Written by Florence Doisneau
For some odd reason, under some form or another, butterflies have been recurring for me this month. Although I am not an entomologist I can never the less appreciate their obvious beauty, their grace, lightness and above all they symbolism; they transform from a crawling caterpillar state to the free flying butterfly.
It is interesting to note that as the butterfly is breaking out of its cocoon it is strengthening its wings. If it were not for this struggle to come out of its protective envelope its wings would be too weak. It is this process of breaking free that then allows it to fly whether it is for a day or to cover thousands of miles.
This brought me to think about what transformation means to me. I came across the word transformation in many seminars and books. Transformation to me means transitioning from one state to another. So when I am offered “transformation” I come to wonder what that really implies and what is the promise that is made.
I guess that there may be as many answers as there are individuals. We do not share the same goals nor the same needs therefor I will merely express my thoughts on what I understand to be “transformation”. In my humble opinion “to be transformed” would mean living in a state of joy as well as freed from old and useless beliefs.
To achieve such a state of joy it requires from me to achieve a certain level of integrity. I need to be in good health and my mind needs to be clear. I want to live in alignment with my standards and my core values, which I need to discover and assess. Attaining and remaining at a high level of awareness and take the necessary actions to be highly functioning so that I can reach my goals and create the life I have designed is the work of pushing the edges of the cocoon apart.
Once this work is advanced enough it needs to be maintained and perfected on a daily basis. I am clear though that there is a plateau where life is simply more gratifying and delightful. That is when we are out of the cocoon “living by design and not by default”. This when I understand that I cannot change the past and I am not yet in the future. What I have is “Now” and this is the place where I enjoy being where “I am”.
