Our Personal Metamorphosis

Funny what sticks in your head. In the half decade I’ve been developing my understanding of secular spirituality certain symbols of ‘transcendence’ have has stuck with me. They are prominent on my personal coat of arms, and have an honoured place in my consciousness.

Although I was a Christian minister at the time, these symbols have never pointed me to transcendence in the religious sense of a divine power which is wholly independent of the material universe (beyond all the laws of physics). Rather, they were an encouragement to expect the unexpected because nature itself, reflected in humanity and elsewhere, are mysterious..

• The bee refers to the now outdated calculations of classical aerodynamics suggest that suggested bumblebees ought not to be able to fly.

  [See https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HY_h6-1EfuQ)]

• The phoenix alludes to the Greek myth of a bird rising from the ashes of destruction. My coat of arms was designed when I was regularly experiencing a recurring depression. I needed reminding that I, as everyone, could rise from defeat, even when it did not seem possible. It was a needed affirmation of resilience and renewal.

• The butterfly is metaphor of seemingly ‘miraculous’, yet thoroughly natural, transformation. As the “positive psychology people” put[i] it,, the ‘caterpillar stage’ is natural and healthy. We can use it to symbolise the necessary development of the ego. But looking at the chrysalis (the destruction of old identities and certainties) and the subsequent new beautiful being, we can be encouraged to think that we can be reshaped and transformed into something much more attractive.

[This image is made available under the Creative Commons CCO 1.0 Universal Public Domain.]

An unfortunate tendency of modern Western culture is to believe that if we simply understand a concept, we’ve mastered it. It is quite different from our “Just Do It” philosophy and hunger for instant success. We ‘caterpillars’ want to become ‘butterflies’ without the necessary hard work, which includes making mistakes and learning from them. Recently the renown violinist Nicola Benedetti commented that the next generation of classical musicians may be meagre because of our culture’s lack of discipline.

Eastern culture by contrast emphasises practice and mastery., by a disciplined and time-consuming process of developing mastery – and if not that, at least a significant progress to gain the intended fruit, if only partially and imperfectly. [https://www.thepositivepsychologypeople.com/transforming-yourself-from-caterpillar-to-butterfly/]

The Tincture of Time is a medicine that our easily distracted culture resists – but to our peril. So many attractive ‘answers’ offer us just what we’re looking for (quick solutions to complex and deep seated problems) prove to be disappointing, even misleading.

Part of the problem lies in the monetary motives of some, who offer easy answers because they are an easy sell. I’m reminded of quip attributed to PT Barnum, the circus entrepreneur:

An aspect of the blinding wool associated with the easy answers of some (not all!)  self-development gurus is the oversimplification and false assurance that their easy answers will destroy our difficulties. One might say the blame for such approaches lies as much in our enjoyment of their comforting wool on our eyes as on them.

The alternative? Do the work of transcendence if you want its delightful, encouraging, and shape-shifting benefits. The path to this kind of liberation may be joyful (as it often is). But it can be difficult and demanding as well.Whether in American Football or International Rugby, most of the winds demand some ‘hard yards’.