Imaginal Buds

Sandie — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:30:27 +0000

In writing about changing hotels instead of trying to rehabilitate the rickety hostel that’s my life right now, I also thought of that poor old caterpillar liquefying within its coccoon. Not a neat and tidy process, that. And how, as Osho says, a butterfly cannot prove that a caterpillar can become a butterfly. Not only isn’t there a way, but what would be the point? One has simply to experience it.

I realized it’s time to just be with the liquefying of the coccoon of my life. Something new is emerging, and this is just part of the process. I’m glad I don’t need to keep on trying to put all the cells back the way they were! Wasn’t working anyway *wry grin*.

I also decided to google for a little verification that caterpillars do indeed liquefy in the process of becoming a butterfly. And in the wonderful serendipity that is also my life right now, I found this beautiful explanation from Earth’s Birthday Project of what actually goes on inside the crysalis:

“Inside the pupal exoskeleton, the caterpillar’s organs liquefy in a process much like digestion. Some tiny cell clusters, called “imaginal buds,” remain intact. These growth centers contain the chromosomes that carry the butterfly’s genes. They have been inactive throughout the caterpillar’s life, protected deep inside its body. Now the caterpillar body excretes a hormone that signals them to start growing and form all of the butterfly’s body parts. As they develop, imaginal buds absorb nutrients contained in the liquefied caterpillar body. In a few days, the pupa becomes semi-transparent, and the colorful butterfly begins to appear faintly inside. A day or two later, the butterfly emerges.”

To me it perfectly describes our growth transformation when we start liquefying the ego life we’ve spent a lifetime building and choose to instead grow the seeds of our soul’s calling. Those imaginal buds of our soul have been patiently waiting until we were ready to grow from them. And in those soul’s callings are the blueprint for a radically new life to form from our soul’s essence on out.

It’s not about knowing how it will turn out…though the capacity to join in co-creation is there…it’s about hearing the whispers and following them, not knowing where they will lead. That is much more scarey for me, much more uncertain. And so much truer to the soul depth of my experience.

I give thanks for my imaginal soul buds.

If you’re interested, Butterfly in Transformation has great pics and video of the process (and is the source of these shots).

I’m changing hotels

Sandie — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 05:54:13 +0000

I had a dream last night about trying to find my way back to my hotel room. It was a hostel-like facility with small narrow hallways that kept turning direction and incredibly rickety elevators. The elevator door would open but the only way for me to tell where I was was to make my way to a window or area that opened to the outside, then I could tell how high up I was and what direction I’d turned by the scenery out the window (which tended to be other buildings).

I kept getting out, see the change of scenery and that I was higher up than my room…make my way back through the maze, take another elevator…see new scenery, again too high up…try again.

I woke up and thought: I’m changing hotels!

Why expend so much energy trying to go back to where I’ve been, to my hotel room as I knew it, when I’m growing into such a better and more alluring space? I mean, it’s the difference between that rickety hostel and a luxurious room at Loews Lake Las Vegas, which is where a workshop I’m considering attending is being held. Take a look at this:

Now that’s a hotel room!

It also represents where I choose to head more than where I’ve been. And I woke up realizing I’ve been wasting a lot of energy trying to get back to where I’ve been.

It’s like my mom always said to me growing up: you can use anything you want, but put it back where you found it. Well, as my life has been shifting and as I step into my destiny, I haven’t been able to get back to where I found anything, let alone be able to put anything back. That’s what my dream was showing me.

And what I realized was, in this instance–that’s a good thing. Let it go, and move where my soul and destiny is calling me. That’s more important that figuring out where I’ve been, or trying to neaten up an old life that’s falling apart. Instead embrace the change and make conscious choices about what I create.

Stepping off the Triangle of Disempowerment

Sandie — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:51:13 +0000

We all know the triangle of disempowerment…that interrelationship of victim, perpetrator and rescuer that perpetuates no matter which of the 3 roles we happen to play in the moment. Changing roles doesn’t free us from the triangle, it just changes the scenery.

Stepping off the triangle becomes more important as we seek to dream a better world into being. From a shamanic perspective, what we see in the world is a reflection of where we are in the moment. If we want to see more peace in the world, a peace that comes from within allows space for it to come into being without. If we remain at war with ourself, battling our different roles, even as we try to dream in a higher destiny for the world, aspects of that inner war are still projected into the future we’re dreaming.

By claiming our role as creators and consciously shedding our roles as victim, perpetrator and rescuer, we each take our own steps to being the peace we wish to see into the world.

Here is one man’s example:

Thank you, Daniel Beaty.