her head shook a bit and it would be easy to think she was sick or dying. This morning she was absolutely still. In the afternoon I was shocked to see a beautiful chrysalis in place of the caterpillar. I couldn't believe my eyes and wondered how this all happened. I could see that the shell of her head had detached and was laying on a twig. I found a sweet website where a young girl made an imovie showing the stages of a monarch from egg to butterfly: Monarch Butterfly imovie. It was incredible seeing how that transformation happened. The caterpillar's skin, splits open and what looks like an unpeeled grape begins to emerge--it seems fatter than the caterpillar had been. And then the unseemly blob becomes a gorgeous delicate chrysalis.
Experiencing this today became strengthened an anology for me about the pain and beauty in transformation. These are my thoughts:
-The Monarch sought the nourishment she needed (milkweed) and gave herself plenty of rest.
-She found a place that felt safe and then settled in and trusted she'd be okay.
-She appeared to be dying or ill just before her transformation. And things also got messy before they became stunning. This fits well with what colleagues have said about how things often get much more difficult before opening up and become easier.
-As an observer, I didn't know exactly what she was going through and could have easily misinterpreted some of her actions (I'm so glad I didn't try to "wake" her when she was ready to transform). She needed space and time of her own.
-Everything held inside of the lovely striped caterpillar body literally burst out. I imagine the tightness she must have felt and associate this with the tension our bodies feel when we are stressed and going through change.
-She shed a big piece of her previous identity. Her vulnerability in those moments between caterpillar to chrysalis was immense but necessary.
-She's built a layer of protection for herself to get through this next step.
-The chrysalis now appears serene but I imagine there's an awful lot going on inside. Splendid wings are being created that will carry her to new vistas she'd never have been able to reach as a caterpillar.
This has been deeply symbolic for me and I'm sure new interpretations will unfold as I observe this transformation. It really is incredible. If you haven't observed a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, I hope you'll watch the movie to get a sense of how wondrous it is.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
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