Greetings,
I hope all is well with you on this ‘Sunny’ day!
I wonder if, like me, you are sometimes affected by the challenges and complexity of living in the 21st Century. There is so much out there to unsettle and cause us to feel rather pessimistic. But what if this is all part of a significant evolutionary journey that we are in the midst of just now? How would we respond to challenging things if we could perceive them as necessary, fundamental and profoundly important?
The two-minute video below, by Dr Elsabet Sahtouris, is wonderfully inspirational. Listen as she posits that we, the human race, are in the throws of our own metamorphosis. And in this time of great movement, there is the potential for transformation rather than annihilation if we play our part.
Her words carry a beautifully optimistic message that lifted my spirits. What if all the challenges we face are part of the necessary breaking down of human systems? Perhaps they are happening to enable humanity to emerge from this time like the butterfly. Fresh, lithe, liberated, and ready for a new collective cohesion that saves the planet and all living things.
What is it like to be the caterpillar?
The very hungry caterpillar below is solely focused on consumption. It can eat up to three hundred times its weight daily! It pays no attention to others, competes for resources, and consumes everything in its path. It will continue to eat until it is so bloated it has to stop.
Elsabet is offering that this is where we are as a species. We have been in unbridled consumption for decades, and our beautiful home planet is being devasted. Our human systems are breaking down and becoming obsolete. There is frenetic activity across the world to try and control the consequences of this, and it is not working.
Now, this could be deeply worrying for us if there was no possibility of something new emerging. The next part of the metaphor is linked to when the caterpillar hangs upside down and forms a chrysalis.
Cocooned in the Chrysalis
The change inside the chrysalis is slow and gradual. The caterpillar’s body digests itself from the inside out. The same juices it used to consume its food now digest its tissues. It turns on itself to create a primordial soup of potential resources to be brought back to life in the form of the butterfly.
Elisabet invites us to recognise that this breaking down is inherent to the coming transformation. We need to genuinely accept the chaos and confusion that is occuring across the planet. Even more to play our part in holding the discomfort arising worldwide as we let go of aspects of our lives that are no longer appropriate or relevant.
Being and Becoming an Imaginal Cell
According to Nori Huddle lovely book The Butterfly, imaginal cells lie dormant within the caterpillar's skin. They are in a being state of all potential and about to awaken to guide the becoming of the butterfly. Here is her description of how this unfolds.
‘The imaginal cells are so totally different from the caterpillar cells that its immune system thinks they are enemies and gobbles them up. But these new imaginal cells continue to appear. More and more of them! Pretty soon, the caterpillar's immune system cannot destroy them fast enough. More and more of the imaginal cells survive. And then an amazing thing happens! The little tiny lonely imaginal cells start to clump together into friendly little groups. They all resonate together at the same frequency, passing information from one to another. Then, after awhile, another amazing thing happens! The clumps of imaginal cells start to cluster together! A long string of clumping and clustering imaginal cells, all resonating at the same frequency, all passing information from one to another there inside the chrysalis.’ Then at some point, the entire long string of imaginal cells. suddenly realizes all together that it is something different from the caterpillar. Something new! Something wonderful! ...and in that realization is the shout of the birth of the butterfly!'
After the darkness of the last few years, a worldwide awakening is happening in response to the control we have experienced. We do not know all that is unfolding, but the coalescing is palpable. I can sense my awakening as one of the imaginal cells. I choose to resonate with other imaginals. We share information as we align to create new agreements, structures and systems.
I feel this sense of moving from fearfulness to joyfulness. I am not alone or a victim. I can make a difference. There is the possibility of living lightly on Earth and moving away from the modern metaphor of a ‘well-oiled social machine’. Instead, I can become an imaginal cell that participates consciously in what Nori calls an ‘evolving, self-organizing and intelligent living organism’. Mmmmm that feels rather good.!
Questions for this Week
And so, my questions for today are;
Does this metamorphosis metaphor land with you?
Are you already on this path of resonating with other imaginals?
If so, how does this manifest in your life?
As always, I would love to hear from you.
Ann
Oh I love this metaphor—so true to your point about the changing world. I believe the power of transformation is as available to me as my next breath, my next thought, my choice. I believe we truly matter—and our thoughts, beliefs, actions and dreams alter our world and act by creating movement toward the good. We can either live believing we count, or believing we do not...
Thank you for your shining optimism—a valiant, courageous and truly impactful choice.
So much love and gratitude to you, dear friend! xxo 🙏🏼♥️
This is truly beautiful. I love the metamorphosis metaphor, the idea that gluttony and consumption, followed by chaos and being digested on itself is followed by a wonderful transformation. Formation and groupings of imaginative cells, resonating. I love that.
I also feel like a cell, calling out with my signal, trying to find and attract the right people to resonate with and build new groups, thinking and communties. It shows up in this uniquely strong desire to learn, to open up, to be accepting to other signals, calls and turns in life, to learn and smile and grow.
Great post.