As I began to write the first blog of this year, my mind immediately went to all the positive resolutions and “new beginnings” everyone focuses on. But, what if you are a widow? What if life is far from positive right now? You may feel you are stuck between the life you had and the life you feel you are now forced to endure. As a coach, what resonates for me is the journey of transformation you are on. When I think of transformation, I reflect back to the many life lessons that lie in the deepest symbolic meanings of the butterfly.
The exquisite butterfly has long been considered a miracle of transformation. We find connection through embracing an entire new way of being. This acceptance of her metamorphosis is symbolic of faith. We embrace our faith as we undergo transition in our lives. She reminds us that fretting and anger are really useless against the turning tides of nature. The process can not be rushed. Time must be spent in the cocoon for nurturing and healing. It is in the cocoon, the dark period of actively grieving, that allows your transformation to take place. From the dark cocoon, she emerges, struggling to spread her new wings. It is this struggle that we all experience that allows us to grow strong enough to fly on our own. Look to the grace and eloquence of the butterfly and realize that your responsibility to yourself is to make your way in faith, accept the changes as they come this new year, and emerge from your transition as beautifully as the butterfly.
Many cultures associate the butterfly with the soul. In the Greek myth, Psyche (which literally translates to mean “soul”) it is represented by none other than, you guessed it, the butterfly. The spiritual meaning of the butterfly conveys the choice to transcend. It has become the greatest symbol of our power to make choices–to choose your way of grief, to choose your path, and to choose your future after loss. Out of the dark cocoon of grief, you can reshape and resculpt yourself in mind, body, and spirit. With butterfly symbolism we see healing through the power of transformation. The power of the butterfly can help you release your fears this new year to take the journey to know your true self–to see and know what is possible as you recreate and transform your life. There is a vibrant life you are still meant to live with your new wings.
In the end, a beautiful butterfly emerges, soaring high and rising above all of the layers that it had to shed along the journey. This is the gift a calendar new year brings to you as a widow. My hope for you as you go through your own transformation is to trust yourself, become your best friend, and love yourself through the process. As you emerge, look for the new possibilities, new ways of being, and feel the the light that sets you free.
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