Lexicon of spirit animals: butterfly

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Mode of life:

The first butterfly fossils date back to 56 million years ago; ever since there have been developing more than 160,000 different species with their very unique wing color patterns. Basically, wherever there are flowers there are also butterflies. They have a four-stage life cycle: The eggs of a winged butterfly give birth to larvae, also called caterpillars. As they grow, sometimes more rapidly sometimes less, they pupate in a chrysalis. Finally, they will break free from their pupal skin and take off once the wings have fully expanded. The entirety of butterflies' life cycle varies greatly: while some species have many generations in one year, especially in tropical regions, for other species it potentially takes several years to pass through their life cycle. As larvae they feed on fruits and leaves, but once they have completed the metamorphosis into the winged butterfly they will only take in liquids from the flowers' nectar. At each stage they have plenty of predators, ranging from ants and spiders to frogs and birds. Camouflage and mimicry are butterflies' main tools to evade their enemies, while some species also like to emit obnoxious scents to protect themselves. Butterflies are highly reproductive, to a degree that despite countless predators the species' survival is not endangered. They have a significant role in the nature's balance, not only in the food chain but also as the most important pollinator species next to bees.

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Spiritually light aspects:

Butterflies herald profound Soul transformation and expansion. With a plethora of different species all going through their very individual developmental cycles to then blossom into their colorfully winged beauty, butterflies teach us to embrace our very unique metamorphosis without comparing our success with that of others. When we always judge our own thriving depending on how we perform compared to other people we will fall into a treadmill of categorisation that has us feel like never having enough. The butterfly says:"everyone is unique, and what works for one person might not work for the other. What is good for one, might be bad for the other. Stop looking at others and enter your personal space where you experiment what is best for you where you are at right now. Step for step you will shed your self-limiting chrysalis and spread your exceptional wings. From here, every dream can become true, for you realise that life is a dream in its deepest sense. " People with the butterfly as their spirit animal have a good feeling for recognising the signs of the time, enabling them to experience transitional periods more fluidly with a positive mindset.

All images: Pixabay

Spiritually dark aspects:

Butterflies tend to be sensually fragile and insecure. Although butterflies don't feel any need to compare themselves to others, they can fell unusually susceptible to emotional attacks executed against them, not necessarily because it stirs issues of self-worth in them but because they absorb and feel the actual pain that drives the attacker to lash out in the first place. Consequently, an emotional attack can easily cause the butterfly to feel the world suffering in an amplified way, making it wither in sadness. People with the butterfly as their spirit animal are recommended to remind themselves that they are not meant to shoulder the world's pain all by themselves. Doing one's own work is enough to contribute most effectively to the collective.

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Much Love and Light,

Alex