I’ve been raising a monarch caterpillar this summer! It’s tucked away in its chrysalis right now. The caterpillar to butterfly metamorphosis is probably the most significant metaphor for personal transformation. I’ve spent some time reflecting on lessons from the caterpillar. Here they are.

7 Lessons from the Caterpillar

1. Focus:  The caterpillar doesn’t wander aimlessly because it can’t decide what to eat, where to go, or what to do. It instinctively knows that eating milkweed is what it needs to fulfill its purpose. You have your own inner guidance. What is instinct in the caterpillar is intuition in you. This is your personal transformation compass. Connect with your body and listen, you’ll intuitively know the way.
2. Rest and play: The caterpillar has its own natural rhythm. It eats until it needs to rest and rests until it needs to eat. Simple. We, on the other hand, seem to have this incessant need to be busy and rarely allow ourselves to truly rest. Most of us are living exhausted lives. Give yourself permission to find your natural rhythm…play until you want to rest, and rest until you are ready to play. Simple.
3. BE more, do less: A key to personal transformation is to BE more. The life of the monarch caterpillar is brief. It lives about 2 weeks before it spins its chrysalis. Then it spends a full 18-24 hours suspended in stillness before the chrysalis transformation begins. That’s the equivalent of you (and me) spending at least one (1) hour a day in stillness…meditation, contemplation, reflection, connecting with the divinity within. Most of us have trouble sitting still for 10 minutes. Imagine how you might transform your life if you give yourself more time to simply BE.
4. Surrender: As the caterpillar begins to enter the chrysalis, it has no choice but to accept and surrender. It’s not weighing the pros and cons, or trying to decide. Resistance is futile and its future cannot be denied or delayed. This is true for personal transformation as well. Change or be changed. Right? When we surrender to what is and loose our resistance, we are not giving up, rather we are releasing the need for things to be ‘the way we think they should be’, creating space in our hearts and minds for the beauty that wants to emerge.
5. Embrace the unknown: In the chrysalis the caterpillar dissolves completely before the butterfly can form. In every transformation we experience this liminal period when we are no longer our caterpillar self yet not quite our butterfly self. Personal transformation requires a willingness to get comfortable with the unknown, cocoon ourselves with radical self-care (more BE-ing!), and know that something wonderful is emerging.
6. Only the butterfly can set itself free. Transformation cannot be rushed. If you attempt to help the butterfly emerge, it will die. While you and I may get support to transform our lives, and I encourage you to do so, you are the only one who can decide to release your caterpillar self and emerge as the butterfly.
7. Its an inside job! Finally, all transformation happens from the inside out. No matter what anyone tells you, you won’t change your life by chasing after something ‘out there’. Be still and see what wants to emerge through you.

One more thing about personal transformation…

In case you’re inclined to think less of your caterpillar self. Without the caterpillar there is no butterfly. Love your life. All of it.

I’m patiently waiting and watching for the monarch to emerge in the next week or so. Meanwhile, I suspect you have some lessons from the caterpillar that you can share. I’d love to know what they are.

From my heart to yours,

Let’s get together and see what is ready to emerge through you! Schedule a no obligation Discovery Call today!

Photo by Erin Wilson on Unsplash