contents - AMORC

MELIA SAT PATIENTLY OBSERVING THE
struggles of a butterfly as it attempted to
emerge from its cocoon. At first a small
opening appeared at one end and the
butterfly struggled and struggled for
hours to force its way out. And then it suddenly
seemed to stop, as though it could go no further,
stuck between two worlds.
Feeling very sorry for its plight, she
decided to “help” the butterfly. So, with a pair
of small scissors, she snipped the cocoon open
and the butterfly emerged. But it was not what
she had expected. It had a swollen body and
small, shrivelled wings. She continued watching,
expecting that at any moment the wings would
expand and unfold, thereby completing the
transformation so it could fly away.
Unfortunately, this did not happen. In fact,
the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling
around with a swollen body and shrivelled wings.
It never managed to fly. What Amelia in her
by Nobilis
The Rosicrucian Beacon -- September 2006
misguided kindness and haste had not understood
was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle
required for the butterfly to get through the tiny
opening was nature’s way of forcing fluid from the
butterfly’s body into its wings, thereby expanding
them and preparing them for flight.
A struggle such as this is perfectly natural.
It is a process of natural law allowing us to
experience the worst and best in life. It is not just a
test of our physical resolve to overcome obstacles
in daily life either, but a direct strengthening
of our soul awareness in its quest for spiritual
advancement. Of course there are times when
everything seems overwhelming or we are caught
up in the raw emotion of grief; but such times pass
and we can later look back reflectively and often
see them from the wider perspective of the human
condition.
Daily struggles are a fact of human life, and
if we can but see them for what they really are, we
will be well on our way to mastering life.
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