Butterflies
Transformations in the golden years from a sunny hillside in Sardinia
We had afternoon tea again with our lovely neighbours the other day and they suggested a little fun to see what animal we were that day. She pulled out this rather worn and well-thumbed edition of Animal Wisdom and explained that we had to hold it in our hands quietly and then open it to a page. The animal on the page was a suggestion for our animal spirit guide which we could reflect on in the following days and embrace or reject.
I was curious and it was entertaining. We sat in their cosy living room by the fire with our tea and cakes and, each in turn, let the book fall open. Someone got a crane, another a mole, and another a ferret. The Poet-Farmer opened at the stag! The most royal, magnificent of creatures! And, reading the description of the traits and associations, it seemed to fit.
As I held the book in my lap, eyes closed, I thought perhaps I’d land on a fox. It’s an animal I’ve felt connected to for some years, perhaps because for many years it’s been my nickname. I always sign off as ‘F’ for Fiona and then ‘ox’ for a hug and a kiss and at some point, more than a dozen years ago, some friends just started calling me Fox. But, no, it wasn’t a fox! A goat!! A goat?! Surely not. Pretty cute when they’re babies but all I could think of was how much they smelled! No no no. Reading the description some of it seemed to resonate but… no! And my vanity couldn’t accept a goat when HE was a stag (haha).
They were all very positive, extolling the merits of the goat. I smiled and nodded but my husband, laughing, said he was sure I wasn’t having it. Our hosts said, it’s just a suggestion and maybe just sit with it for a few days. I still had the book in my lap and joked, well, I’m a Gemini so with two faces perhaps I have a second animal. I let the pages fall and there was the butterfly.
Butterfly
Direction: south
Element: air
Traits: flight, the aerial dance, colour, metamorphosis
Associations: transformation, regeneration, life, beauty, sensitivity, love
Ridiculous and a bit dramatic I know but still… Having a butterfly as an animal spirit guide felt much better. Apart from the symbolic meaning in its connection to me and not that it matters much, at least it flits beautifully around the stag’s horns or rests elegantly and cheekily on his nose. Some people believe very strongly in these things, in spirit guides and astrology, and go very deep into the study. It’s lovely and more power to them. All respect. I’m just curious really. And, whether you believe or not, I guess it sort of puts a mirror up to your identity, how you see yourself, how you want to be seen.
In the days that followed, there seem to be butterflies everywhere I looked! Just to name a few… I found a towel I bought last summer that needed washing and, as I was hanging it up to dry, noticed for the first time that there were butterflies stitched around the borders. I follow a lot of gardening accounts on social media and in the days after the book event, there seemed to be an unusual number of posts on butterflies; vines and flowers to attract butterflies among other things. In fact, in the garden, I’ve been noticing a lot of caterpillars in the veg patch and expect a good number of butterflies next summer. There have also been photo reminders of butterflies. When, after many years, I picked up my paint brush in 2016 in Cairo, the first thing I painted was a butterfly and the image popped up the other day. There were also photo reminders of a day trip a few years back to The Butterfly House Sardegna not far from where we live here.
Well, well… Maybe the butterfly is my animal spirit guide afterall! The Poet-Farmer joked when we got home that day that maybe I was a butterfly raised as a goat and now returning, in retirement, to my natural butterfly state. Made me laugh. I’m ok with that. Quite delighted secretly. I love that butterflies are associated with movement, dance, and colour, and also transformation.
We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. ~ Maya Angelou
Since leaving corporate life and moving to the Sardinian countryside, I do feel much lighter, more free. The stroke in 2021 was probably the real turning point in letting go of the old life and embarking on the new. That phrase ‘seek beauty, spark joy’ has been a bit of a mantra in recent years since the stroke. It’s not easy at the moment, trying to get our project approved, but I feel the slow living and connection with nature has enormously and positively impacted my health and well-being. I still struggle some days with purpose and identity as many recently ‘retired’ folk do. I am no longer the same woman who directed large-scale education programmes, led hundreds of geographically dispersed project team members, spoke at conferences, parliamentary round tables, and meetings with high profile partners in the International Development sector, spent more hours in hotels and airports than at home, and countless hours glued to outlook and teams. A part of me misses it a smidge, misses who I was, but I’ve let it go and, when I do remember, it’s with fondness. I miss the people most to be honest. People in my day to day here are lovely, of course, but they have no idea really who that woman was or what that life was like. The expat life. Here I’m the Poet-Farmer’s wife who always brings chocolate to events and likes gardening and painting. With the project approval delays, it often feels these days as though I’m in limbo, impatiently waiting to get on with all the joyful things beckoning; a bit, I guess, like the butterfly resting from a windy storm. There is joy to be found in resting, observing the beauty sitting quietly around one.
Just living is not enough,” said the butterfly, “one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower. ~ Hans Christian Andersen
Some interesting butterfly finds while researching butterflies:
Interesting Literature have compiled and shared a set of the 10 best poems about butterflies.
Wish upon a butterfly collection of butterfly sayings, quotes, and poems!
Ever heard of The Butterfly Effect? There’s a charming young voice explaining the butterfly effect and power of making small changes below. Another wonderful, more adult version, of what The Butterfly Effect is all about is in this TED talk here, full of fascinating stories.
Another lovely Butterfly related story by the poet Karl Lokko.
New Zealand poetry page for children, Poetry Box, ran a project with young children challenging them to create poems about butterflies. Truly delightful!
And, this lovely poem!
The Butterfly’s Transformation
They say the Butterfly was born from the first flutter of the breeze,
A spirit that dances between worlds,
Too light to be held, too quick to be caught.
What does the Butterfly know that the world cannot see?
The Butterfly does not stay in one place,
It moves with purpose, its wings delicate yet strong,
A symbol of transformation, a reminder that change is beautiful.
It flits between moments,
A creature of the present, but carrying the future within.
The people watched the Butterfly,
Wondering why it moves so freely,
Why it flutters without fear of what comes next.
“What does the Butterfly understand that we do not?” they asked.
The Butterfly did not answer in words,
But continued its dance through the air,
And in that flight, the people understood—
True strength is found in the willingness to change,
To transform, to let go, and to embrace the new.
The Butterfly teaches us that transformation is not a burden,
But a gift, a chance to leave behind what no longer serves us,
And rise into something beautiful, light, and free.
So, here we are in January again. A new year! I’ve decided to embrace the butterfly for this new year, embracing not a new me, but a transformed me seeking glimmers of joy to light my way.
For many, the beginning of the New Year signals a sense of transformation – a time to evaluate life in its current state and set goals for manifesting change. The butterfly symbolizes transformation and joy. Its dance reflects the need for movement from where we are to our next phase of being. ~ Pure Spirit Animal Symbolism
May we all dance into 2026 light, colourful, and free as butterflies… seeking beauty, sparking joy.
Thanks so much for joining me, for reading!
Take care of you!
F ox
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Unless external credit given, all images copyright Fiona Pape.