Spirit Animals: Butterflies
By Desiree Snow
There was once a maiden named Caterina. She came from a traditional Mexican family. Growing up poor, she had always wanted to be like the fair-skinned folk she had seen travelling through her country. She did her best to imitate them and even found ways to copy their clothes. She would introduce herself as "Catherine" and practiced day and night to drop the accent. She closed herself away from her family and peers.
After much hardships, she had finally found a way to be one of them. She had transformed herself. Caterina was gone, only Catherine remained.
But her days as Catherine were short lived. For, even though she talks, walks, and dresses like the white-folk, she wasn't white. They never fully accepted her and soon she found that the group that she had tried so hard to get into, didn't want her with them. Having no where else to go and no one to turn to, Caterina became severely depressed which eventually lead to her early death.
The Day of the Dead have their own version of Caterina. The myth behind her varies depending on the source, but the gist of it all remains the same. It is about a woman who changed herself.
Another creature that goes through a very dramatic change is the butterfly. They start of as hard-working caterpillars. They aren't very pretty to look at and are considered as pests by most gardeners. They spend most of their life as catterpillars, until one day, they decide to change. Hide themselves from the world in their own cocoon, and come out a a completely different creature.
A beautiful butterfly.
This is why butterflies are considered as the symbol of transformation. If you have a butterfly as your spirit animal, it is a sign that you are a flexible person who adapts to changes quickly.
If you encounter a butterfly, it can be taken as a sign that there might be some changes that would occur in the near future.
Butterflies are the symbol of lightness, playfullness, joy and brightness. And ofcourse, Butterflies are the animals that symbolize the spirit world.
Just like Caterina, Butterflies don't get to enjoy their new form very long (garden variety butterflies have a lifespan of one week, although some species can live up to 9-12 months). They remind us of how fleeting our life really is.
Bye-bye butterfly,
Des