Rebirth

“May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun, and find your shoulder to light on, and bring you luck, happiness and riches today, tomorrow and beyond.” Irish Blessing

We all have something that is much like a talisman, a reminder perhaps that along the path there is something or someone watching over us. For me, my talisman has always been the white butterfly, a sign of good luck perhaps, an omen of new beginnings. Whenever I am plagued by anxiety or a sense that I have no idea what is next, the white butterfly, coming into my path, often in Merlin’s Garden, tells me to not be afraid.

When I started this painting, I thought of words given me by another artist — that painting gives us an opportunity to create our own world. Taking that cue, I thought of the white butterfly, as well as my fondness for the egg and all it exemplifies. In this world, there is the butterfly overlooking the life of a chick, but also that of the egg (another cocoon, perhaps) and the chick that finds its way out of the egg’s shell and into the light.  That age old question arises — what comes first, the chicken or the egg?   I have no idea.  Between the butterfly and its right of passage, and that of the chicken and its birth, both seem to exemplify the ongoing and mysterious nature of life,  beginnings and endings, the importance of remembering that there is more to our existence than we can imagine.

Rebirth, the name of this painting, is given us each moment. A chance to see things anew, to take a different path, a reminder that in each minute there is an opportunity to begin again. We are not stuck, really. We just need to apply ourselves to an altered possibility that enables us to live our highest and most powerful dream.