On Wings of Transformation: Butterflies in Magic

Butterflies are everywhere. Everywhere that is except Antarctica; it has to do with the cold and lack of flowers. Butterflies have been a part of human life since the beginning. The oldest butterfly fossil is from the Paleocene Era or about 50 Million years old, but scientists think that the butterfly may have existed a lot earlier than that. These delicate looking, winged insects have become a part of many of the world's culture’s mythologies. From Ancient Egyptians to modern dream analysts, butterflies are an important part of their lives.

A little biology for understanding

Currently, there are 17,000 known species of butterflies on planet Earth and some scientists believe that number may be higher by thousands because of undiscovered species. All butterflies have a four-stage life cycle and at some point, during that life cycle, they undergo a complete metamorphosis. Wingspan can range from the ½ inch of the Western Pygmy Blue to the 10 ½ inch wingspan of the Queen Alexandra’s birdwing. Butterflies can only eat nectar because the have a proboscis that rolls up when not in use.

History on Butterfly Wings

Butterflies have evolved with humankind and have been a part of our mythology from the beginning . Ancient Greece and Rome incorporated butterflies into their religion and beliefs early one. Greek philosopher, Aristotle, referred to butterflies as Psyche, the word means soul. The use of the Greek goddess’s name was deliberate, as Psyche was the Goddess of Souls and the Ancient Greeks believed that butterflies contained the souls of the deceased. The Ancient Romans thought of them as symbols of transformation in the soul. They also minted denarii with butterflies on the coins shown to the left of Juno, the Goddess of Weddings and Marriage. Weddings were a huge transformation in many lives with the coins showing that the Goddess of Marriage was blessing those transformations.

On the other side of the Mediterranean Sea, Ancient Egyptians were painting butterflies on the walls of tombs. They believed that butterflies represented the divine transformation of the soul in the afterlife. The butterfly represented the Ba, the delicate part of the spirit that could flit between the realms of the living and the realms of the dead. Seeing a butterfly was believed to be equal to seeing the spirit of a dead loved one. There is also mention that one of the delights in the afterlife was the time to relax and watch the butterflies.

On the Indian Sub-continent, butterflies are the origin of a god and a group of nine goddesses. Nawa Durga is a group of nine goddesses who are said to have emerged from a group of butterflies. They represent divine feminine energy and the power of transformation. They are nine forms of the goddess Durga and they are honored during two linked festivals, Navaratri and Durga Puja.

The second Hindu god linked to butterflies is Krishna. Krishna started his existence as a mortal human, through meditation and spiritual works he metamorphosized into a god. It is believed that he was the eighth avatar of Vishnu incarnated into human form. Butterflies represent his transformation from human to god. They are considered sacred to Krishna.

Pre-Columbian America had it’s own share of deities linked to butterflies. Most notable is the Aztec Goddess, Itzpapalotl, also known as the Obsidian Butterfly. She is described as a skeletal warrior and is considered a Goddess of Death. She had many roles in Aztec Society, including ruler of Tamoanchan (the origin place of humans and the realm for those who died because of infant mortality), a goddess of the dead, and a female warrior. Depictions of her vary from a beautiful, seductive woman to a butterfly with wings edged in obsidian blades.

Superstitions and Omens

Butterflies not only represent deities, but they also hold a place in the folk magic and beliefs of our ancestors. Seeing butterflies meant something in real life and in dreams. Those superstitions still exist today in the modern world. We still look to butterflies for meaning in the chaos of life and for messages from loved ones we miss.

In Ireland, butterflies held the souls of deceased people. It is said that white butterflies especially held the souls of deceased children. To kill a white butterfly, even accidentally, was considered bad luck. Butterflies were also associated with the gods and their sacred fires. They were a reminder that the gods are looking out for you and fly with you. Because butterflies can travel between worlds, they were considered messengers.

America’s Southern Appalachian region believed a certain type of butterfly brought prosperity. Fritillary Butterflies are a bright orange butterfly with black markings all over the wings. If one lands on you, it is said that money is coming your way. To know how much money, count the little black dots on the butterfly’s wings. If you wish to attract this butterfly into your life and you live in the Southern United States, it is suggested that you plant passionflowers in your garden.

Also in the Americas, but this time in the Southwest, the Tohono O’odham Tribe held the belief that butterflies were messengers to The Great Spirit. One of the jobs of a butterfly was to carry a person’s prayers and wishes directly to The Great Spirit. Harming a butterfly was considered a bad omen.

The Zuni people, also from the American Southwest, believed that the first butterfly you saw in the Spring foretold the coming weather for the Summer. A yellow butterfly meant that the Summer would be sunny, but if you saw a dark butterfly, the coming Summer would be long and stormy. White butterflies meant a sunny, pleasant Summer.

If you see a mourning cloak butterfly in the Ozarks as soon as the weather warm a little, it means that Spring will arrive early. Mourning cloak butterflies overwinter as larvae in a chrysalis and emerge as soon as the weather warms above freezing. The sooner they emerge, the sooner it is Spring.

I’m going to add a superstition I grew up with about butterflies, but I don’t know how far outside my Pennsylvanian German family this exists. My mother would say that if you see a butterfly at a person’s funeral, it means the person’s soul was there for one final good-bye. If you see a butterfly at a funeral, don’t pay attention to it, just silently wish the spirit safe travels. My grandfather used to say that if you tried to catch the butterfly or injured it, then the soul would be stuck at the grave and never go to Heaven.

On Magical Wings

Butterflies are magical creatures. They are etheric and otherworldly with wings that are intricate works of natural art. They dance around with the grace of a faery ballet dancer and flutter away to disappear in a second. As they grow from caterpillar to butterfly, they go through an awkward stage where they liquify themselves inside a little pouch and emerge from that cocoon as a beautiful butterfly. Their entire life is an act of magic.

Butterflies are often seen in two ways, first as messengers, and secondly, as the poster child of transformation. They are good omen in many practices and negative meanings for a butterfly are rare. They are just little winged beings of joy.

Butterflies have always been messengers to deceased loved ones and to the gods. They can fly high and look otherworldly when flying. If you see a butterfly while thinking about a lost loved one, it could be that person saying hello back.

Just a note, butterflies that appear during meditation, musing, and dreams can also have meaning. If you are trying to contact a loved one and start seeing butterflies in on everything while you go about your day, but fail to see an actual butterfly, it still means they are trying to communicate with you. A sign from an animal does not need to be a real, living animal. Sometimes, communication can come in the form of packaging covered with butterfly images or a sudden email about a local butterfly exhibit. If you dream of butterflies landing on you, that is just as valid as a butterfly landing on you while you are awake. Butterflies are symbols and symbols can appear anywhere.

If you do ancestor work and are trying to communicate with someone, decorating your altar with a butterfly or two helps give them a way to communicate with you. It is easy to create drawings of butterflies for on your altar, but butterfly figurines, a teacup with butterfly patterns, or even crystals carved to look like butterfly wings are acceptable. Use whatever feels right to you and is withing your budget. Your ancestors will communicate with you with or without fancy altar decorations.

The other popular meaning of a butterfly entering your life will either fill you with great hope or with deep dread. That meaning is transformation. When a butterfly goes through the stages of its life, it literally melts down its past and becomes something entirely new. Transformation with humans doesn’t necessarily mean the same, thankfully. Transformation could be as simple as giving up a bad habit to as complex as changing your gender or moving away and starting a new life.

Magical Butterfly Effects

Most of magic and witchcraft is about changing yourself into a better person, whatever that better person is depends on you. Magic as all about that transformation. We use witchcraft to find freedom, become reborn as our true selves, heal our soul wounds in order to transform ourselves into wiser people, and we seek to better our connection with the Universe so we can make the world a better place. Casting spells is using the Universe’s energy to cast a spell, or say a prayer, to cause a butterfly effect to being about the goal you seek.

The butterfly effect is the idea that when a butterfly flaps its wings in Australia, or anywhere on Earth, that flapping sets in motion a series of events that can lead to a rainstorm in Cly, Pennsylvania. Depending on what your beliefs are and how you see the world, spells, prayers, and rituals are using the theory of the butterfly effect to bring about the focus of your magic, often we invite in divine assistance to help make sure our wings flapping brings about the desired effect.

Transformative Magic

Butterflies are truly magical animals. They transform from a little caterpillar to a magnificent, winged butterfly by turning themselves into goo and then rebuilding themselves cell by cell. The magic uses of butterflies goes far beyond just transformation spells and meditations. Butterflies can be used magically in spells and rituals for freedom magic, awakening, new beginnings, beauty spells and glamours, stirring up new ideas and inspirations, and seeking Divine guidance. If you work with angels in your magic, butterflies can be used to contact and sense the presence of your guardian angel.

Don’t let the delicate, fragile appearance of a butterfly fool you. Magically, they are extremely powerful and life changing. Butterfly energy can be transformative and often focuses on the life cycles of people and things, expanding a person’s spirituality and their vulnerability, they can help us release things that hold us back, and they bring enlightenment. The downside of butterfly energy is that it can be ungrounded (always make sure you keep yourself centered and grounded when working with it), it can be erratic, flighty, and it may be around one day and disappear for weeks before coming back. Remember you are working with the energy of a being that flits from flower to flower and seems to be the epitome of a free spirit.