Leela J WilliamsWe celebrate the moment of emergence — the butterfly breaking free, wings unfurling and taking flight. I recently witnessed a caterpillar transforming into a chrysalis. The journey from caterpillar to chrysalis took minutes, but I’ve spent hours thinking about the struggle of that change.
There’s a well-known story about a man witnessing a butterfly’s struggle to break out of its cocoon. The man ‘helps’ the butterfly along by using scissors to cut it free. This act interrupts the butterfly’s natural process, its wings remain shrivelled, and it is never able to fly. The man’s act of kindness is reframed as impatient and impeding interference.
This tale prompts us to reflect on the strengths that arise from challenges and view our ability to fly as a direct result of our drive to emerge into our full selves. We are also encouraged to be supportive witnesses, to hold space and to let people grow into themselves at their own pace. Rushing someone into the world before they are ready can rob them of their wings.
Watching the effort involved in the caterpillar’s withdrawal highlighted the wisdom of that story. It also shifted the gravitas from the grand reveal to the grand retreat. I’d given far more thought to the struggle of emergence than to the fight to go within. Until I saw it happen, I never realised how much effort it took for a caterpillar to undo and encase itself. It writhed into its dissolution and, in doing so, affirmed the courage and will it take to stop and allow ourselves to become ‘undone’.
In a world that glorifies motion and progress, retreat can feel like failure or rebellion. We learn to fear stillness and equate inactivity with selfishness or laziness. Withdrawing into ourselves may be viewed as strange or unhealthy. We can even feel guilty for turning our back on the outside world or as if we are betraying those who care about us. Stepping away from all we know can be the path to discovering and growing into who we are meant to be.
We often resist the urge to retreat into the spaces where transformation brews. When we do dabble in solitude, we can feel uncomfortable and unsupported. Well-meaning friends may offer encouragement aimed at hurrying our emergence. The caterpillar’s retreat occurred while I was reaffirming my requirements for aloneness. Advice from a caterpillar is always welcome!
Within the chrysalis, in its state of undoing, not a caterpillar and not yet a butterfly, this being is at its most vulnerable. The caterpillar knows that to let go of who you are requires a safe space. A time of wings may be preceded by retreat. Thus, feeling safe and comfortable within yourself can be the first step in your empowered transformation.
Connect with Leela J. Williams at https://linktr.ee/leelajwilliams. Discover more of her work, including Maxine Gadd’s Zoologica: The Steampunk Oracle, at Tarotopia.
Gerard Bini
Sharne Young
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