The Chrysalis of Love

This little tale illustrates how we all grow and change. Seen or unseen, known or unknown, change works its magic and weaves its spell through the warp and woof of the fabric of our lives. We each have a pair of secret wings which one day emerge, surprising no one but ourselves. This change, or transmutation, is the passage of the chrysalis of love.

We all resist change. It seems that no sooner are we comfortable and settled than a cold wind blows through the nooks and crannies of our cosy way of life. Even songs lament our need to embrace change, "Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again." Like our little caterpillar friend, we become cocooned within the walls of our old beliefs. Such a tiresome task, having to continually change what we believe! No sooner are the "facts" sorted into a pretty house of cards than the hand of time tumbles it down again. It's nice and safe inside the surety of our own minds. Cosy and familiar, it's similar to a well loved book, we know the contents of every page.

I wonder how a caterpillar feels as it changes. The dark pain of a seeming end, slowly giving way to the birth and freedom of a new way of life. We can all relate to our little friend who perhaps believes she is under the power of a mighty and unknown force. Are we not the same? Darkness descends. The ground of our little universe shifts under our feet and we feel inundated. Large or small, slow or fast, smooth or rough, we all make the passage of the chrysalis of love.

Transmutation is such a clumsy word. It does no justice to the beautiful dance of change. If someone said to me "Let's go do the transmutation," I'd think they were nuts. It sounds like a passage from a Dracula movie. We are all scared of change to some degree. It is a journey into the unknown world of flight. Perhaps change is Ever-Loving-Kindness in disguise. I wonder if the wind of change is another name for the breath of God.

When the fledgling leaves the nest, momma bird gives her little one a push. As soon as it feels itself begin to fall, its dormant ability is awakened, and it flies. No need to think or ask. It just flies. We are the same. When it's time for change our inner nature is awakened by the same Loving Force that spins planets in the sky and moves thoughts through our mind. Part of the magic and mystery of life is that when it's time to move, we are moved. We must fly, even if we don't want to, as we make the passage of the chrysalis of love.

Both the bird and butterfly glory in their flight, and I wonder if they are ever afraid. Jonathan Seagull was; sometimes I am. How about you? I'm afraid of heights, but I glory in the view! It is impossible not to think or feel, so it is impossible not to grow. Is the word g-r-o-w another way to spell c-h-a-n-g-e? Air means breathing, sight means seeing, and wings mean flying as we follow the passage of the chrysalis of love.

Love calls for momma bird to bump her fledgling into its own independence. Love of the air for wings causes the eagle to glide on high. Love of the water causes a fish to swim. Love calls mother earth forth to blossom every spring. Light gives us Life, and Love gives us Light. This is the passage of the chrysalis of love.

The secret wings that we all posses one day will unfold themselves. This is the moment of change. The flash of fear and light of understanding as the cocoon breaks. The slow, creaky spreading of a pair of new wings. Before you know it, you are "Up in one of those things."

So moves the passage of the chrysalis of love.