La Mariposa
by Lauren Raine

Once upon a time, in a dusty village like any other village, a village with three good wells, fields of blue and yellow corn, a white church, and a cantina, there lived a woman who was neither young, nor old. She was brown of skin, and eye, and her hair was as brown as the sandy earth, and her clothes were brown and gray as well. She was neither beautiful nor ugly, neither tall nor small, and she walked with a long habit of watching her feet.

One day, she saw a tree alight with migrating butterflies. Their velvet wings fluttered in the wind of their grace, and one circled her, coming to rest upon her open hand. She thought that her heart would break for the power of its fragile beauty, and she held her breath for fear of frightening it. La Mariposa was as orange and brilliant as the setting sun falling between indigo mountains, as iridescent, as black and violet as the most fragrant midnight. At last the butterfly lifted from her hand to rejoin its nomad tribe, and its wings seemed like a whisper, "Come with us, come with us..."

The next morning they were gone. She held her hand out to the empty tree, as if to wave farewell, and saw that where the butterfly had rested, there remained a dusting of color, yellow, like pollen, the kiss of a butterfly wing. And she thought something had changed.

She went to the well to draw water, and saw her face reflected there. She was not the same -- there were now minute lines, hairline cracks, along the sides of her face, at the corners of her eyes. Later, she noticed little webs of light beneath the sturdy brown skin of her hands, barely visible except in the dim twilight.

This was a frightening thing. She drew her skirts more closely around herself, pulled her scarf over her eyes. But as time went on, there was something that kept emerging, something that would not be denied. She was peeling open. At first, it simply itched, like a rash, like pulling nettles. As weeks went by, what had been easily born, could be endured, became painful, became an agony. Try as she might, as tightly as she wrapped herself in her cocoon of shawls and skin and silence, the comforting routines of her life, colors emerged from her hands, spilt from her mouth, colors and tears, deep waters that seeped from within, washing away the dust of her life.

Soon, sleep became impossible. Standing by her window one day, shivering, she shook with fear. "Please help me," she cried, "I'm not the same." A beam of sunlight fell across the floor of her little room like honey. Motes of dust gathered in the golden light, becoming a flurry of butterflies dancing through an open window into a sky as blue and vast as forever. And La Mariposa opened her arms, took the gift of wings, and rose.

When her neighbor came to walk with her that evening, she found only a dusty shawl and an old brown skirt upon the floor, the early stars glimmering through an unshuttered window.

* * * * * *

Story Notes from Lauren 02/14/2001

Your invitation to contribute came as a real synchronicity to me. I wanted to send on a story I wrote several years ago, La Mariposa. I also wanted to tell a personal story.

Last year I was involved in a film project. We were filming on the lower deck of an old boat (actually, the Art Ship in Oakland).

While waiting for the set up, a friend was pulling cards for us. I got the "Death" card. Not 10 minutes later, a butterfly landed on my shoulder.

This happened in the lower deck of an old ship, which had no open windows only closed portholes, and was docked in an industrial area of Oakland. How on earth did a butterfly get there in the first place? The presence of a butterfly was, truly, miraculous, a clear message from Spirit that in every death is a rebirth.

I was in Mexico that year, a year with many changes in my own life. I think La Mariposa was me, the woman with "a long habit of watching her feet" who was beginning to learn to fly.

I have always perceived that myth and synchronicity operate in all our lives, that that is the language of Spirit.

When you're touched by a butterfly, see what's in front of you. Look well. Magic is all around us......once you begin to break through your cocoon, there is really no going back, no matter how hard you try. You can't go back to sleep again, although, Goddess knows, we do try. And, no one ever said it's always easy.

I think we're butterflies right now, butterflies in the making. The energies of the planet are changing. I believe we truly are at a zenith point, where we can emerge into a global society that is truly the "New Age," or, we will experience a global catastrophe beyond anything that has ever occurred before.

To me, the world is conversant; I've had many experiences of feeling messages were given to me by beings other than human. And, I know many people who also have had the same experience. That's what the Lakota "Vision Quest" initiation ceremonies were all about.

Before I began the "Masks of the Goddess" I had a dream in which I saw a long row of life-size Goddesses (black, yellow, white, blue, red....), all in glorious costumes, standing before me. Two months later I was invited to attend a planning meeting for the 20th Annual Spiral Dance, and at the meeting, it was suggested I create multicultural masks for the Invocation of the Goddess. Since that time, the 20 masks have been used (and continue to be used) by many communities.

In "Women Who Run With The Wolves" by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, she tells a wonderful story about the Butterfly Dancers of the Hopi. Thank you for what you have created.....please keep me informed, and allow me to collaborate in the future if it is possible.

07/24/2001

Just to let you know I thought of you. I was recently at a gathering near Mendocino. I sat in an open field with a friend, having a very energized conversation about releasing the past through reverence of the real gifts of consciousness they've brought us. As we sat in a moments quiet, a huge Monarch butterfly fluttered into view, and landed beside my arm. I could have touched it. We watched it in amazement as it sat there, and then flew off into the trees. I didn't see any more butterflies for the rest of the day.

Blessings, my friends, Lauren
L2-2001-02-14 La Mariposa Lauren Raine www.rainewalker.com

Tea's Butterfly Dream

I had a butterfly dream. I was in my childhood home (not a place of happy memories) in my old second story bedroom looking out a shut glass window. A butterfly came ZOOMING up to it/into it, but did not smash. It was a white butterfly zooming and flying so fast it was shocking.

One time I dreamed I jumped through the glass at this childhood home, fearful it would shatter, it did not and I went into lucid dreaming..............had the choice to jump or not, knowing it could be to the death, I chose to jump through the window (gate). Maybe the butterfly has something to do with it.

Another idea I have is to write dream columns for newspapers and magazines. I have been teaching dream classes and interpreting dreams since 1978. I thought this could partly be my living. I am needing some current sample dreams to interpret from people to have a portfolio to send out. These dreams must be a representative sample, not all butterflies!

Editor's Note: If you have a dream you would like to share with Tea, please send it to her at the email below and please check out her website too.

L2-01-11-06 Tea's Butterfly Dream Tea Schiano nirvana@coteha.org http://www.coteha.org

The First Flutter By

It was mid-May. We had closed on the farm only a month or so ago. We were coming out to the place on the weekends slowly moving our lives in. One of the first belongings we unloaded was the hammock of course. We stretched it out between two trees on the hillside, took off our shoes and had our first official "hammock time" in our new home. As we sat there staring out in awe of everything, a butterfly came and landed on Sharon's finger and visited with us for close to thirty minutes.

It was such a memorable moment for us that for the next two weeks we jokingly referred to the farm as Butterfly Hollow whenever we talked about the place. When we returned to the farm two weeks later we couldn't believe our eyes...... Hundreds, thousands, and probably millions of Butterflies EVERYWHERE!!!

Last night I sat out on the porch and was taking in a couple deep breaths of the cool night air. I listened to the tree frogs and young bull frogs and every now and then heard the faint sound of a cricket. They soon will be the loudest in our nature summer symphony. A splash of night breeze dingled the wind chimes, rustled my hair and filed my senses. I inhaled a bouquet of wild rose, poplar tree flowers and honey suckle.

In this relaxing meditation state of mind I traveled with my senses and concentrated on sounds, smells, and touch. I eventually started hearing a sound that I couldn't place. It almost sounded like a faint rain dripping through the leaves. There being almost a full moon and a complete blanket of stars I knew it couldn't be rain drops. I listened deeper. Then looking out through the forest in-between the moonlight shadows I figured it out. I yelled into Sharon "They're coming...." She came out to the porch asking who's coming. I told her to close her eyes, listen and to hold out her hand. It only took a few minutes until a familiar little green caterpillar with a black face dropped into her lap. She jumped and then smiled.

The sound we were hearing was the millions of young caterpillars chewing and pooing. Over the next week or so they will start building their cocoons and by the last week in May they will stretch their young wings and fill the hollow. Words and pictures can't come close to describing and showing what it's like to be among a million butterflies. You have to be here to believe it.

In the mean time if you would like to see more pictures and hear how our farm, Butterfly Hollow got its name stop by our website. http://homestead.com/butterflyhollow/

David Rasmussen, Gordonsville, TN bhfarm@dtccom.net
L2-00-10-21 The First Flutter By

Every Time I See a Butterfly

I have been seeing them every where lately. Reminders of what I encountered a few weeks ago. I was swimming with my husband at his parents' pool and a small purple/white butterfly landed on my bathing suit. I called my husband over to look at it before it flew away. He teased me because the butterfly wouldn't leave me. I would move my hand close to it and it would move to my shoulder, I pulled on my shoulder strap and it clung on. I dipped lower into the water and it would fly to my husband's arm. For 20 minutes we 'played' with the butterfly. I went to get my mother-in-law to show her our new friend that wouldn't leave. It flew to her for a few minutes, but once again, flew back to me. She said, 'you know, that's a special spirit.'
Finally, after 40 minutes with the butterfly, it flew away. I was 9 weeks pregnant at the time with our first, and 2 days later, I miscarried. I feel like this little butterfly was my baby, saying 'I love you, wish I could stay, but I have to leave you now.'

Every time I see a butterfly now, I think of all the hope for the future I have and beauty in the world. I know that although this child wasn't meant to be, My husband and I still feel like we were able to 'play' with our child for at least a little while.

Regina, El Paso,
L1-Regina

My Guitar Butterfly Loved Music

Date: 11/24/2000

Dear Butterfly Spirit,

Here's a true story - I dedicate it to you Butterfly Spirit in all beings

I once found a monarch butterfly with pitifully bedraggled wings -- quite past flying but fit and fluttery nevertheless. As I had by this time been for several years an unofficial bee therapist, I decided to offer this fellow a dose of bee pollen which he took to most avidly, and then he (I think he was a guy) crawled onto my guitar which I was playing at the time. He proceeded to dance to the music, his wings fluttering graciously in time to the ebb and flow of sound. When I was done, he walked inside the sound hole and presumably went to sleep. Next time I took out the guitar, he crawled out of the sound hole, I fed him more bee pollen (he had a curled up proboscis just like a bee's -- it tickled my finger as he ate)! and once again he danced with delirious abandon on the sound board of my guitar while I played, and at the end he solemnly crawled back into the sound hole and slept inside the guitar.

My gypsy accompanist pulled out my guitar next and I heard this Sicilian explosion of surprise -- "Jaiia what's this butterfly doing crawling out -- he's dancing on this guitar!" ... and so it was for several days. I heard butterflies only live a very short time, so I was surprised at how long our dance and pollen relationship went on. But eventually my magical friend climbed back into the sound hole and slept 'forever' in the guitar. The guitar is no longer with me but most likely the butterfly sleeps there still.

A Butterfly Spirit story for sure.

Blessings, Jaiia www.Earthschild.com
L2-00-11-24

Butterfly Landing in Yucatan

Alan,

You asked me to share my butterfly story with you. To share with you the butterfly is one of my 7 power animals, from the medicine cards, so I do have a connection. I happen to be at the prophets conference in the Yucatan and we were doing a ritual at one of the sacred sites. We were standing in a circle holding hands, and a butterfly landed first on my left wrist and then on my right wrist. It was an orange and black butterfly. Then during the noon ceremony for the fall equinox, white butterflies grace us with there presence. I knew this was of great importance. Take care.

Mary from the Ancient Science and Wisdom conference in Berkeley

L2-98-12-5

Butterfly Lands on My Toe

Date: 09/27/2000
From: Lcangell
To: Bflyspirit

Dear Alan:

I was just reading your new Butterfly Stories and thought I would add one of my own. I admired John MacEnulty's Eman8tions for some time and met him once. I heard he would be playing at the butterfly garden in Chesterfield, MO on Mother's Day and convinced my two grown sons to drive down there with me to hear him play his native American Flute.

After touring the garden and being awed by all the beautiful butterflies, I stopped to listen to John play. His music is so sweet it brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it and that time was no exception. I didn't want to leave, but was beginning to feel very awkward standing there like some sort of groupie just listening and watching the butterflies.

About the time I decided I needed to move on a butterfly came and landed on my bare toes. I was wearing sandals. It stayed until he was nearly finished playing and somehow it seemed okay to be there while it stayed with me. I even have a picture I took of it. (My sandaled foot with a butterfly perched on the first two toes.)

That day John went to lunch with my sons and me and that afternoon when we left, he cut his CD, Chrysalis Dreams. It was the beginning of a rare and wonderful friendship that I treasure with all my heart.

If you have not heard his CD, you should order one from him. It is filled with songs about the butterflies and the music touches my heart the way the butterflies touch my soul.

Sincerely,
Linda Angell

To get a copy of the Chrysalis Dreams CD please send $17.00 ($15.00 for the CD and $2.00 postage and handling) made out to John MacEnulty and mail to Butterfly Friend, PO Box 1925, St. Louis, MO 63118. Your order will also help fund the Butterfly Gardeners Association programs.

Note from John MacEnulty: Alan, these words came to me from my friend Linda Angell. I thought you should see them: "If I were a butterfly, I'd thank you lord for giving me wings" words from a children's song, but they run through my mind this morning.

Think of the caterpillar crawling around eating leaves, no idea that there is anything more to life. A great time is lying in the cool shade of a great edible leaf, literally living to eat.

And then one day, so sated that even food holds no interest, wrapping up and yielding to the darkness, the silence. That is when the miracle really begins, when the transformation becomes reality.

Imagine the exhilaration of waking up so full of energy, so light that you soar through the air. Like a flower freed from its stem you float gently along on the warm summer breeze. Hunger begins to tickle at you. Your instincts take over once more.

The warm sunlight draws you upward, away from the cool earthy darkness of the leaves, onto the soft velvety skin of a petal. Your feet smell the rich scent of the flower's center and you plunge your nose deep into it. Prodding and poking until you find the nectar deep within the very heart of this butterfly like being who cannot fly.

L2-00-09-27 Butterfly Lands on my Toe

Berkeley Police Chief's Experience

I met with Berkeley Police Chief Lance Butler yesterday. I first spoke to him about the butterfly nonviolence work we are doing. He likes the program and endorsed our Earth Proclamation.

He shared with me a story of his own butterfly experience. In 1997 he was standing outside the Police Department building with two other officers. He had his hands up in the air as he was speaking animatedly. Suddenly a butterfly flew up out of nowhere and landed on his finger. It stayed there for a few minutes and he said it was one of the most marvelous things that ever happened to him. Both officers were also impressed. He said if it weren't for that experience, he might have not understood what I was telling him about how butterflies can bring hope, healing, and transformation into children's lives.

A2-00-04-14 Berkeley Police Chief's Experience by Alan Moore

Yellow Butterfly Sighting

I live in NE Texas in Hopkins County and your website showed the two kinds of butterflies seen here and neither were totally yellow. I was sitting outside today and a beautiful light yellow butterfly came and sat for a moment on my lap then flew away and my son saw it, too, as far as I could see it was totally yellow...has that been sighted in Hopkins County, Texas?

I'd go look but there's so many, could you tell me what to look for and I'll try to find the one I saw, give me the URL again, too.

Patti
L2-99-11-09

Sacred Landing

Hello!

Let's keep in touch. I had a butterfly land on my shoulder and link me more deeply with healing and the sacred about 25 years ago

In Spirit,
Sakanta Running Wolf
Th'e Chupe ke ya ka Pah, Walks in Freedom
Oakland, CA

L2-00-02-27

Butterfly Landed on My Shoulder

I wasn't interested in butterflies at all until my spring break a couple of weeks ago. It is a long ride from Nashville to Miami, so you could imagine how I would daze out of the window day in and out. It wasn't until then that I realized how beautiful these insects were. A couple of friends and I collaborated at the beach one Sunday evening to discuss what had been on our minds. We were all so stressed out from midterms. I was feeling so depressed at the beach because, my friends and I really haven't said so much as "Hi" to each other in 2 years, but they were going through a lot and I made myself available to them.

We talked and talked and as my friend tried to explain to me how I affected her life a butterfly landed on my shoulder. She said, "You know, you are like a butterfly, light and delicate. You have popped in my life and made it beautiful, you are free and so full of life ...I was overjoyed at the thought that I could brighten someone else's life like so many people have brightened mine."

L2 Butterfly Landed on My Shoulder E'tienne Easley, Nashville, TN

Photogenic Butterfly

Yesterday this small butterfly insisted on alighting on my clothes, sometimes as if attacking and retreating. It finally flew on my finger and sat there probing with its proboscis. I headed for the house to get my camcorder and discovered that the battery was dead! I took the butterfly outside and released it, went back and installed a fresh battery. I came back outside, and suddenly the butterfly was back on my clothes. I gently scooped it up on my hand and began a series of beautiful footage with my camera. Back to the house I went with my friend still perched on my finger. I loaded the digital still camera with a floppy disc single-handedly while the butterfly appeared to enjoy the inside of my house. Back outside I went for more shots of this magnificent creature that seemed to enjoy its new surroundings. I got wings-up shots, and wings-extended shots that are just gorgeous. Even though the Internet quality of one such shot is not that great, it's still interesting to see. This was a beautiful fifteen-minute experience I'll never forget. www.imageryinwood.com/worick/btrf1.gif eworick@ns.gemlink.com

L2 Photogenic Butterfly Emmett Worick, Orange, VA via Rick Mikula

A Rare Experience

Yesterday, Sunday, August 17th, my wife and I were in our backyard viewing our various plantings about 2:00 PM. We saw a butterfly circle about. Suddenly, it landed on my wife's shoulder. She flinched and it took off, but returned quickly and landed on her hip. I approached it, extending my hand. When I gently placed my index finger in front of it (like one would do for a bird), it jumped on. I then brought it close to view it. It gently opened and closed its wings and looked at me. My wife and I looked closely at it for a number of minutes. I thought it might be thirsty and so I took it over to a bird bath and gently set it down on a rock. I touched the water with my finger and offered it to the Butterfly. It wasn't interested. It then again jumped on my finger and we continued to walk about. It then took off. We walked up on our deck and the butterfly followed and landed on the rail. When I put my finger in front of it again it jumped on once more. After a few more minutes it flew off.

This experience seemed rare and unusual to us. Is it? We researched and have decided this was a Satyr Comma (Polygonia Satyrus). Apparently a bit farther south than usually found.

L2 A Rare Experience Marc Mannheimer, Bradford, MA via Rick Mikula

Red Admiral Visits

As a child, I always thought that I had a special relationship with butterflies. I would be outside in my yard and a family of Red Admiral butterflies would appear and flutter all around me. I was fascinated by them at first glance. I would chase them and try to catch them, but it always seemed that they were playing games with me. They would let me get so close then flutter just out of my reach. I would sit and watch them for hours, playing with each other and fluttering beautifully all around. Once they got to know me they would let me walk right up to them. I would bend down slow with my finger and they would perch just like a pet bird. I couldn't believe my own eyes. They would also follow me to my friends house, landing on my head and arms all the way there. People that saw this could not believe it. I made them my pets.

One afternoon while playing with them in my yard, I had the biggest Red Admiral of the group alight right on the tip of my nose. There I was, eye to eye with a butterfly. He stayed there for moments as I looked down cross eyed at him. It was the most beautiful experience I'd ever had at that point in my life with a butterfly. They returned every year of my child hood, a new generation, but still as they knew me as the years before.

L2-00-12-26 Red Admiral Visits Traverse City, MI via Rick Mikula

Fascinated by Butterflies

Dear Alan:

I too have always been fascinated by butterflies ever since I was a little girl. My father made a butterfly net for me. I used to run through a beautiful open field full of wildflowers and weeds with my net and capture and release the beauties.

My most rememberable experiences are:

1) A monarch landed on my finger. They used to, and still do fly near me quite frequently. The monarch just sat there gracefully moving its wings, and clinging very tightly to my finger. I tried to set it free, and it would not leave.

I could tell this butterfly had a message for me and needed my help. I didn't know what to do with it. It appeared to be dying, so I took it into our basement which was a cool dark place with mostly concrete and dirt floors. I left it there on a shelf. I could not find it when I returned so I figured it had left.

Many years later (most recently) my nephew was poking around the basement when he found the monarch, perfectly preserved!!! He showed it to my mother, his grandmother. She called to tell me about it and I was amazed. I told her my story of how it got there and she could hardly believe it. My nephew kept the monarch and still has it in a glass display. He too is fascinated by butterflies, although he is lost and confused with his life at age 18.

2) My Second Butterfly Experience: I was at a reggae concert in Tahoe. We were dancing at a private tent party after the show. There were many African Americans at the party. I had never seen anyone so very dark! I was a little frightened. I had not had the opportunity to have many black African American people as friends. There were none in the small town that I grew up in. As I continued to dance I could feel that the energy was good and started to feel a little more comfortable.
Then an angel appeared. She was so wholesome looking! She had a long white dress with a headdress and glitter all over her youthful skin. She wore a breathtaking smile and had the most wonderful aura. A white butterfly joined us and landed on her finger. The butterfly remained on her finger and they danced the whole song together. After the song was finished the butterfly flew away after it danced around and above us a little longer. To us the butterfly dancing was a symbol of peace and harmony and that there was no danger.

I consider myself and by others as a "very free spirit." I enjoy my free atitude and don't sweat the small stuff. Its all small stuff!!

Butterflies are my sign of freedom. I am reminded of this every time they come around me. I have my own home now and I can't wait to plant my very own butterfly garden. Any material that you have about this would be appreciated.

L2-98-11-16 Fascinated by Butterflies by Patty Murphy