Last Updated on September 23, 2024 by Avia

Butterfly Animal Symbolism and Butterfly Meaning

Butterfly Meaning in the Realm of Animal Symbolism: Interpreting animal symbolism is a powerful way to connect with nature, and learn lessons from her creatures – lessons that we can apply to our own lives. Observing the butterfly and learning her symbolic meanings offers us an opportunity to apply her movements to our own lives. For example, we can relate the butterfly’s stages of life to our own life-phases…growing pains, times of ravenous hunger, times of vulnerability, moments of miraculous expansion.

The more we seek symbolism in nature, the more we realize we have a lot in common with animals, insects and life in the wild realms. Indeed, we are intimately connected with the animal queen/kingdom – inseparable from nature and her movements.

Butterfly Animal Symbolism and Butterfly Meaning

Butterfly Symbolic Meaning

Overwhelmingly, cultural myth and lore honor the butterfly as a symbol of transformation because of its impressive process of metamorphosis.

From egg, to larvae (caterpillar), to pupa (the chrysalis or cocoon) and from the cocoon the butterfly emerges in her unfurling glory.

What a massive amount of transition this tiny creature undergoes. Consider for a moment the kind of energy this expends. I daresay if a human were to go through this kind of change we’d freak out!

Imagine the whole of your life-changing to such an extreme you are unrecognizable at the end of the transformation. Mind you, this change takes place in a short span of about a month too (that’s how long the butterfly life cycle is).

“Transformation literally means going beyond your form.”
~ Wayne Dyer

Herein lies the deepest symbolic lesson of the butterfly. She asks us to accept the changes in our lives as casually as she does. The butterfly unquestioningly embraces the chances of her environment and her body.

This unwavering acceptance of her metamorphosis is also symbolic of faith. Here the butterfly beckons us to keep our faith as we undergo transitions in our lives. She understands that our toiling, fretting, and anger are useless against the turning tides of nature – she asks us to recognize the same.

As mentioned, tapping into animal symbolism is akin to tapping into our own souls, because we are inseparable from nature and her creatures.

For easy reference, here’s a quick list of symbolic features of the butterfly…

Meaningful Butterfly Keywords

Time
Soul
Grace
Growth
Elegance
Expansion
Lightness
Surrender
Transition
Expression
Celebration
Resurrection
Vulnerability

butterfly animal symbolism — Butterfly animal symbolism

Symbolic Butterfly Meaning in Cultural Myth, Beliefs and History

There are dozens of myths and cultural beliefs that view the butterfly and the soul as one-in-the-same.

Animal symbolism is a big deal in cultural identity. And the butterfly makes important appearances on the stage of human beliefs and understanding. Interestingly, in many cultures, the butterfly is associated with the soul – further linking our meaning of faith with the butterfly.

In Greek myth, Psyche (which literally translates to mean “soul”) is represented in the form of a butterfly. Befittingly, Psyche is forever linked with love as she and Eros (the Greek god of love, also known in Roman myth as Cupid) shared an endlessly passionate bond together – both hopelessly in love with the other.

Greece doesn’t corner the market on associating the butterfly with the soul. Here are a few other ancient cultures that associated this elegant creature with the soul: Asian (central), Mexican (Aztec), New Zealand and Zaire

butterfly animal symbolism butterfly meaning — Butterfly animal symbolism butterfly meaning

“The mystery of life is not a problem to be solved.
It is a reality to be experienced.”
~Aart van der Leeuw

Christianity considers the butterfly as a symbol for the soul. To wit, the butterfly is depicted on ancient Christian tombs, as Christ has been illustrated holding a butterfly in Christian art.

Its connection with the soul is rather fitting. We are all on a long journey of the soul. On this journey, we encounter endless turns, shifts, and conditions that cause us to morph into ever-finer beings. At our soul journeys end, we are inevitably changed – not at all the same as when we started on the path.

To take this analogy a step further, we can look again to the grace and eloquence of the butterfly and realize that our journey is our only guarantee. Our responsibility is to make our way in faith, accept the change that comes, and emerge from our transitions as brilliantly as the butterfly. So as you can see, butterflies can mean many different things and these symbolic meanings can even change depending on their color. For example, visit sodaliteminds.com to find out the meaning of white butterflies.

When this gracious, elegant creature appears to us, the butterfly beckons us to ask these questions:

Potential Questions The Butterfly Asks

♦ What is your attitude towards change? How does that influence your life.

♦ Can you accept who and where you are?

– – -If not, do you believe you can change it?

– – -If so, how will you react to the inevitable changes to come?

♦ Do you believe in your greater good? Can you allow good to flow naturally into your life?

♦ Are you willing to take the long soul’s journey to be the best you can be?

“Begin to love & embrace what you are without seeking to change it.”
~Avia

In conclusion, I hope you’ve enjoyed these thoughts on symbolic butterfly meaning. If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out my page on butterfly tattoo meanings here.

May all your butterfly encounters be boundless and beautiful.

Mighty brightly,