The metaphor of the butterfly

If you look closely at the journey of the breathtaking butterfly, it begins as a tiny caterpillar that basically eats everything in its path with reckless abandon, often severely damaging plants and trees in the process. This is very similar to humanity's evolutionary journey throughout history, where we intentionally harm Mother Earth, our fellow animals, and even each other because of our short-sighted, divisive perspectives and selfish agendas. However, at a crucial point in the evolutionary journey of the caterpillar, when it has done all the consuming and destroying it was divinely designed to do, new cells, called imaginal (inner) cells, suddenly begin to emerge in the caterpillar. These cells contain the mold for the butterfly that will be born. At first, the caterpillar cells regard these imaginal cells as foreign invaders and quickly identify and destroy them, but over time more and more imaginal cells appear on the scene. They begin to cooperate, until eventually the tide turns in the caterpillar, and the imaginal cells become the new dominant force taking control. At this point, the caterpillar cells begin to break down and the caterpillar moves into the pupa stage, where it forms a protective chrysalis so that its full metamorphosis into a butterfly can begin. The caterpillar cells and all the destruction they caused now disintegrate into a goo that serves as fuel for the imaginal cells, which feed on it. Ultimately, the destruction caused by the caterpillar was necessary so that the imaginal cells would have the fuel to transform themselves into butterflies. Unlike the destructive regime of the caterpillar, the butterfly has an agenda that is symbiotic with nature: carrying pollen from plant to plant, helping flowers, vegetables and fruits to produce new seeds.

Does that sound like the journey of another species you know? This is a perfect metaphor for the evolution of humanity. If we think of the human race as one big organism, each individual can be seen as a cell within the larger being that is Mother Earth. In the past, when the imaginary cells of the human organism would speak out about unity, unconditional love and oneness, they would be quickly silenced, ridiculed, or in many cases even killed. But, like the caterpillar, the tide eventually turns. Today, more and more imaginary cell-like people are working together to begin the great shift into a new era for humanity. Of course, at this stage of humanity's evolution, things can look messy, just like with the caterpillar. But fear not, just when the caterpillar thinks his world is ending, he becomes a butterfly.

Source: The Golden Key, Brandon Beachum