After many days of crawling up perilously high stalks of Hollyhocks to chomp on their bitter leaves, while beautiful butterflies danced in the air above her head or daintily sipped flower nectar as she clung on tightly, afraid to fall, the caterpillar finally called out “How does one become a butterfly?” “You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.” was the reply. “You must be willing to go into the darkest depths & liquefy your very essence before the beauty of your butterfly being emerges into the light.”

This piece is comprised of 5 metal canisters,that come apart to reveal affirmations, colors and elements that relate to their corresponding Chakras. The caterpillar head corresponds to the 6^th Chakra: the Eye of Wisdom or the Inner Eye; and the emerging transformed butterfly corresponds to the final, 7^th Chakra- the Crown Chakra. I chose to use Chakras as symbolic elements in this piece about our path to transformation into a more enlightened being- or just a happier, more balanced human being.

Very simply, a Chakra is a concept referring to whorls of energy permeating from a point on the physical body. Rotating vortices of subtle matter, they are considered the focal points for the reception and transmission of energies. Seven major chakras or energy centers -also understood as wheels of light or color- are generally believed to exist within the subtle body. If you are interested in this concept please do more research because I have simplified the concept greatly.

1. First Chakra: Root Chakra; color: red
   Located at the base of the spine.
   Earth, survival, grounding, stillness.
   It grounds us in the physical world.

Affirmation: I am rooted and grounded in Life. Second Chakra: Sacral Chakra; color : orange

Spleen: Located just beneath the navel, and
related to our sexual and reproductive capacity.
Blockage manifests as emotional problems or sexual guilt.

Affirmation: I am co-creator with the Divine. Third Chakra: Solar Plexus Chakra; color: yellow

Navel; Seat of Emotions. Gives us a sense of personal
power in the world. Blockage manifests as anger or a sense of victimization.

Affirmation: I trust the Divine in me.

Fourth Chakra: Heart Chakra; color: green

Blockage can manifest as immune
system or heart problems, or a lack of compassion.

Affirmation: My heart is softened and filled with love. Fifth Chakra: Neck or Throat Chakra; color: blue

Communication Center; Tied to creativity and communication.
Feels pressure when you are not communicating your emotions properly.

Affirmation: I express myself. Sixth Chakra: the Third Eye; the Eye of Wisdom; the Inner Eye

Color: indigo; center of forehead
Clairvoyance, psychic abilities, imagination, dreaming

Affirmation: I allow myself to see clearly. Seventh Chakra: Crown Chakra; color: purple

Connects you with messages from higher realms.
Spiritual connection, understanding, knowing, bliss, God

Affirmation: I receive inspiration and spiritual illumination this day.

The Butterfly’s “hair”(felted wool) represents the crown expanding out

The metal embossed back side:

I adapted a fable called “Feeding the Right Wolf” from Pema Chodron’s book “Taking the Leap”, as fabulists are wont to do & made it my own called “Feeding the Beasts”:

“She came to me in a dream, her bronze, flower crowned, figure both youthful and ancient, exuding wisdom. I was crying, collecting my tears in a chipped green enamel cup. “Why, oh why, is there still violence & cruelty in this world?” I asked her. She said it was like the 2 beasts fighting in her heart, one was kind and had an open heart and mind with natural intelligence; the other was filled with anger and judgment, with no interest in expanding it’s heart or mind. “And which beast will win that fight in your heart?” Softly she replied, “The one that wins will be the one I choose to feed.”

As you can see she is feeding the Kind Beast a beautiful heart:

and the Angry Beast a piece of rusty chain:

The heart represents loving kindness and the chain represents the chains that bind us when we practice destructive patterns. The Angry Beast is fading into the rusty tin and is not as visible as the Kind Beast because that is the one we choose not to feed. Once again meaning shapes seeing!