Your Caterpillars Have Arrived!

“Your Caterpillars Have Arrived! The Miracle of Metamorphosis is about to Begin! It’s Time To Grow!” were not really the first words I expected to read as soon as I opened my eyes after an hour of peaceful meditation at my Heartfulness preceptor’s (trainer) home. I knew that I always found answers to my spiritual questions during or after meditation but staring at a box which told me that an original cup of caterpillars has arrived definitely didn’t look like an answer to the questions that I had in mind that morning. “So much for finding answers after meditation!” I said to myself and curiously walked towards the box. My preceptor’s two little daughters explained to me how they were waiting for the caterpillars to turn into beautiful butterflies and how eagerly they were waiting to release those butterflies into their garden. I smiled and went home.

For a long time, I couldn’t get the words on that box out of my mind. Later in the day, I remembered the words from the book, “Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah” by Richard Bach. In his book he says, “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.” Suddenly, everything made sense to me! I realized that my questions had already been answered through a box of caterpillars. I couldn’t stop smiling. I was amazed to see how gracefully Nature chose to send me answers.

Recently, I had begun to see a lot of changes in my surroundings and also inside me. I believed in my heart that I was experiencing a beautiful spiritual transformation within myself. A silent transformation that was almost impossible to express in words and explain to another soul. Every individual’s spiritual journey is very unique to him or her. My outside world had slowly started changing as a result of the changes in my inside world. Things were probably changing for the better but who likes to get out of their comfort zone even if it is pretty uncomfortable there? We always have the fear of unknown within us and I was no different.

Lately, I had started feeling renewed. I was feeling calmer and more content. I was also happily becoming a minimalist. I was just happy to be! I was becoming lighter like never before. Deep inside, it felt good but I still wanted someone or something to tell me that I was headed on the right path. I wanted a confirmation because sometimes change can be confusing. Like everybody who is on a spiritual journey, I too have been through different phases of spiritual growth over the years but this time I simply needed to know that I was moving towards the right direction. That morning… before I began to meditate, I had endless questions in my mind but by the end of it, the caterpillars had come to my rescue! Now, the words like “Miracle of Metamorphosis is about to Begin” and “It’s time to grow” began to make sense.

I am happy to accept the caterpillar stage of my life now and willing to embrace the cocoon stage and move into an unknown space out of my comfort zone only to eagerly turn into a butterfly. Isn’t this what life is all about? We are constantly transforming for the better. Sometimes we understand the change right away; sometimes somebody tells us about it; and at other times you get sent a box of caterpillars! No matter how we realize about our transformation, eventually we all turn into butterflies!