metamorphosis + spiritual freedom + feminine energy
My spiritual journey has taken me many places. I’ve learned that each time a door opens or closes – certain symbols follow or proceed. Throughout the past couple of years, I have noticed butterflies coming across my path. If you look at the photo below you can see the moment my cousin captured while I was standing at the base of Christ the Redeemer. That specific day was special as seeing the statue was a spiritual moment for me – admiring the beauty of the power of God & feeling the energy of the Holy Spirit while being surrounded by the Earth. What are the odds that a butterfly crosses my path & enters the photo frame at that exact second!?
Some might think it is all coincidence but certain animals + symbols hold sacred meaning in my life. For example, my grandma was a very influential person in my life. She holds a sacred place in my heart and our relationship was and is still very meaningful to me. She helped to guide me on my spiritual journey and was a force of power & strength in my life. She passed away a few years ago but she sends me signs very often.
My grandma loved birds but more specifically, she loved cranes. Whenever I see a crane, I not only immediately feel at peace but I sense the smile of my grandma. I can’t really put the feeling into words, but it is moving. These small reminders of peace and power are essential to my spiritual journey – they help me to move forward.
Spiritual & Religious Symbolism
Religious text is rich with symbolism – I mean read one passage of the Bible and it will scream out to you. The hidden messages in spiritual literature call the reader to fully immerse themselves in the text – the entire purpose of symbolism is to gain true understanding. When studying these symbols – your perspective of spirituality alone is altered. The fact that you have to be fully present and mindful in order to accept symbols shows meaning in itself.
Across cultures & throughout history, the butterfly has held deep meaning. The spiritual meaning of butterflies can differ a bit depending on the culture but the overall spiritual meaning is that of transformation & wisdom. Looking into the process of metamorphosis alone holds the symbolism of transformation in a very direct way. In many cultures, the butterfly is also seen as a good omen (a sort of prophetic symbol holding meaning for the future).
As I continue to come across butterflies on my path, I am pushed to look towards the future while simultaneously reminded of my past. Ironically, when I was younger, I was terrified of butterflies. One of my relatives took me to a closed in butterfly garden when I was a kid and long story short, it freaked me out. In retrospect, looking at the importance of their meaning in my life now, it is interesting how something I feared has become a strong symbol in my spiritual life. The symbolism of growth is ripe in that alone – learning to embrace something that once caused feelings of fear.
Historically, the symbolic meaning behind the sighting of a butterfly can range from messages of transformation & individuality to playfulness & abundance. When researching deeply into the symbolism of butterflies, I pulled out three specific messages that resonated with me: personal metamorphosis, spiritual freedom & feminine energy.
Metamorphosis
- Biology. a profound change in form from one stage to the next in the life history of an organism, as from the caterpillar to the pupa and from the pupa to the adult butterfly.
- a complete change of form, structure, or substance, as transformation by magic or witchcraft.
- any complete change in appearance, character, circumstances, etc.
- a form resulting from any such change.
*definition from http://www.dictionary.com
These definitions help to create a better understanding of the meaning of the world itself – although let’s be completely honest… I can’t look at the word ‘metamophosis’ without thinking of Hillary Duff’s album that came out in 2013. In all seriousness, this word creates a powerful image of something deeper than just a transformation. When I take a deeper look into metamorphosis, I am forced to look within and evaluate certain life changes that I have experienced as well as those that I hope to experience. This year, I hope to create a deep change in my health by fully commiting to the autoimmune paleo protocol to heal my gut.
Spiritual Freedom
My personal freedom is something that I hold dearly – freedom and independence is essential for my health. When it comes to my spritual freedom, I am commiting to diving deep into my faith and letting go of beliefs that no longer serve me. More specifically, I want to build my relationship with the Holy Spirit and stop living in fear by no longer listening to what other people say spirituality should be.
Feminine Energy
Feminine energy encompasses romance, sensuality, and playfullness all in one. I want to focus on nurtering the softer, emotional energies that are at play. The butterfly withholds the carefree and unique energy that I hope to embody. I embrace my feminine energy by dancing, allowing myself to feel my emotions, healing deep wounds, spending time in nature and communicating with my sensual side.
I am looking forward to the new energy that is already flowing. I am so excited to embrace each of these messages going into this new period of my life. I hope these words struck something in you and challenged you to find meaning in the small things.
Here is to a new year, a new beginning, another trip around the sun. Let’s make it count. Peace & love. – Kendall
