With the madness of these shifty days, I find myself considering my fellow members of humankind and wondering what brings everyone hope. Being a story weaver I collect stories of all kinds and imagine a new future where we are all united in a thriving and peace-loving world.

Feeling motivated to uplift and ignite hope, I was recently encouraged to write down the butterfly story. The intention is for it to awaken, inspire and enthuse you to imagine the potential of our collective co-creation for goodness. May these words offer some remedy to the numbness, fear and worry that is prevalent.

As I share this story, hold in  mind the context of micro to macro and see in the caterpillar’s cellular life cycle, the potential for our very own human consciousness.

Biologists have spent great time analysing the cellular activity of the caterpillar’s life cycle and here’s how things transpire. At first it seems the caterpillar is merely existing, nothing extraordinary is happening. It eats, cruises about, poops and rests.

Then seemingly overnight the caterpillar turns gluttonous, even at a cellular level. The caterpillar is in frenzied in a “Black Friday” like mad, consuming state. Their gluttony knows no purpose; the food was not all needed for its growth; most is just wasted.

But this is when things get exciting. At the same time that these gluttonous cells continue their frenzy within the caterpillar, biologist’s also notice something inspired in the form of unique and different looking cells. These also begin to awaken within the body of the caterpillar and biologists appropriately call these “imaginal cells” . They seem to move through the body of the caterpillar and awaken other imaginal cells.

The gluttonous cells see these imaginal cells as a threat and they start destroying them, (which makes me think of the icons of our society who were equally seen as threats and as a result lost theirs; the likes of Martin Luther King, Bob Marley, JFK, John Lennon – the list goes on).

However the imaginal cells are unstoppable and they continue to awaken within the body and awaken others, in some cases even gluttonous cells awaken realising they’re more than frenzied consumors.

Then the imaginal cells start finding each other and unite, forming clusters and then clusters of clusters. At this point the gluttonous cells are unable to continue destroying them as it’s hard to isolate a cluster of clusters. They gluttonous cells  give up and end up as fuel for the completion of the transformation.

The clusters of clusters of imaginal cells then begin to notice the distinct differences and specialties that each individual cell is capable of. This final stage happens within the chrysalis and as all is reALLised, the new multi-cellular organism is complete and the butterfly is born.

This story is a source of hope for me as I see all around me, how even with the global challenges and subsequent regulations that separate and divide us, humanity’s imaginal cells are awakening all over and I see clusters and even clusters of clusters forming.

I celebrate that the misfits, change agents, artists, dreamers, catalysts, innovators and all who make a stand for the good of all and who support each other. Perhaps that’s also my advice to you – if any of this story sparks some hope within and or even awakens you to the potential for our united humanity’s co-creative potential, then hey there “imaginal cell” – this is as good a time as ever to reach out to other good people and form clusters.

If you are fortunate to already be in a cluster then look out for others clusters and merge with them too.

I send deep care and soft warm heart space to you all as I share and encourage us to consider the remedy of the big disease that is “apathy” and its “what’s the point” doomsday voice. I believe this remedy exists in hope.

Let’s do this humanity – let’s awaken, unite and rise into our fully expressed humanKINDness together.

It’s time to imagine and co-create a thriving world for all and all manner of all.

Thank you, dear caterpillars for showing us that out of cellular chaos great beauty and wonder can emerge.