Butterfly Story:
A Spiritual Journey

The winged form of a butterfly has been used as a symbol for the human soul since ancient times. The physical metamorphosis of a butterfly has been compared to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ since the dawn of Christianity. Portrayed through the imagery of butterflies is the transforming process of spiritual rebirth. The following four-part series is based on excerpts taken from Butterfly: A Spiritual Journey.

Darkness fell upon the earth. The earth was filled with a hush. There was not even a stir. Slowly, fear descended upon the Insects. There was no light. Panic seized them. They dared not move.

"What was this darkness?" the Insects wondered. "Why did it arrive now?" they queried. "Where did it come from?"

They were all stunned into silence. Then in the midst of the darkness small particles of light dotted the sky. They were like Asista, the Sun, but so tiny. Although small in size they glistened brightly in the ebony sky as diamonds on black velvet. Their beauty held the Insects in awe and in wonder. For a moment these tiny specks of light gave the Insects hope. But the Insects' minds seemed to be dulled by the darkness. Something was lost. Something was wrong. Something was gone. What it was they could not say. But in that darkness they began to cry out, each in his own song, for something that was missing.

The next morning when Asista rose in the eastern sky for the first time, many Insects were too preoccupied to notice. They were caught up in their own little worlds and their own petty schemes. Already many had plans of satisfying their own hungers which lurked within themselves. It was as if the darkness had caused an emptiness inside of them to appear. This emptiness compelled the Insects to acquire certain territory filled with things that would hopefully fill the emptiness inside.

"Will I get enough for myself? Is there enough to satisfy me?" These and similar thoughts provoked attacks between the Insects, attacks which led to death. Fears of inadequacy and insufficiency ran amok. The fear of not having their needs met seemed to cover the earth. The darkness that filled the earth hours before was the cause. The joy that the Insects had known was forgotten. The peace of Asista was not recalled.

The darkness had blinded them and clouded their minds. Each Insect, it seemed, had the means to protect itself from the attacks of others. All had this but the Caterpillars. They were different, soft-bodied, no wings, no means of attack and little, if any, defense. They seemed the perfect prey and they were and their numbers dwindled.

"Oh!" one cried, "What is to be done with us? We cannot hide. We are doomed." A group of Caterpillars huddled together and began to recall with great effort the time before the darkness. They were, it seemed, the only ones to remember Asista and all of his goodness. They cried together in unison for Asista's aid, but He seemed so far away, so distant and aloof.

Again, they cried out to the Golden Orb. Then as a group, they began to dream. The images became clear to them and they understood that the darkness had caused a great change upon the earth. Was there hope?

After a long pause an Orange Caterpillar went into a trance and spoke. "Fear not, for I come soon. Fear not, for you shall be redeemed. Your misery will become joy. Hold fast, stand firm, for soon I shall be with you."

The trance ended and all eyes were fixed on the strange Orange Caterpillar.

"What does it mean?" they asked.

"One will come who will help us turn our sorrow to joy. It is He who shall return us to Asista."

The Orange Caterpillar moved on to spread the message of hope to the other Insects until he was killed by a group of Red Ants. From that day forth, the Caterpillars would gather into groups hoping that the time of joy would soon be upon them. Hope lasted for some time and then they began to doubt. And soon they had forgotten the message that they had received from the Orange Caterpillar. It was during this time that One came among them who was called XT [pronounced "kite"]. He reminded them of the times before the darkness. He reminded them of Asista's love for them. The Caterpillars were enthralled by his words. They felt something resound inside them as truth.

Many Caterpillars believed that XT was the One whom they were told of some time ago by the Orange Caterpillar. Finally, they had someone to lead them. But there were many ambitious Caterpillars who wanted to use him.

"How shall we fight against the others?" asked a Red Caterpillar.

"Shall we spin webs to trap like the Spider?" asked a furry Brown one.

"How can we develop our teeth?" a Spotted Caterpillar wondered.

This sparked a quick flurry of more questions. The Caterpillars began to panic.

"Why let these thoughts plague you?" queried a clear voice in the crowd. A hush fell over them as they searched to find the speaker. A Striped Caterpillar moved into the sight for all to see as he continued to question them in a very clear voice:

"Why must you think that it all depends on your action? Can you not see a power infinitely stronger than mere webs and teeth? Do you not know that this power resides within all of you at this moment?"

"And what power might that be?" asked the furry Brown one in jest.

"Could it be," said the Spotted one, "that we can grow wings and fly away?" Raucous laughter followed. All were laughing except for XT, the Striped Caterpillar.

"In truth, I tell you, my friend, that of what I speak is so awesomely powerful that all of us here can sprout wings from our own inner depths and fly."

"Impossible!" said the furry Brown one.

"This is madness!" cried the Spotted Caterpillar.

"No, wait!" the Red Caterpillar blurted out. "Let us hear what he has to say."

"Yes, what is this power that you speak of?" interrupted the furry Brown Caterpillar. "Can it be stronger than the Spider's web, or even free you from a swarm of Red Ants? Can it even save one from the sting of a Wasp? How strong is it?"

"Let the Striped one speak," cried the Red one. "We all want to know how strong it is."

Another hush fell over the crowd. The leaves stopped swaying and the wind even died down.

"The power that I speak of is stronger than a Spider's web. It is more tenacious and persistent than a whole swarm of Ants. And it can render even the sting of a Wasp harmless. It is beyond your comprehension because it can even bring the dead back to life. A soft rumble was heard from the unbelieving crowd. "This power that I speak of is the very power of Asista, residing inside your very souls. That is your strength. Your strength is the power of his Love within you!"

"He's mad! What good is that against a Mantis? How can that help you against an Army of Ants, or if you are caught in a Spider's web?" cried the Spotted Caterpillar.

"Your questions are stuck in what is physical. I am speaking of spiritual things. Things that cannot be destroyed by webs, or teeth. For the spiritual has the power to transform what is physical, not by force, or brute strength. Not even by the power of your driving appetites which we all feel. Only in spirit can these things be transformed. Only the Spirit of Love can change these things provided that one is open to experience it."

Although none understood what XT was saying, many stayed. But those who sought power left. Some of those who left still felt intrigued by him and returned later and asked:

"If we are powerless and die at the hands of others, what good is that? What good are we after death? How is that overcome?"

"Death shall be overcome by Life -- a new Life -- only possible through the Spirit. One must only believe in that power that is now residing within. It is Asista's Spirit of Love."

"Once you recognize that in yourself, you can see it also in others and that is only the first step one takes over death. We suffer and die every day in one way or another. By dying to your selfish desires, you die to them and what lives is the Spirit." They were still confused.

"Asista is our Father and the Father of all Insects. He loves us, he gives us his light, love, warmth and light. We are dying because we are not totally living in him. The day is coming soon that your spirit shall sprout wings and fly and fly to him and be one with him and help all who are in need. The reward is great. Hunger for him and not for satisfying your selfish desires."

The Caterpillar listened intently. He was filled with hope. It was time for him to leave the world as a Caterpillar. He spun his cocoon, went into solitude, and sought the Life within. Fisher began to dream of a world in darkness. Then he saw Asista [the sun] send the Savior in a brilliant flash of light to the earth below. Where the light touched a leaf a small egg appeared. The egg burst forth revealing a tiny striped Caterpillar. As the Caterpillar grew in the ways of Asista it was revealed to him what his name was and what he was to do in order to fulfill Asista's will, which was to help guide all of the Insects back to his loving light.

The striped Caterpillar was named XT (pronounced Kite) which means "high flyer." As XT grew older, he told others of the goodness of Asista whose constant light, warmth and love sustained them all. But few would believe XT because he had no wings to carry him toward the light. XT tried to teach the Insects. He told them to turn from following the false lights of their selfish desires and to follow the True Light of Asista by helping those in need. He called Asista his Father, and the Father of all. The Insects were indignant, and rose up against him saying,

"So Asista is your Father and the Father of all? Well, you don't have wings, XT. We will give you wings so you can fly to your Father."

They attacked XT with stingers dipped in poisonous nightshade. This was the great sin of the Insects -- the stinging of an innocent creature. They stripped off XT's skin and made him a pair of mock "wings." The Red Ants brought yew sticks which signified life after death and fashioned them into the shape of an "X". The Spiders webbed the sticks into place. They wove a small web on the opposite sides of the "X". Then the Red Ants brought yellow petals of the Sunflower, bits of White Water Lily (purity of heart), the Black Orchid (unbounded passion) and the Orange Amaranth (immortality and love lies a bleeding).

"Now," they scorned, "he has wings to fly to his Father, Asista," as they fastened XT securely in the center of the flower-petaled winged cross. One of the Red Ants removed the thorns from a Rose bush and placed them on XT's head as a crown. They stung XT repeatedly in the darkness.

During this time, a strange occurrence was taking place. The light from the moon was slowly disappearing. Finally, XT expired on the winged cross. The light from the moon was extinguished. But in a moment, light appeared on the other side of the moon and the light began to grow until it was nearly as bright as Asista himself.

In the bright moonlight, some of the faithful followers of XT removed his body after the crowd of Insects had left. The followers of XT, the Caterpillars, spun a white cocoon over his remains. They placed the cocoon in the center of a Purple Iris which grew nearby.

However, on the third day XT burst forth from the Iris with beautiful wings: Wings of a Monarch Butterfly. XT then appeared to his followers. He encouraged them to experience this same interior metamorphosis, after which he flew skyward into the golden eye of Asista.

As the tip of the Sun peeked above the horizon, Fisher experienced a mystical vision. He saw Asista rise and shine a ray of light upon him as he hovered over the surface of the earth. Then he saw other rays of Asista's light strike the ground below. Everywhere the light touched, a rare exotic plant with stunning flowers rose from the ground. The variety of colors, shapes and sizes seemed inexhaustible, and each flower more beautiful than the next.

Suddenly the appearance of the Sun, Asista himself, seemed altered. He glowed in the shape of a huge, radiant rose. Then the vision ended.

Fisher looked upward toward Asista. The lower rim of Asista's golden sphere had just risen over the horizon. The vision, which seemed to last for hours, had barely lasted a few minutes.

Fisher was overcome with joy. He cried out,

"Oh Asista, is this how you are?" Asista responded with a gentle wind which whispered,

"Fisher, you have not even arrived at the beginning."

The day ended quietly. Then, in the dead of Night, Asista appeared mysteriously overhead. His appearance was so abrupt that the dark forces were stunned by his glowing presence. A golden aura covered the earth. The dark forces gathered themselves for one final attack.

In the midst of the darkness, a giant heart-shaped Rosebud filled the sky. As it slowly bloomed, the brilliant light from its vivid red petals pierced the darkness. The darkness tried to engulf it, but was dispersed by the light of the Rose until it shrank back in defeat and disappeared completely.

The Rosebud was supported by a long, slender stem which descended and was firmly planted into the earth below.

In the center of this heavenly flower were billions of tiny Butterflies. They were actually life-size, but looked tiny in contrast to the huge Rose. The fragrance and beauty of the Rose were beyond belief, far superior to any earthly flower. The sweetness of the nectar was so overpowering that all of the Butterflies appeared to be intoxicated.

The large, luminous red Rose suddenly turned as golden as Asista. It changed from a Rose into a glowing Butterfly. As the final metamorphosis occurred, the huge Golden Butterfly was transformed into the Monarch Butterfly, XT. But the scales on his wings were different from those of other Butterflies. Instead of ordinary scales, they were actually billions of tiny Butterflies. The wings were composed of all the Butterflies that ever existed. The huge Butterfly appeared to be on fire in the brilliance of Asista's light. Shining whites, dazzling oranges, stunning yellows and glowing blacks flashed in the sky with an overwhelming brilliance.

The Butterfly spoke,

"I have always called you unto myself. The hunger that you have felt has been a hunger which called you out of yourselves. It has been a longing for me, the True Light. Now your hunger shall be satisfied, for you shall be with me forever."

For information on obtaining the complete text contact Dr. Sandoz at (318) 948-4801

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