March Affirmation: Welcome Spring and spread your wings!
Greetings of Love and Light,
As we move into Spring, we have the opportunity to discover that we are truly butterflies, not caterpillars. In that spirit, I’m guided to share a parable that I wrote many years ago that speaks to the magical unfoldment of who we truly are. I call it “The Parable of the Caterpillar and the Butterfly.”
Have you ever considered the worldview of a caterpillar? You know, they’re those nice, furry creatures that will eventually become butterflies, God willing of course. During the spring of the year, I often find them perched on a tree limb or curled up on a sidewalk. I’d like you to imagine with me for just a few moments that we are caterpillars. What would our world be like?
As a caterpillar, I am severely limited in how I live and how I perceive my world. I cannot move very fast, very far. My vision is limited to what is directly in front of me. A bird approaching from behind will not be sensed or seen. Which brings me to the second challenge: survival. As a caterpillar, I soon discover that I have many enemies. I could be a lovely lunch for numerous creatures. And what about those unfortunate accidents like falling off a branch or being stepped on. Squish! Ouch! That’s not a very nice life, is it? It almost seems like the whole world is out to get me; to squash me and kill me. Perhaps if I could get away from it all, shut out the world with all its death and cruelty, perhaps then I could answer the question “WHY?”
So I find an hospitable corner in my little world, wrap myself in a blanket, and close myself off from life. My world is in darkness now. In my more conscious moments, I wonder if this is death, a living death. However, during this long, endless night, something is happening; not only to my world, but to me. I am changing. It is slow and almost imperceptible at first. But then it multiplies in sweeping changes; changes that I cannot begin to understand. I become restless and confused. Something is wrong. I should not be trapped in this endless night.
Then suddenly one day a corner of my blanket falls away, and I am bombarded with light once again. I struggle to release myself from the entangling folds. Soon I am freed from that bondage of darkness. I am back in the world again. It is the same world, too; the same branch of the same tree. But something has changed. I have changed. I don’t remember having wings before, do you? I wonder what they’re used for. Flying? You’ve got to be kidding! I can’t fly! Or can I?
Remember – “We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us…The old skin has to be shed before the new one is to come.” ~Joseph Campbell
Mother of all Mysteries, in the long ago past you embraced us in the warmth of your womb. Now you call us to be reborn. Yet we carry so much baggage from the past. Surround us with your healing Presence and lift our burdens of guilt and regret. Release us from the chains of shame and blame. Cleanse our hearts and prepare us to receive your Fountain of Life. Holy Shekinah, we open the door of our sacred temple and welcome you. Come into us and birth us anew in the beauty and holiness of your Presence. We give you thanks and praise for your ever-present Love, Light and Protection that never fail us. May we always know that we are secure under the shadow of your wings. So it is.
