4. Wikipedia: A butterfly is an insect of the order Lepidoptera. Like all Lepidoptera, butterflies are notable for their unusual life cycle with a larval caterpillar stage, an inactive pupal stage, and a spectacular metamorphosis into a familiar and colourful winged adult form ... According to the 'Butterflies' chapter in Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, by Lafcadio Hearn, a butterfly is seen as the personification of a person's soul; whether they be living, dying, or already dead ... The Ancient Greek word for 'butterfly' is ψύχη (psychē), which primarily means 'soul', 'mind' ... The Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi once had a dream of being a butterfly flying without care about humanity, however when he woke up and realized it was just a dream, he thought to himself 'Was I before a man who dreamt about being a butterfly, or am I now a butterfly who dreams about being a man?' In some old cultures, butterflies also symbolize rebirth into a new life after being inside a cocoon for a period of time ...
The butterfly has 4 life stages: egg, caterpillar, pupa, and imago. The beautiful last stage - symbolizing the 'soul' or 'spirit' - arrives after a period of stillness (pupa). The egg stage is also a period of stillness, while on the other hand the voracious caterpillar eats and eats in order to grow. The 4 life stages of the butterfly can illustrate how during the yearly cycle of the sun (also yellow as butter) the beginning comes at winter solstice (egg) and how at the midstation (summer solstice, pupa) another season of rest arrives. |
