In the Divine Flow: Emerging from Your Cocoon

The City Ant and the Cocoon © 2004

By Joyce Morrow Jones “Griot4u Stories” An original story based upon Aesop’s Fable: The Ant and the Chrysalis

There was an ant that lived in the city and thought of himself to be very worldly. His role as a worker ant allowed him to travel far from the nest in search of food. In his daily travels he saw many things and as a result became very knowledgeable. In fact, he prided himself on such knowledge and shared many stories with the other ants that didn’t leave the nest.

So it was on one bright day spring day, as the ant was walking and enjoying the warmth of the sunshine, he came across something quite odd which struck his curiosity. It was a Chrysalis (or to me and you, a cocoon) which was almost near its time of transition. The silk thread that once bound it to a twig was now severed, and so the cocoon dropped to the ground. In this stage, the pupa just looked like it was a worm encased in silk.

The ant moved closer to examine this strange creature. At first it didn’t move at all while it lay on the ground. The ant thinking the creature to be dead moved a little closer, all the while feeling badly for its fate. Then, suddenly, the tail portion of the cocoon moved, just a little, and the ant realized it was still alive. For several long minutes, all the cocoon could do was wag its tail against the ground. The ant took pity upon the cocoon and said, “You, poor, pitiful animal!" cried the Ant. "What a sad fate is yours! I can run here and there, at my pleasure, and, if I wish, climb the tallest tree. Meanwhile you lie imprisoned here in your shell, with the power only to move a joint or two of your silky tail." The Chrysalis tried to reply but couldn’t, not at this stage in her development. The ant soon lost interest and went on with his chore of finding food to bring back to the nest. Later that evening the ant brought back some morsels of food and an interesting tale of the silky worm that could wag its tail. The other ants thought it was a shame as well, to live such a life with no freedom.

After a few days had past, the ant found himself on the same pathway where he found the silky worm. He made up his mind to find it and see if he could observe it some more. While he looked around, he found the pieces of the silky cocoon, but nothing was inside the shell. As he sat in the sunshine contemplating this new piece of evidence, he saw a huge shadow cast on the ground along with a gentle breeze above him. As he looked up, he saw the most gorgeous butterfly with iridescent colors of red, orange, yellow, and black. The ant complimented her on her beauty and asked if she saw the poor pitiful creature that was in the silky cocoon during her search of flowers.

She said, “Behold, that poor pitiful silky worm that you seek was me. Look at me now in my splendor, which captivated even you. While I struggled in that cocoon, what you saw was the wagging of a tail, what you didn’t know was that I was rubbing the cocoon against the ground to tear it so that I could eventually emerge when my time had come.” The ant was astounded and quite ashamed of taking pity because of his ignorance. The butterfly replied, “So, why don’t you boast now of your powers to run and climb?" And in so saying, the Butterfly rose in the air, aloft the spring breeze and was soon lost to the sight of the Ant forever.

The ant had a very different story to tell this time as he recounted the events of the day. Before, he only wanted to impress the other ants with his knowledge, now he also had two humbling lessons to share:

“Appearances can be deceiving”

“Knowledge is only as good as the lessons learned from acquiring it”

All change is good - even if it may not seem so at the time. Change is what life is made of and is necessary to growth, and accomplishment.

After a caterpillar reaches its full growing stage, it will stop feeding and some types of caterpillars will spin a protective cocoon of silk around themselves before beginning its chrysalis stage. This cocoon stage usually takes place during the fall and it is not until the Spring that a butterfly will emerge. This picture shows you how the finished cocoon stage looks before the next cycle occurs.

Inside the cocoon, a chrysalis will not move but many fascinating changes take place. The body of the caterpillar gets broken down inside the cocoon and after a few days or a couple of months, depending on the type of butterfly, its shape becomes apparent. When the butterfly has completely changed, the outer skin of the cocoon... ... begins to separate and the adult butterfly will then break through. Its wings will be crumpled together until the butterfly pumps blood into them which makes them expand and dry enabling the butterfly to take flight. After this cycle is complete, the butterfly will fly to freedom and leave the cocoon behind. ¹

Symbolism of the Butterfly

• Transformation
• Growth
• Metamorphosis
• Spiritualism
• Beauty and splendor
• Incubating and protecting creative ideas or projects
• Needed withdrawal during times of transition
• Life cycle: egg…caterpillar…pupa…adult

In ancient Greek the word for butterfly is "Psyche", which translated means "soul". This was also the name for Eros' human lover and when the two figures are depicted they are often surrounded by butterflies. ² We are all small and appear to be the same(like the catapillar), but as we grow older our true beauty shows (like the butterfly). Like a butterfly, we are all different, and beautiful in our own way. In the Christian religion, the metamorphosis a butterfly undergoes is symbolic of the spiritual evolution all Christians go through. In ancient mythology, the butterfly stands for wisdom and everlasting knowledge. ³

The Butterfly is a symbol of change, joy and love, metamorphosis. Butterfly is a powerful symbol in myth and religion. For Early Christians, it represented the soul itself. In China it symbolized conjugal bliss and joy. American Indians call upon the butterfly for guidance in change, color, and happiness. The "dance of the butterfly" can teach you not to take things so seriously. The butterfly has taste sensors on the front legs, enabling them to experience life through motion (dancing, walking). The Butterfly brings color and lightness to your life. Color is an important part of our daily life and can affect how we respond to various situations. ⁴

1 http://www.hickerphoto.com/butterfly-cocoon-picture-10302-pictures.htm

2,3 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_symbolic_meaning_of_a_butterfly

4 http://crystal-cure.com/protection-butterfly.html