A month or so ago, just before I left for holiday in Berlin, an unusual thing happened. For about one week, several butterflies would visit my balcony railing each morning to spread their wings and bask lazily in the sun. I recognized that it was the same butterflies every day since they all had unique brightly colored spots and beautiful, distinct markings. Two of the butterflies had dark brown wings with white spots near the tips and dark orange stripes mid-wing; while the third butterfly had yellow and black tiger-print upper wings, with bright orange splashes dotted in lavender and white near the edges, and dark brown lower wings with large round lavender spots ringed in black and yellow with splashes of orange.
What was most striking about my winged visitors, apart from their colorful appearance, was that they would not fly away when I approached them. They would remain unperturbed by my presence and even seemed to want to linger near me for as long as possible before flying away. In fact, one time I even managed to get close enough to the butterfly with the lavender spots that I could almost touch it. As I inched my hand closer and closer towards it, much to my surprise, it reached out with it’s front legs and gently tapped me on my finger. It felt like a friendly, familiar nudge – as if it was saying “Hello old friend. I am here.” Then, after a few moments of contact the butterfly fluttered away never to be seen again.
At the time this occurred I felt certain that this was an omen. A sign heralding something in my future. Perhaps it had something to do with my upcoming visit to Berlin? Or maybe it was an ancestor trying to send me a message about my destiny? So I searched online to find an answer to the question: What does it mean when a butterfly lands on you? What I learned was fascinating. Butterflies are symbols of a coming change or transformation. They represent a spiritual rebirth and in some ancient traditions are known to be bringers of news and dreams.
Despite these insights till now I have not managed to decipher the message or interpret the sign that I received on that day. All I know is that without a doubt I am experiencing a profound metamorphosis in my life. A deep-rooted change which transcends far beyond everything that has already taken place in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic. My future, with God’s guidance, will take me on a path of promise towards fulfilling my higher purpose on Earth. Perhaps I will never ever know the answer to this butterfly mystery. However, what matters most is that in my heart it has given me the courage to confront the uncertain and the unknown that lies ahead.