She knew life as a caterpillar — then she was engulfed in transformation
By Peter Melton
Once upon a timeless moment, there was a caterpillar named Humana. She did not know why, but she was covering herself in a cocoon. She felt trapped by the suffocating atmosphere; she felt like she was dying.
This self-made cocoon was engulfing her, and it didn’t feel very good at all. She was very confused and she did not know why all of this was happening. She had heard from some of the wise ones that from a grander perspective, she was so much more than just a caterpillar. They told her that she was actually a spiritual being having the temporary experience of being a caterpillar. That all sounded nice, but she never really understood what it meant.
Humana felt like she was dying. She wondered, could it be true that a grander spiritual energy was up to something? She wasn’t sure what to do, and now the cocoon had completely surrounded her. Then she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
That night, in her dreams, she saw amazing colors. She felt like she was flying, way, way up in the sky. She experienced wonderful new feelings, more amazing than any feelings she had ever felt. In the morning, as she woke up, she felt the urge to bust out of the cocoon she had wrapped herself in. As she started to climb out, she felt stronger than before; something had definitely changed. She felt different; she was feeling the special feelings like she had felt in her dreams. She opened her eyes to a new kind of light, and she saw the bright colors she had seen in her dreams. As she looked at herself, she saw the transformation; not only did she see the bright colors, but she realized … that she was the bright colors!
Something amazing and transformational had happened while she slept. She felt so free … and then … she spread her colorful new wings … and then … she flew. Flying high above the ground, Humana realized that her spiritual nature was in fact up to something. This was a very different life then what she had as a caterpillar. This could not have happened if she had not suffocated herself in the cocoon. That confusing time led to this experience of knowing herself in a brand new and glorious way, as a butterfly.
It wasn’t long before Humana was a full-grown butterfly and it was her turn to lay some butterfly eggs. She realized that those eggs would soon become baby caterpillars. Then it all sank in; each of those babies would experience the same confusion and dying process that she did, and they too would someday know themselves as so much more than caterpillars.
Someday, they would know themselves as butterflies, who had cleverly disguised themselves as caterpillars for a short time. They would also realize that they did it to themselves, for the thrill of the journey of remembering, that they were butterflies all along.
Peter Melton has always been a storyteller — “I think it is a great way to share deep and meaningful insights and experiences. My Fables of Unity strive to open and twist minds and hearts and to spark our individual and collective Re-Membering. In Joy!”
Want to contribute? Send 600- to 700-word articles on all aspects of inner peace to Richard Carey (rcarey009@gmail.com).
