Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Butterflies, fall, transformation, FALL is in the air


Ah, the wonder of Butterflies
and the lessons that they teach us.
Transformation


Hello October, my time flies... Morning light changes, the darkness was quiet here, the littles are still sleeping as I feel the gentle breeze move, the fall is of our year here. The butterflies will come today,I can feel it as I type my thoughts for this day... Yesterday the sun was bright and the day gifted me with more than one beautiful butterfly... they danced and danced, performing for me for the longest time... reminding me of the transformation with each graceful dip and swoop across the plants and then high up to the trees; and back for me to admire. I love butterflies ...

That reminds me of a story~ and I HOPE it will fill your heart today ~

Many, many years ago back when the Earth was still quite new, there once lived a beautiful butterfly who lost her mate in battle.

 To show her grief, she took off her beautiful wings and wrapped herself in a ashen cocoon. In her sadness, she could not sleep, she could not eat and her relatives kept coming to her lodge to see if she about her.  She grew weary of them asking, she didn't want to be a burden on her people so she gathered her wings and her medicine bundle and went away on a long journey.

She wandered about for many days and months, until  she had gone all around the world.  On her journey she kept her eyes downcast and stepped on each stone she came to as she crossed fields and creeks and streams. There came a time, one day as she was looking down, she happened to notice the stone beneath her feet, and it was so beautiful that it healed her sorrow, almost as if something "clicked" within her right at that moment in time.
 She then cast aside her dark cocoon, shook the dust from her wings, and donned them once more.

 She was so happy she began to dance to give thanks ~ wado~ for another chance to begin her life anew. Then she went home and told The People about her long journey, where she had been, the things at the creek, how it had "clicked" and how it felt to fly differently now with her wings once again, and how it had healed her. 

The Legend Continues To This Day...

To this day,The People dance the "Fancy Shawl Dance" as an expression of renewal, transformation and to give thanks for new seasons, new life, and new beginnings.

The shawl in the Fancy Shawl Dance represents the butterfly's wings, the fancy steps and twirls represent the butterfly's style of flight. This is another reason you will sometimes hear the Fancy Shawl Competition Dance referred to as "the butterfly dance", and it is most beautiful to watch and to participate in.

As we approach the dark months, many feel the urge to cocoon now,  but "click" in a moment, you may want to fold your blanket neatly (cocoon of modern times) and STOMP... be a butterfly and dance, to the sounds of life, the drum of your heart beat and rejoice in the great gratitude that you are alive today... 

"The caterpillar dies so the butterfly could be born. And, yet, the caterpillar lives in the butterfly and they are but one. So, when I die, it will be that I have been transformed from the caterpillar of earth to the butterfly of the universe."
{John Harricharan}




The fire is burning brightly with thoughts on the wind for all in our prayer bowl ... and all who gather here, please hold those up in thoughts that you see and know from the names posted here on Sundays' just because you can and choose to ...
For that I give thanks, and so it is !

Walk In Beauty,
DRSES
author of
Healing Heartaches, Stories of Loss and Life

1 comment:

oshkosh said...

Have watched the dance and it is beautiful.. Prayers for all. Loved the story !!!!!!!