Hope

I prefer to view life as a series of transitions, each one unfolding into the next. Some gentle, some not so gentle. If you would, imagine us beginning as small, soft caterpillars, exploring the world with curiosity, unaware of the inevitable changes that await us. As time passes, we eventually enter a cocoon, for internal transformation. Envision a quiet stillness with a dusting of discomfort. Yet, it is in this time of pause that we shed our old selves, evolving into something far more intricate, more beautiful than we could have ever imagined. 

It is a tale as old as time.

Mythologist and anthropology scholar, Michael Meade, made a poignant discovery, that caterpillar cells actually resist the transformation into butterfly cells. He goes on to compare the butterfly metamorphosis to the internal resistance we often face when undergoing significant life changes and offers a profound metaphor for the way we experience death and grief. 

He explains that Inside the caterpillar there are two different types of delicate cells. Once the caterpillar is in it’s cocoon and transformation is underway, the caterpillar cells initially resist the growth and development of the butterfly cells. Eventually, the butterfly cells awaken in sufficient numbers to overcome the resistance of the caterpillar cells and it is then, and only then, that the butterfly is birthed from the chrysalis. 

The caterpillar cells, clinging to their old form, resist the transformative process, much like we may resist the emotional and spiritual shifts that come with the dying process. There is a natural human inclination to hold on to what is familiar, to the life that once was, and the comfort of the past.

It isn't a polarity or a separation within, it is a unified process because the resistance ultimately forces a strength within. It asks us to shed the old versions of ourselves, to allow the painful emotions to unfold, and to emerge with a new understanding of love, loss, and connection.  

In this delicate process, we find that the grief does not dissolve, but rather reshapes, the memories and love we carry for those we've lost. And like the butterfly, we too, can find our way through the darkness, learning that, even in loss, there is the possibility for renewal and beauty. 

Our grief offers an opportunity to become something different, into something more resilient, more deeply connected to both what we've lost and what we continue to love. It's not a closing chapter, but a continuation of the journey, guided by the same delicate rhythm of change that has carried us through all of life's seasons. And in the end, like the butterfly, we leave behind a legacy, one that lingers in the beauty of the transformation, and in the lives we've touched along the way.